The way of the Cross leads home and through Jesus, we each have a personal place of belonging. Our identity is not found in our giftedness but by being rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus. We need to keep the main and plain truths of the gospel central in each of our lives.
As sensitive, oriented believers, each of us needs to be a bit more like a rhinoceros—thick-skinned but with a big heart. For too long, the prophetic and prayer community has tended to be a bit too thin-skinned while carrying our big, compassionate hearts. I have learned through the peaks and the valleys of life and ministry that prophetic people just might overreact and go into isolationism, elitism or some other “ism” out of the sense of being rejected, due to the packaging of the gifting they carry. I have also found that my flow of revelation will slow to a trickle if I do not get back up when I have been knocked down.
By His Stripes We Are Healed
The truth is that Jesus was punished for our sin that we might be forgiven (see Isa. 53:9-12). He was wounded for our sicknesses that we might be healed. Isaiah 53:5 declares, “By his wounds we are healed.” He became poor for our sakes that we might have His wealth. Our Lord died that we might have His life. In fact, read all of Isaiah 53, as it is the ringing declaration of the divine exchange made on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been accepted, adopted and cared for. God does not only tolerate us but He also fully embraces and loves us (see Eph. 1:5-6; 3:14-15; John 1:12–13). After all, He created us. He always has time for each and every one of us.
Accept the fact that you are fully accepted in Christ. Lay down any bitterness and forgive those who have rejected you. Instead of returning evil for evil or withdrawing to lick your wounds, sow a blessing. Search out Scriptures that reinforce the fact that you are accepted in Christ, loved with an everlasting love that does not depend upon your performance. Let the Spirit of God transform your mind. As a starter, pray read Romans 12.
Keep in mind that part of belonging to Him is to suffer rejection along with Him and that suffering knits us even more closely with Him:
“So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Rom. 8:15-17, NLT).
Accept yourself. Recognize that “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10, NASB). Did you know that it is not humility to criticize yourself? Let’s catch those little foxes that spoil the vine. Negative self-talk helps no one!
We find it in the Bible: “Who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” (Rom. 9:20, NIV). So take yourself in hand. Repent and break off any word curses you may have pronounced on yourself. If your difficulties seem to be intractable, consider the possibility of seeking prayer for deliverance; at the least, seek counsel from others concerning this issue.
Secure in Our Father’s Love
We belong to our Master, Jesus, and He suffered utter rejection. We know because He said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46, NKJV). By comparison, anything we suffer is insignificant. I do not know your journey with every step of its perils and entrapments. I do know the pits and pinnacles of life and ministry and the cost of true discipleship. But Jesus is still the way, the truth and the life, and no one else leads the way to the Father!
As we launch the Global Prayer Storm in its initial phase, one of my primary prayers is that we will allow the Holy Spirit to do a house inspection once again. Let’s make sure our foundation is firm. Let’s pray that we are secure in our Father’s love, and that our identity is found in Christ Jesus and who He is in us. Then we can build a towering ministry that is far reaching for the glory of God with no fear that it will topple or fall.
Why? We are rooted and grounded in the Word of God and in the God of the Word. We are secure in our Father’s love! {eoa}
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