Romans 8:31, 38-39
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 38 For
I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
According to Fritz Springmeier and
Cisco Wheeler, “Rejection is a tool of Satan across the board in the world.
Rejection creates a sine wave of hills and valleys. When a person
(or nation) is rejected they will often shift to one of two extremes: either they will try to perform to meet up
to expectations or they will retaliate against rejection. Both are
extremes.” When dealing with
spiritual strongholds, deliverance is twofold. There has to be
understanding by those who are involved with the person dealing with rejection
and there has to be accountability by the rejected individual for their
thoughts, speech, and actions. When dealing with people who have been
rejected or are feeling rejected, we have to understand that this is an extremely strong spirit. It will
be followed by the need to validate
oneself or it will be followed by anger
which is a cry for attention.
It is very important to understand
the effect that rejection may have on an individual. Rejection may result
in social isolation, loneliness,
aggression, depression, feelings of insecurity and a heightened sense of future
rejection. When teaching, I address things from a spiritual perspective but I do not
disregard or ignore the natural or human side of the issue. It is
essential that we learn to be more understanding
of one another. Even if we aren't
experiencing the effects of rejection, we are probably experiencing other
issues which require the patience of
others. Longsuffering is one of
the fruit of the Spirit that we are required by God to possess. With
rejection being a satanic stronghold, many times we become impatient with those
dealing with rejection. We may feel as if they should be ‘over’ it by now. This
is exactly what the devil desires. As long as we do not have the patience
to endure one another’s issues, it enables them to either remain in the same
position or digress. However, as stated previously, deliverance is
twofold. The individual has to make a decision to release these feelings.
Freedom
Freedom comes from letting go. Many times as humans, our
emotional inadequacies transition from an emotional pain to an emotional
security blanket. We become comfortable with these feelings because they
are familiar to us. Many times there is a fear of the unknown. If we release the hurt
that we’re feeling, what hurt will it be replaced with? But Jesus made it
clear that He came so that we would be able to have life and not just life, but
abundant life. He came so that we could live and not just exist.
Social isolation is an extremely
dangerous effect of rejection. For Christians, this isolation presents
spiritual atrophy as well as natural consequences. The Bible tells us not to
forsake the assembling of ourselves together. When we come in contact
with one another, we draw strength from one another. Social isolation can
be identified with loneliness but loneliness is an emotional disorder, while
social isolation is a voluntary removal of oneself from social interaction.
Epidemiologist Andrew Steptoe researched 6500 individuals over a twelve
year period. He came to the conclusion that many of the subjects died as
a result of social isolation rather than loneliness.
Depression is another ramification
of rejection. Depression
affects us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. People
may lose or gain weight as a result of depression. Depression can produce
one of two extremes. One extreme is the tendency to avoid food because
the body does not respond to feelings of hunger. The other extreme
happens when certain foods cater to the reward system in the brain.
Pleasure chemicals such as the neurotransmitter dopamine are released
when we indulge in devouring some foods. Excessive food consumption is
used to attempt to satisfy the internal pain that the individual is feeling.
Insomnia as a result of depression will have a negative mental effect on
us. As we rest, our brain which is a self-repairing organ has the ability
to regenerate itself. Old or dead cells are released and new cells are
formed. When we fail to get sufficient sleep or rest, our brain does not
have an opportunity to properly restore itself. Lack of sufficient rest
will also distort your perception or viewpoint on life’s occurrences. The
inner turmoil that we may be trying to navigate our way through will cause us
to focus on the negative aspect of everything. There are also times when
we convert positive events into negative ones. Depression will also stunt
our spiritual growth. Having a sober and sound mind is essential in our
development as Christians. In the absence of clouded judgment, it is
easier to believe and accept the instructions of God. Even when we experience rejection in life,
we receive assurance that nothing has the ability to separate us from God’s
love.
