Rejected Abandoned Hated Lonely Betrayed Misunderstood Abused Full of sorrow Lied about Familiar with pain Unjustly accused
He was:
Love hated Truth misunderstood Forgiveness rejected Holiness lied about Innocence accused Perfection betrayed Friendship abandoned Purity abused Messiah killed
Jesus understands.
Because of His death and resurrection we see:
Love victorious Truth reigning Holiness resurrected Innocence declared Perfection won Friendship restored Sin forgiven Death defeated Forgiveness offered Eternity won
Do you feel rejected?
Run into His arms.
"He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem." Isaiah 53:3
I was startled and excited to see a young man I went to high school with entering our single adult class at church. I’d always liked him and hadn’t seen him since graduation. Smiling, I welcomed him, saying, “Hi; remember me? We went to high school together.” He responded, “Oh yeah, but I don’t remember ever hearing you speak.”
Ouch! His statement crushed my heart. I thought of him as a friend, but I realized he never really knew me.
Moving from a small country school with about ten kids in my 4th grade class to a town school with around sixty 5th graders set me back. I was shy but comfortable with a small group of friends I knew well. But, in my new environment, I shrank into a corner and became an observer. Painful shyness took over and left me unable to talk to strangers; the thought of standing before a group terrified me.
As I grew older, I often retreated into a fantasy world where I could control and create my own reality. I would also escape into novels, television, and movies. Therefore, I didn’t learn to talk to others. Content to speak with family or a few close friends, I avoided situations where I might be expected to carry on a conversation or where all eyes would be on me.
When I went on my first date in ninth grade, I racked my brain trying to think of what to say, but I just didn’t know. I probably said five words the whole evening. I didn’t date again until my senior year.
At the age of thirteen, believing Jesus Christ died and rose again for my salvation, I yielded my heart to Him. Concerning my extreme shyness and fear of people, I decided, “God made me this way. There’s nothing I can do about it.” I avoided bringing attention to myself and dodged ever getting in front of a group.
A month from my 18th birthday, I moved into a college dorm. I began attending a student union connected with my church’s denomination. I enjoyed the safe and familiar atmosphere until I noticed students taking turns giving testimonies during their noonday meetings.
Terrified that someone would ask me to share, I stopped going. My heart pounded as I imagined someone asking me to speak before the group. Refusing to take the risk, I trudged back to my room after class each day for at least a month with my head down, feeling lonely and miserable. Convinced God made me shy, I remained stuck in my timidity, feeling fearful and awkward.
Longing for some comfort and wisdom, I prayed and searched Scripture. One day, a particular verse stood out to me like a neon light. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV). Boom! The truth hit me: God didn’t give me a spirit of fear or “make me this way.” I realized that if God doesn’t give me fear, it’s coming from the enemy, Satan: the thief who comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NIV).
It’s true that God made me an introverted and reserved person, but not one bound by fear and timidity. I began to pray and ask God for courage.
I believed His word and claimed this truth revealed in Scripture: God hadn’t given me a spirit of fear and timidity. He had given me power and self-discipline. I asked Him to give me the courage to return and give my testimony. Having recently learned more about spiritual warfare and how Satan works to deceive us, I also claimed this verse: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NIV).
I prayed something similar to this: “Father, thank You that You did not give me a spirit of fear. Please fill me with Your Spirit and help me rely on You for courage. Satan, leave me alone. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
The next day, I returned to the student union and volunteered to speak at the noonday service. In spite of my nervousness, I shared this testimony, telling them about my struggle and God’s revelation. I learned His strength releases me from the bonds of fear and crippling timidity. Many listeners responded with enthusiasm and encouragement. Joy filled my soul, and I felt free!
I didn’t suddenly become an extrovert. I’m still reserved and quiet. But timidity has never again held me captive.
I spent seventeen years as a school librarian and taught classes. For the past 19 years, I’ve worked as a substitute teacher. Through the years, I’ve given testimonies, taught Bible studies, and led groups. In earlier years, I never would have believed that was possible. Still today, I often step in front of a group, trusting in His strength, not my natural abilities.
I overcame the lie in my life with God’s truth. Does a lie have you captive?
To overcome a lie that has you in its grip:
Identify the lie.
If something you believe puts you in bondage rather than helping you live in freedom, you may be deceived.
Scripture tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NIV): freedom from the bondage and penalty of sin and freedom from the burden of the law. Christ wants us to live by the Spirit, who enables us to love and serve others with joy. He helps us live as our true selves.
Is an untruth keeping you from living freely in Christ?
Search Scripture to find truth.
Study the Bible to learn what God says about what you’re believing. Read Scripture daily and ask God to reveal the truth to you. When a verse stands out to you, read the context to understand the full meaning. Find some reliable commentaries if you’re unsure. Enduring Word is a great free online commentary.
New Testament writer Paul taught: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV).
Claim the truth in Jesus’ name.
When you know the truth according to God’s Word, begin to speak that truth in your heart. Pray about it. Memorize it. Meditate on what it means for your life. Talk to other Christians and ask them to pray for you.
Paul urges us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).
Resist the devil and his lies.
When you feel the enemy come against you and try to pull you back to the lie, resist him. Stand firm in faith and cling to the name of Jesus.
Jesus is our example of using Scripture to resist Satan. When the devil came to tempt Him to turn stones into bread and use His power for himself, Jesus responded, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). Each time the devil tempted Him, Jesus answered with Scripture.
Step out in faith.
Take the initiative. Stepping out in faith, and believing God for courage, broke the grip of timidity on me, allowing me to speak in front of the group. Freedom came after I volunteered to share my testimony. I learned that when we step out in faith, God gives us what we need.
Scripture emphasizes the importance of faith: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).
God is three persons in one. The Holy Trinity. A truth beyond our comprehension, but taught in Scripture. The LORD God is our Father, Jesus Christ is our Savior, and the Holy Spirit is our Helper. Being God, each is omniscient, omnipresent, holy, and worthy of our worship. Together they are love, light, salvation, and hope. All three worked together to create all that exists and they are completely one.
The Holy Spirit enabled Mary to become pregnant with the Lord Jesus Christ. As it is written, “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18 NIV). When Jesus was about to face arrest, knowing He would die and rise again, He promised His followers He would send a Helper to be with us forever. Because He died and conquered death, He made it possible for His Spirit to come and live in the heart of every person who believes in Him.
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper. Here are 25 of the ways He works:
“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri…and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.”
“The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.”
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”
“’But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”
“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.”
“’But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’”
“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”
“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit…So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’”
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”
“These are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them…All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.”
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
The Holy Spirit is a gift to us from our Heavenly Father. Jesus sent Him to be our Helper in all ways. He is a gentleman and won’t force us to obey. Scripture commands, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIV) and “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 NIV). May we yield to His leading rather than resisting Him.
Soaring with Butterfly Wings 