Transition

Ever feel like you finally get a hang of life and its course, only to be hit with a surprise crossroad that shifts you into a world of decisions and the very thing you thought you finally had control of you no longer could handle? Sounds familiar?

This is Transition. When you think you have mastered Transition on one level, there is always another level that awaits your discovery. God is amazing and He is full of surprises. There is absolutely nothing that takes Him by surprise concerning you but there are times when He allows unexpected shifts which are a surprise to you. I have learnt to welcome every shift as an indication that my journey is speeding up and it means that I am getting closer to my destination called There. Everytime a car has to change gears it allows the car to move at a faster speed. Your ability to shift accelerates your journey.

Transition is your vehicle that ushers you to your place called There. Everytime there is a shift, and a sudden change it means that you are arriving closer to your destination. Everytime life throws a curveball it just means you need to shift. If you experience sudden betrayal or sudden separation of a longstanding relationship that is just destiny disguised as a heartbreak. Trust what the Holy Spirit is doing in this season.

Romans 8v28 states that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose (Amplified Version). The good the bad and the ugly are all working out for your purpose. I was listening to an interview with Pastor Keion Henderson and Dr Matthew Stevenson and Dr Stevenson stated that “Change either happens to you or through you”.

I truly believe the difference is in those who allow themselves to go through the many processes and shifts that life has to throw at oneself, to those who allow themselves to go through this process, are the ones that are used as vessels of change but to the one who refuses change ends up being on the dark side of Change.

The darkside of change is where you end up dealing with the harsh consequences of change. In a crisis, you can tell the difference between those who are prepared and those who were ill prepared. Crisis is only seen as crisis by those who fail to discern the times and prepare. Crisis is seen as an opportunity by those who choose to prepare ahead of the crisis. Look around the world and look at the response to our present crisis. I truly believe that our response is determined by our ability to prepare. Preparation precedes response.

In transition, your preparation will precede your response. Your preparation to be flexible with the curveball of change will determine your ability to navigate through the many stages of transition.

Once you learn the simple principle of ebb and flow (that is knowing when to respond and when to be still), then the many shifts that accompanies Transition will be welcomed as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

God bless you and thank you for reading.

The Fear Of Rejection 

  

Last week I wrote about what rejection is and the different forms of rejection. I dealt with the fact that when a person accepts the wound of rejection in their lives, it generates the fear of rejection and self rejection. In this article, I will be  dealing with the characteristics of the fear of rejection.

When a person is wounded by rejection, they recoil at the prospect of being wounded again. The characteristics of the fear of rejection are as follows;

  • Anger

Anger always follows closely behind fear. When a person accepts rejection, they become dependent upon anger as it becomes an excellent barrier to protect them from future rejection of others. This was something I struggled with for years, when I just migrated from Jamaica especially after I was sexually assaulted at the age of 12, I had outbursts of anger, I always got in major arguments on the estate I lived on, and there were times I was close to getting into physical fights. I never fought the girls it was the guys that I went after. When someone would upset me I created a movie in my mind as to how I would make them pay. The metamorphosis that I have just been through took care of the anger that I carried for so many years, God gave me the opportunity to exchange my pain with His peace and love.

  • Hardness

Hardness is another defence mechanism that keeps people away. It’s this “I can do bad all by myself” attitude but deep down inside there is a cry for someone to love you. I experienced this and it took the circumstances of life to bring me to a place of surrender and my prayer became that of Ezekiel 36:26-27. I started asking God to give me a new heart and a new spirit and this is where God started the process of healing.

  • Bitterness

This is where you get bitter  about the situation in which you were wounded. Anger left unattended will start to generate a root of bitterness.

  • Rebellion

Rebellion is an outward expression caused by an inner feeling of rejection. The society that we are now living in where the youth are being classed as rebellious, where a lot of false religions and occultic movements are on the rise are. as a result of rejection. Today’s generation is the fruit of the decisions of yesterday’s generation. Because the older generation have not sought out help to deal with their issues of rejection, it has just been passed down throughout their generations. What this root of rejection has birthed are people suffering with all types of addictions, self harming, joining groups that only seek to manipulate and control and cares nothing about their wellbeing. What this root of rejection has birthed is a generation of people who no longer has a sense of purpose and if they do these wounds act as a barrier to them fulfilling their purpose. Because of this, today’s new age movement, satanic worshippers and cults are able to recruit these people dealing with the wounds of rejection. That is why we have people who have tasted and have witnessed the awesome power of the Holy Ghost just turn away from the church and renounce the name of Jesus, this is what the root of rejection is doing to those who experience it. When the fear of rejection has established a stronghold in a person, they will start to reject others before being rejected themselves. This attitude generates an inability to receive love or to love others. And from this grows rebellion.

  • Addiction

A person can become an addict when they have experienced rejection and when they are unsuccessful in their attempt to reconnect to a loving relationship, they anesthetise their pain, this can be through drugs, sex, self destructive habits such as self harming, eating disorders and many more habits. You see when love is denied somebody, the door is open for satan to step in. 

I pray that these points have helped you identify what happens when a person has the fear of rejection. It is my prayer that God will heal every wound of rejection that may have manifested in one of these characteristics. Know that God loves you and that He accepts you. He died for you and He is waiting to deliver you and heal you of your wounds but He can only do this if you let Him in. 

God bless you and thank you for reading.

This study on rejection was sourced via http://www.isob-bible.org