I am so excited, and I wanted to share it with all of you who have not seen my FB page!
I wrote about my Bible study, The Jewels of Hebrews, last week in the post called Gift of Gab. Mt. Zion Ridge Press will publish it in December 2020. Yay!!
It is definitely a huge praise and an answer to prayer! I am so thankful the Lord has allowed this to happen and I look forward to how He uses it.
Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
Psalm 89:8 ESV
He is faithful. So many times, I nearly gave up. So many times, I figured writing wasn’t for me….
The naysayers beckoned me to listen to them, too.
Satan’s voice was loud, but God’s was louder. He kept me on the right track and at the very moment I needed it, I received encouragement from someone who read my blog, or one of my devotionals, or a fellow writer or Word Weaver.
I remember a time I was praying, asking God if my writing mattered to anyone. That very day a woman named LuAnn sent me a message telling me how much my post on Yoga (which she read on Charismamag.org) meant to her. It was something I needed to hear.
God cares about our discouragement. If we ask, He will send someone to encourage us. I can’t tell you how many times He has for me and I am not special.
God cares about our discouragement. #ThisSideofHeaven #Signingthecontract #Biblestudyauthor
I originally wrote this for a friend’s blog. I am reposting here, because today I received my first rejection from a publisher for my Bible study called The Jewels of Hebrews.
There was a post going around on Facebook which stated, “Don’t believe everything you think.” Its truth crashed head on into my thoughts of rejection.
Throughout most of my life it felt as though others rejected me.
It’s one of those feelings which is so easy to believe, like fear. We can spend
our entire existence thinking people are talking about us, believing no one
values us, even feeling sure people don’t want us around.
I can feel excluded when I see my friends on Facebook sharing
pictures of themselves having a great time together, wondering why they didn’t
invite me. When people don’t attend my Bible study classes, I assume it is
because of me. When people won’t buy my book, it looks, feels, and smells like…
rejection.
I am not ignoring the fact people have distanced or removed themselves
from my life. It hurt when a boyfriend broke up with me because I wasn’t right
for him, and when friends thought I was a “Jesus freak”, or a woman didn’t want
to be friends any longer.
Even though people have rejected me doesn’t mean I am rejected.
Rejection can become a stronghold in our Christian walk. It is the
lie which keeps us captive by Satan, who tells us we are not worthy, wanted, or
appreciated.
One night in a dream, I saw myself with different people, in a
church, at a restaurant, and in a friend’s home. I saw myself looking down at
the ground not making eye contact with anyone, feeling alone, and despised.
Everywhere I went people treated me the way I saw myself. I woke up knowing I
needed to stop believing the lie that no one wanted me around. If I kept acting
rejected not only did I believe it but soon everyone else would as well.
Victory came when I repented for believing the lie that I am rejected. I asked God to replace that lie with His truth.
Psalm 94:14 (ESV) says, “For the LORD will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance.”
We are His inheritance.
God has not rejected us—quite the opposite, in fact. He faced the ultimate rejection by His death so we can live as adopted sons and daughters.
We can turn the tables on Satan by rejecting him and his lies and
forgiving those who rejected us. Forgiveness is a weapon for victory. It
removes the power of the evil one and frees us from the captivity of
unforgiveness. It will allow healing.
One of the greatest gifts we
have is being able to spend time with the Lord. He strengthens us through our
relationship with Him. He affirms us and shows us love and patience while
healing the hurts of our hearts.
Another source of truth for victorious living is God’s Word. Ephesians
1:4 tells us He chose us before He created the world and Ephesians 2:4
tells us God loves us with a great love.
I love Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV). Let your heart hear God’s love:
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a Mighty One Who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by His love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.
Scripture memorization means we always have access to the truth
even when we don’t have our Bibles with us. Satan cannot steal what is in our
hearts. We can repeat verses when the temptation to believe a lie assails us.
Prayer is a mighty weapon for continuous victory over rejection. Be
honest with the Lord. We can tell Him the emotions of our hearts and our desire
to believe all He says. He wants us to tell Him about our hurts and
disappointments. We can approach His throne confidently and we will receive
mercy and find grace when we need it (Hebrews 4:16). Continuous conversations
with our Father gives us hope and the power to stand even when we feel
rejected.
