God 'Likes' You And Won't Unfriend You

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Psalm 27:10

I am trying to get beyond the unfriending thing on Facebook. Just the other day I noticed I no longer could contact someone and noted they have removed me from their friends list. Perhaps they deactivated their account all together. It is kind of funny in someways to think this type of 'friend' thing really holds that much weight. But being unfriended is rejection no matter what the reason was.

Just remember this. God never rejects you. God loves you unconditionally. You can never drive God nutty. God does not say "You're stalking me". God does not say "Respect my boundaries".  God does not say "Get out of my face". Above all God cares and understands.. Sure His heart breaks when we do not obey Him and when we reject Him but He is waiting for you with arms wide open.

Are you hurting today because of any form of rejection? Just know God loves you more than anything. Go to Him in prayer and let Him take your scars and turn them into stars.

PRAYER: Father I thank you so much for loving me. Humans can hurt us and that makes you sad. Help me to grow despite any pain of rejection I have experienced in my lifetime. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Jesus: The King of Rejection

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open His mouth;he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,so he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

Take it from one who knows. Rejection hurts. Probably all of us have experienced rejection in some form. Maybe not being picked to be on a team at recess in grade school. Perhaps not getting invited to a certain party or wedding. Maybe being let go at work. Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend or worse yet, divorce. Rejection comes in many forms. 

Jesus was the person who was rejected yet never got mean or tried to get even. He had to hurt. He experienced all we did. Can you imagine people yelling "Crucify Him! crucify Him!?" He endured much for us yet many turned their back on Him. He was ready, willing, and able to forgive. 

Are you the victim of rejection or perhaps the instigator? No matter what, you can be healed, set free and forgiven. You only need cry out to Him! 

PRAYER: Dear Lord thanks for coming to this Earth so that we might have life. Whenever I get to whining about my plight I need to remember you endured much more. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

It Hurts So Bad!

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

There was a song in the sixties whose lyrics said "And you know that it hurts so bad to see you again"  and it was referring to a young couple who had broken up.  If you can remember back to high school days it did hurt when you broke up. It also hurts for children to be left out. It hurts when a spouse leaves. It hurts when a spouse dies. It hurts to lose a child. It hurts when you are excluded from your extended family. It hurts when you are a grandma being kept from your grandchildren. It hurts to be abused and abandoned. It hurts to be fired or laid off.  It hurts to be shunned. It hurts to be rejected. It hurts when you feel like a failure. There are many scenarios where a person can suffer excruciating emotional pain which at times they feel they can never escape from.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different stories. The one thing to remain is that God's love for you will never go away. He is there. He loves you. When you are deep in  pain you feel like your world is just falling apart and you can't possibly go on. The good news is it takes time but you can heal and even grow from whatever it is you have suffered. Our enemy Satan would love to use your pain to cripple you and keep you away from God. This is when you need Him more than ever. Cry out to Him my friend! He is listening and cares! 

PRAYER: Lord I need you oh I need you. Every hour I need you. Oh bless me now my savior, I come to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link for wonderful song of praise and worship.

http://youtu.be/6_KXsMCJgBQ

Hurting? Move On Would You?

If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;if a foe were rising against me,  I could hide.But it is you, a man like myself,my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. Psalm 55:12-14

Hurts in life occur. Rejection by a friend or loved one for unexplainable reasons is one of the hardest to endure but yet one I have had to go through more than one time. I say, "Lord what is it I am to learn from this lesson" and those who dislike me would say "take the hint girl". 

Broken relationships of any sort hurt God immensely. He would rather us dwell in unity. Since creation and the fall, people have been at odds with each other. Many verses in the Bible attest to this. I always say when bad junk happens to me I have new writing material so I guess am very thankful for being "emotionally bruised" by a few former friends. Satan is overjoyed at all kinds of relationship problems. If only true believers could not let this happen. Growth does come through problems in life though.

Do not let people have power over you and rob you of your joy. Cling to those friends who love and appreciate you, warts and all. We can not make everyone like us. Run to Jesus and pray for your enemies. That's in the Bible!

PRAYER: Lord help me to learn from problems in life and hurts in life. I love you and love the people on this Earth, even those who hate me. Help me as I seek to remain focused on you and not get down on myself. In Jesus' name. Amen

Breaking Through

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33(KJV) 

To get beyond a problem in your life you have to press on to other things and not dwell on the bad stuff. Consciously make your thoughts focus "above", staying positive and thinking about how much God loves you. I had to do this as a very special friend shut me out of her life. I wanted to dwell on it and try to fix things but realized that was beyond my ability. Only God could set things straight. Sometimes those bad things help us "break through" to better things that lie beyond the hurt and the pain.  

God alone is your strength. He gives you the power and ability to get through every day no matter how tough it may seem. Our enemy Satan, is the character who wants people to continually dwell on hurts, rejection, and pain. God can and does set us free from all the junk swirling around us and provides hope for a brighter tomorrow. You only need to let Him into your life. 

PRAYER: You have great things in store for me Lord and I choose to think about your mighty power and wonders instead of letting issues in life get me down. I choose to look to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Help Me Lord!

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Psalm 34:18

Some hurts feel like they will never go away. Death of a loved one, rejection by a friend, being fired, divorce, regrets,  betrayal, estrangement from a family member, failure at a task. Whatever it is you are dealing with God does care. The rejection by a friend is an issue I have had to deal with and it is very hurtful and confusing. I know people cut off from a family member who refuses to let then into their life. I can not even begin to imagine the pain of losing a child but have had friends who have walked that awful path. 

At times many blame God on their hurts. Guess what? That is the enemies mind game making you feel God could have stepped in, after all he is God. All I know is God can work through situations and bring you hope for tomorrow. If you have shut Him out of your life why not ask Him to forgive you. God is not responsible for the bad junk in your life. Get on your knees and cry out to Him. Ask Him to help you mend your broken heart. He will.

PRAYER: Another day is here and another day to experience comfort only you can give. Thank you for hearing my cries and being there at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.

PEOPLE CAN WOUND! GOD CAN HEAL!

How many of us have been hurt by a family member, co worker or a friend? If you have not consider yourself blessed. Depending on how you were raised it may not bother you but it is really painful to be rejected especially when you can not understand why. Many when confronted may say there is a 'personality conflict'. With the new era of communication in social media now we can be hurt and rejected in a new way and it is called being 'defriended' or 'unfriended'. Not even sure if those words are in a modern dictionary but if not they should be. If it was a formerly close friend who did this and they want nothing to do with you there is nothing you can do but pray and move on and try to not let it ruin your day. Do not lash back with mean or harsh words as that only widens the breach that exists. There might even be a valid reason for it if you do not jump to conclusions. But for those friends who no longer want to be a friend, you have to let go and 'shake the dust from your feet' so to speak. Concentrate now more on those who appreciate you and let go of those who wounded you.

Now if it is a family member, you want to try at all costs to heal this relationship. I know of a family with two feuding brothers and neither wants to give in and make amends and move on. It has gone on now for a couple years if memory serves me right. If it is a marital conflict, get counseling because it says in God's word in Malachi 2:6 that he 'hates divorce'. Not trying to guilt any readers out there who are divorced as sometimes there are Biblical reasons for it. But if it is just saying you are 'incompatible', try to work things out and stay together if no one is in danger. God can heal and he can forgive. Let Him.

In relation to those who have rejected you, in 1 Peter 3:9 it reminds us "Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but with blessing,because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."  Kind of hard to not give someone 'a piece of your mind' and fight back. Be still. Give it to God. Let Him transform your hurt and anger.  Try to learn to sincerely pray for those who have hurt you. Matthew 5:44 says "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Dwelling on past hurts only gives Satan a victory. Be powerful and not pitiful and you will overcome this.

PRAYER: Father in heaven help me to resist being ugly to anyone who has hurt me. Help me answer with kindness when I am hurt. Give me your strength to go on when  rejected. In Jesus name. Amen.

DESPISED AND REJECTED

For anyone who has been rejected either by a friend, a coworker, spouse, family member, a boss,the public, de-friended on Facebook or a host of other type rejections, it is painful. You have to learn to move on beyond your pain and pray for the person who has hurt or rejected you. Do not call them names or stoop to their level. That is what the enemy wants. You have to love them with 'the love of Jesus'.As in yesterdays devotion title you have to simply have the attitude "it is not that deep" even when you feel yourself drowning in sadness, self pity or anger.

Jesus felt rejection more than any of us.The ultimate rejection! It says in scripture in Isaiah 53:3 "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. " Isaiah 53:7 further states "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." Can you imagine being mistreated and keeping your mouth closed? It would be difficult for anyone to do. Human nature wants to get back and get even. Also on the cross with the ultimate act of hate against Him he said in Luke 23:34 "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." A verse in John 1:11 it says "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." Can you imagine entering the presence of trusted friends and they ignore you? How painful that would be.In Psalm 22:6-7 David felt rejection when he said "But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me;they hurl insults, shaking their heads." Ouch. How cruel is that?

As a follower of Christ at times we may be made fun of or called a Jesus freak. Maybe you recently accepted Christ or got more serious about your walk with Him yet close friends do not understand and stay away from you. You have to love them anyway. Some of my friends may not understand why I have to be so 'religious' by writing this blog. Newsflash! I am not religious I just love Jesus and sharing his love with others. 1 Peter 4:4 says "Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you." Some may mock you behind your back. Just pray for them and nurture other relationships.

Sometimes those walking in darkness do not like the light. Light dispels the darkness. Often times even those 'church people' do not get it. Why on earth do you have to be so 'religious'? Well meaning 'church people' can be some of the most cruel. To them, going on Sunday and living like you want the rest of the week is all that is required for admission to heaven. They wonder why you are so overboard and serious about Jesus. Often people think it  is a little 'quacky'  and fanatical to get so serious about Jesus. Do not be ashamed ever! Mark 8:38 says "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Be thankful for the good relationships you do have in your life and pray for those who have hurt or mistreated you. God is in control.Your pain and heartache were never as great as His.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for friends and family. Thank you for employment. Thank you for what we learn from the hard times in life we go through. Thank you that you are always there when the world runs out. In Jesus name. Amen.

Rejoice in song by clicking on link below.
http://youtu.be/jPJCEQeyZo8