Host Rochelle Jones talks about how to avoid dwelling on past mistakes in order to lead a cleaner future as well as how to handle and overcome feelings of rejection.
WBCA Podcasts
Never Give Up "Where Giving Up Is Not An Option"
All right. Hello, hello. You're listening to Never Give Up. We're giving up is not an option. I'm your host, Rachelle Jones. Good evening. It's so good to be back in the studio and just sharing some ideas and sharing some content that will really just help hopefully to inspire you into walking this life. I was somebody asked me the question, why do you do what you do? And I simply said because Jesus said that he desires that none be lost. And so we don't want people to be lost in their own perception of what they think God is saying or their fears of themselves or man or things that they might have been interrupted with in their childhood and youth that is carrying over into their adulthood. And so, hey, we're trying new things, right? Even on the radio station, we're trying to record. We're trying to go live in certain areas because we want your questions. We want to hear what the public, what the audience is saying and wanting to know. And so that's always a good, a good thing, right? We want to be up with what it is that you need so that we can fulfill that. And so anyway, we welcome you today. We welcome you this Sunday and we say, keep pressing on, keep doing what God has called you to do. Don't give up. That's the name of this show. Never give up, right? Don't hesitate for a moment to walk in the will of God. Don't delay, hallelujah. God made delay, amen, but sometimes what they say, it used to be a saying, delayed, but not denied, amen, that you are not denied, amen, just because it's a no. It could be no, it could be no for right now, amen. And so we want to definitely continue to ask for God, to ask for his favor and things like that. So anyway, today's show, we want to talk about rejection. Have you ever felt rejected? Have you felt, you know, portrayed? Did you feel unwanted, you know, and a lot of those things, and like I said, some of those things that have come up in our lives, kind of have stemmed from childhood. Maybe you were rejected by a parent or a friend and, you know, the enemy continues to cause you to rehearse some negative thoughts, some negative feelings, you know. And the thing about those things is those feelings can bring shame and guilt, fear. And you know, one thing I'm discovering in my journey is that we get to replace those things, right? We're trying to be, we're trying to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. So we got to replace those old thoughts and ideas quickly, like don't wait a week, an hour, like right then when it happens, stop it, change it, evaluate it, change it, let it go, you know, repent, renounce it, forgive yourself, forgive others, and continue to ask God to forgive you, and move forward, like don't stay stuck. And I think a lot of our problems is we stay stuck in things. We rehearse it, we beat ourselves up, you know, and, you know, and it is human nature sometimes to keep bringing situations up, especially if they were traumatic, especially if they're painful, you know, it's just hard sometimes to let it go. And then to know when to let it go, like how long should I be suffering with this thought or this thing? So but, but I think about rejection, it's a sense of being unwanted, you know. It's that need to want people to love you, right? And you might be like, well, there's nothing wrong with having people, you know, love you, right? I get it. But sometimes when, you know, we go to the point of we are codependent, we've got to have it, you know, and we allow these situations to convince us that we're not loved and that no one cares. And that's simply not true, right? Because number one, we know the number one person who cares about us is God, right? Because he said, I love you with an everlasting love. And I thank you. I think of the scripture, the steadfast, the continual love, steadfast love of the Lord. It never ceases, never, ever ceases. And what I like, he said, his mercy never, never comes to an end. It doesn't, it doesn't end. He said, it's new every morning. Wow, Lord, I mean, you got to sit right there and just receive that. His mercy is new every morning. The Bible says, great is his faithfulness. Like sometimes you don't have to have a lot of scripture, but you definitely got to apply the ones you do have. You definitely have to reach deep and pull out what that means and feels to you. His mercy is unending. It can't end. And you know, you can't use it up, his mercy and his grace. I tell you that's, I mean, if you can walk in the mercy of God, then it will help as you give mercy to others, right? And it doesn't come to an end. But guess what? We get a new, fresh slate every day. He said, it is new every morning, every morning we have a promise that we can look forward to, that we can get up and a rise up and begin. Whoa, Lord, thank you every morning. He's faithful. I mean, if you, if the sun comes out faithfully and the moon by night is faithful and the water doesn't pass the sand faithful, God is faithful, he's in our life. He doesn't leave us or forsake us. Great. He's faithful. He is faithful, even when we're not faithful. Now, that's a hard act. Like sometimes we can bless others because they've blessed us. It's very easy. But can you be faithful and can you be a blessing when people are not blessing you back, amen? And so rejection, what it does, it begins to attach you to unbelief and doubt. Because you are doubting what God has said about you. And so we're going to go into that. I just want you to know we're not victims, but we're victorious. And then we have to realize that victims take things personal. When you have things happen in your life or somebody says something you don't like, do you begin to take it personal or do you begin to say, no, I'm not a victim. That's just information I can receive it or don't receive it. I'm not a victim. These are the things I have to say to myself to remind myself, you know, because sometimes I could let those things just sit right there on my shoulder and it'll just begin to ping, ping, ping. And next thing I know I am down for the count. And then when you get down in your emotions, you get down, you start, then you start acting the way you feel. And then sometimes your disposition changes, amen. And we all know, but we overcome and shut out the voices that, that are not of God. We shut them down, amen. If you're an overcomer, then you have practice being able to shut down those, that negativity, those voices, hallelujah that keep coming against you, that don't edify you, that not serving you well, then why do we stay around people and let's keep listening to things, situations, songs that don't do as well. I said, I can only listen to one sad song a year. I cannot listen to multiple sad songs and think it's not going to make me sad. Come on. You can't be in no pity party and play sad music. Amen. You've got to, you've got to begin to think higher than that, amen. Because I tell you, those things will pull us down. They'll begin to make you get into depression, you know? And once the enemy gets a foothold, hallelujah, once he gets, gets a little foot in the crack, he's coming in, amen. Guess what? The reason why we don't want to hold on to rejection is because of this. It changes and alters your personality. It causes you to just go into that people-pleasing mode, right? To just say, oh, you know, let me, you know, I'm just going to keep trying and so I can make them like me, you know, I can, but listen, to do that is from straight from the pin of hell. It's a lie. Hallelujah. Amen, the only person that we need to value opinion is God. The only person that we should be trying to please is God. He didn't create us to be chameleons, right, into changing, going with the flow. I used to think going with the flow was a cool thing, right? Like I'm flexible. I can go with the flow. And sometimes in some situations, maybe it might be wisdom. But in some situations, going with the flow is as a trick of the enemy, amen. You're not invaluable or invisible, you know, it contradicts, you know, rejection contradicts the word of God, amen. There's no other greater opinion. There's no other greater voice than what God has said, the voice of God, amen. If God before us, he's more than the world against us. If nobody else likes you, you've got to know that God is for you and that he not only likes you, but that he loves you with an everlasting love, right? Who's promising you new mercy every morning? Hallelujah. And so who can be against you, right? And also we think about rejection, rejection is really a form of unbelief, right? Because that means you're not believing what God says about you. And I think about what Hebrews 4, 9 through 11 says. He said, look, now we need to enter into the rest of God. We need to believe what God has said. He said there remain it, therefore, a rest to the people of God, for he that has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works as God did from us. Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, at least any man fall after the same example of unbelief. When we begin to make man our God, hallelujah. We are kind of like idolizing a Dollar Tree, right? God never meant for people and man to be your God. He's your God. He's a jealous God, right? And so, therefore, we've got to watch those areas where that could be a Dollar Tree because we lifted up man, we're lifting up other people, amen. And maybe what about self-adolatry? We're always lifting up ourself, amen? So he already told us, I mean, there shall be no other gods before me. He said that in Exodus 20 and 3, there shall be no other gods, amen? And so, this is where we get to think about, including ourselves, you know, we're not a God, amen, amen. We've been made in his image, but we're not God, therefore, you know, constantly serving ourself and isn't always a good thing, right? But God determined his plans for you before you were born. And I want you, if you can write this scripture down, get a pen and a piece of paper, write it on a paper, this scripture, and hang it on your wall where you brush your teeth, you know, where you do your hair, where you're looking at a mirror, put this scripture there. And it says, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous all thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee. When I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in thy book, all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them." In other words, we've got to find our value in God and who he says that we are, whom do they say I am, yes, the question, amen. Who does God say that you are, amen? And that should be the greatest voice that we are listening. And believe me, God doesn't reject. He doesn't put us aside or cast us away. We're not a throwback. And if I may use this example of how they have those tags that it's inspected by seven or, you know, and just imagine this assembly line of inspecting T-shirts to make sure that the stitching is proper, you know, and all of a sudden, you know, checking, okay, that one is good, oh, that one is good, oh, the stitching on this particular T-shirt is not good. And so they throw it off the assembly line into a box, but we're not a throwback, amen. We have not been removed from an assembly line. If I may use that as an example, we have to, we're not throwaways, amen. You are listening to the lives of the enemy if you begin to feel or you allow the enemy to make you feel less than unvalued. You are valuable. The Bible says in Isaiah that he was despised, what, 53 and 3? You remember Isaiah 53 and 3 for, for he is despised. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid all it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Jesus is the one who we have rejected. He was the one who was despised and rejected and thrown away, amen. But Jesus was acquainted with our griefs and sorrows, and he was touched by the feelings of our infirmities, right? That's what Hebrews 4, 15 says. He says, "For we have not a high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." And so it's like you've got to know who you are. I mean, the whole mission could have been shut down if Jesus took what man said or the rejection of man and he took it in himself. He would have just said, "Oh, forget it." Definitely when it came time to go to the cross, he had said, "Absolutely not. They rejected me, amen." So he's acquainted with the rejection. He knows how we feel and he said, "You know what, you need to see how I view you and value you greater than what you're sensing and feeling right now." Rejection is not of God. It steals your joy and it leaves painful, lasting scars that take sometimes years to recover from. But how do we come out? How do we start moving forward and get going, you know, sometimes we're so fragile. How do we stop being so fragile? God has to define your worth. I remember when I say a 54, one and two, and then it jumps to four and five. And I remember when I was going through, I mean I was going through and I remember him saying in his word, "The Lord thy God is thy husband. The holy one of Israel is thy name." And I was like, "Boy, do I have a honeydew list for you, Lord." And I thank God, Isaiah 54, one and two says, "Sing, O Baron, thou that does not bear. Take forth into singing and cry aloud. The thou that does not prevail with child. You could be broken up by it or you can begin to sing, hallelujah, and cry out loud. And thank God in advance for what he's about to do, amen. Oh God, strengthen, strengthen us. Listen, rejection comes to bring shame and guilt. Wow, doesn't he do that? Want to bring shame and guilt to us, to cause us to give up. But the Bible says, "Fear not, for thou shall not be ashamed, neither be thou confounded for thou shall not be put to shame, for thou shall forget the shame of thy youth and shall not remember the reproach of thy whittledhood anymore." I thought that was just powerful. That whole Isaiah 54, one through five is really good. And it really helps us to see what happens when we're looking for God to do something. And it doesn't seem like he's coming through. It doesn't seem like he's coming fast enough. And it's very easy to become derailed, amen, but hold on to God. God has made provision for us. Even if we feel we've made mistakes, if you divide that word, mistakes, sometimes the things that we do are mishaps and mistakes, but we get to do it again. He said, "For just man falls seven times and rises up again." He said, "But the wicked shall fall into mischief." And I'm assuming because they fall into mischief, they lose their way, sometimes don't rise. That's the opposite. If a just man is able to rise, because he is being empowered by God, well, what happens with the unjust man? He said, "They'll fall into mischief." And so we've got to begin to look at those areas where we felt rejected, where we have felt abandoned, you know, or we've walked in the fear of abandonment. And so, you know, Lord, I just pray right now that you would begin to speak to the hearts of the listeners so that they can heal from this area of rejection and abandonment, you know. Sometimes we abandon ourselves, you know, that they would overcome the feeling of grief and the fear of failure and the fear of man because God choose us. We've got to get to the place where we accept who we are, right? That's a funny thing. It's like, yeah, look, the gifts God has given you, you've got to accept them and appreciate them. You've got to walk tall in them, but I feel like we've allowed the enemy to dismantle us through others' manipulation or having to feel more empowered. I'm not trying to make anyone devalued or less empowered, but I do have to recognize who I am and how God calls me. And it's okay if he called me differently, amen? We all have to use the word. We all still can't get to God, but through the sun, hallelujah. And so, he's the way, the truth and the life. We still have to be guarded by the Lord, by the Holy Spirit. He is the thing, rejection constantly makes us search for who loves us. And sometimes that will cause us to do some shameful things, make some poor decisions because we want to be liked, we want to be in the group. We want to be invited to the party. I remember I was never invited to any cookouts, still really don't, but I wanted to be invited so bad. And one day the Holy Spirit said, "Why? You should be glad they don't want you to come to them cookouts, especially with ones that have a lot of smoking and drinking and cussing and the music isn't, is defiling. You should be glad." But I wasn't. I wanted to be part of the group. I wanted to be invited. I didn't want to feel alone or feel no one liked me, but that's funny. I started realizing that maybe they don't want to invite you because they know you love God and you want to talk about the Lord all the time. And sometimes people don't want to hear that, they don't want to be convicted by it. They don't want to see you. I remember I did a wedding one time. And they're very hospitable, surf food, but the mother would not allow them to bring out drinks in those coolas. They said, "You are not going to do it while the preacher is there." I heard her talking. So I was polite, didn't stay long, and I know they were glad when I left because then they could pull out what the mother had been holding them back from their beers and wine. See, because back in the day it was disrespectful to be cussing or drinking in front of the men and women of God. And now there's none of that. There's no respect. I mean, they'll be in the church parking lot with alcohol. And I remember growing up, my cousins, boy, I tell you, they smoke, they drink, but they sure respected the grounds of the house of the Lord. They'd go do it somewhere else. I think they missed the point though. Is it really the location or is it the heart? Because the heart travels everywhere, right? It's not just on the church grounds because we are the church technically. And so therefore, you're still doing it. Maybe the greater issue is that you're looking to what's causing you to move in that direction if it's contrary to what you feel the Lord is asking you to do, amen? And so we're looking at the time and we see that we're already close to that time and we definitely want you to be thoughtful. We're going to finish part two on next Sunday. Once again, we were dealing with the subject of rejection and how it affects us. We were looking at what rejection is, how do we end up feeling when feeling rejected? You know, how does it make us feel? And what are some steps and strategies that we can use in order to overcome and be set free? And so once again, you're listening to Never Give Up. We're giving up as not an option. I'm your host, Rochelle Jones. And if you take nothing away, remember that greatness is on the inside of you. Blessings.