Sometimes It Hurts

Sometimes it hurts. We feel forgotten or ignored. I’m sure it happens to most of us. It happened to me last weekend.

I’d emailed a few former coworkers three weeks earlier to say hello and to tell them I missed them. None responded. Why? Were they too busy? Did they not miss me too? And the friend I texted? She didn’t respond either.

Although I didn’t know the reasons for their silence, Romans 12:14 instructed me on how to handle the hurt.

Speak blessing, not cursing, over those who reject
and persecute you. (TPT)

No one persecuted me, but I felt rejected. I prayed for God to bless them, to help them in their struggles, and for His will to be done in and through their lives. I reasoned that maybe life was tough for them, and they didn’t want to share—too personal. Or perhaps they were busy but intended to respond later and then forgot. 

After spending time in my Bible and praying for them, I listened to worship music and lifted my hands to “House of the Lord” by Phil Wickham. I have a hard time staying in the mulligrubs while worshipping my Lord.  

I also put on my armor as stated in Ephesians 6:10-20 and prayed the “Warrior’s Prayer.” [Click link for a pdf copy warriors-prayer-printable.pdf (com.s3.amazonaws.com).]

None of my feelings were new to the Lord. Christ understood rejection. He recognized how I felt and offered me comfort and strength as I honored Him.

Sometimes it hurts. The evil one wanted me to spend my day in despair, but I had too much to do. Through Bible reading, prayer, worshipping, and putting on my armor, I found victory and peace in my Lord and Savior.

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A special thank you to J.D. Wininger for introducing me to the “Warrior’s Prayer” in his blog post: Preparing for Battle - J.D. Wininger, Christian Author (jdwininger.com).

Photo by Kyle Glenn - Unsplash

Freedom

Other than the Bible, the book that has had the most impact on my walk with Christ is The Bondage Breaker by Dr. Neil T. Anderson. He founded Freedom in Christ Ministries. As I read and study the book again with a friend, I hope she finds it as liberating for her as it was for me.

John 8:32 says, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Jesus wants us to walk in His truth, the truth of His Word. God’s Word brings us freedom, not bondage.

What are you struggling with today? Guilt, depression, insecurity, bitterness? To be free and become a fruitful Christian, you need to know who you are in Christ and win the spiritual battle for your mind.

Many years ago, thoughts from the deceiver bombarded my mind. They were thoughts of condemnation (I’ll never be good enough), hopelessness (I can’t live up to the expectations of others), and rejection (will the Lord give up on me too?).  

Satan loves for us to believe his disgusting lies so we will walk in defeat. We cannot walk in freedom if we continue to believe his deception.

But we can walk in truth! When I believed the truth that I am accepted, secure, and significant in Christ, I received freedom.

Below are truths that taught me who I am in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus into your life, these truths are yours too.

I am a child of God and I belong to Him (John 1:12).

I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2).

I do not have a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

There is a battle for our minds. If the devil can make us ineffective, he has us where he wants us. How do we overcome this?

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

What should we focus our minds on instead?

Finally, brothers, 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).

When I recognize my thoughts as those not from the Lord, I take them captive and remember to focus upon whatever is pure, right, and true. I am not condemned, hopeless, or rejected. I am God’s chosen, and I am to live as a believer who is free. Because I AM free!

For more information please visit Freedom in Christ Ministries at www.ficm.org.

Adapted from my blog post at www.beyondfirst.org. Used by permission.