The Spirit of Rejection: Heal its Wounds, Restore your Self-Esteem and Move on to Promotion

By Lenita Reeves

If left untreated, rejection wounds self-esteem and cripples self-concept. Many turn to prayer, which is necessary to expel the foul spirits of rejection. Yet, giving yourself to prayer is only one essential step to dealing with rejection. Expelling the demons does not negate the thought patterns, defense mechanisms, and wounds their former presence reinforced. This book borrows insight from simple medical practice to help readers add wisdom to their prayers, expel other spirits associated with the spirit of rejection, and uproot rejection's detrimental effects. We'll apply pressure to the wound(s), clean the wound(s), and protect the wound(s) to facilitate their total healing. We'll also illuminate how rejection is both an indictment against the rejecter and a stepping stone for promotion. Each chapter of this book includes prayers and reflection questions that can be used individually or during group discussions for journaling or counseling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: PurposeHouse Publishing
• Release date: Jan 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9780996364706

Lenita Reeves

Lenita Reeves is the founder of PurposeHouse Christian Counseling and ordained pastor responsible for motivating intercession, women’s ministry and Christian Education at Action Chapel Baltimore. She is a preacher, prolific voice and prophetic intercessor. She speaks with transparency, highlighting her highs as well as her lows to show others that God can use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. As a rape survivor and former teen mom, God has graced Lenita to be an outspoken overcomer, delivering divine insight to set captives free all over the world. She is an international speaker and member of the RAINN speaker's bureau. She has ministered as a missionary and featured conference speaker in the US, London, Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. She is the author of several books including, Fervent Fire: Understanding the pattern of the priesthood for prevailing intercessory prayer and the “I Am” series of books. From senior class president to founder of a non-profit, leadership has been an evident mark of Lenita's calling and passions throughout her life. Lenita has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech, a Master of Arts in Dance Education from the Ohio State University and a MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Christian Counseling and attended Beulah Heights Bible College in Atlanta, Georgia. Lenita is married to Pastor Cephas Reeves, is the daughter of Ben and Shirley Williamson and the mother of four children: Elijah, Cenita, Ethan and Joshua. For more information, visit www.purposehouse.net.

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The Spirit of Rejection

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The Spirit of Rejection:

Heal its Wounds, Restore Your Self-Esteem, and Move on to Promotion

By Lenita Reeves

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Copyright © 2015, 2024 Lenita Reeves. All rights reserved.

Published by PurposeHouse Publishing, Columbia, Maryland.

Printed in USA

Cover design by PurposeHouse Publishing, www.purposehousepublishing.com, all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be emailed to [e-mail].

ISBN: 0996364706

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible, public domain.

Scripture marked AMP is taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked MSG is taken from the Message Bible, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NIV is taken from the New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica.

Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NLT is taken from the New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Scripture marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Dedication

To the chosen ones who have supported me through my season of pain and accepted me and my ministry.

Epigraph

Reject the rejecter. – Author

Preface

Conflict—picture it. Hear it inside of you and in your environment. What image(s) does it invoke? What does it stir in you? Conflict was the catalyst of this book. I have it to thank for provoking me to investigate what was happening inside and around me, for digging back into the nature and purpose of rejection, and holding up a mirror to my thoughts, dispositions, and behavior.

I found a conflict between giftedness (knowing you have something to offer) and rejection, between ability and acceptedness. But this time, instead of internalizing the pain or getting angry, I asked, Why? Why are gifted, intelligent, and anointed people still rejected by the very people who need what they have to offer? In some cases, they don’t value themselves, and their internal thinking influences others’ responses to them. But in other cases, people with healthy self-esteem and self-concepts are rejected for seemingly no good reason.

These observations beg answers to certain questions. Beyond knowing there is pain in your heart, what does the spirit of rejection do to your psyche, spirit, and soul? How does it operate, and what are the undetected side effects of its wounds? These were the burning questions that fueled me to write this book. I pray that you, too, will find answers within these pages, and that the Holy Spirit Himself will illuminate the scriptures and examples, and bring healing and peace to all who read them.

Lenita Reeves

Acknowledgements

Some revelations come in the winter seasons of life—the sad, bad, and mad seasons when we wonder when God will turn off the pressure spigot. The seasons when we expect the support of loved ones, but instead, their love flatlines. This book was written in one of those seasons, but I thank God for those who stood with me during that time. I pray that God will honor the few faithful who were there in times of pain and supported me and my ministry. You know who you are, and I sincerely want to thank you.

Introduction

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. ³ They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. ⁴ For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. ⁵ And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love…²² For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. (Psalm 109:2-5, 22, emphasis added)

Nothing wounds the heart like rejection. It is a potent weapon that wields the power to dwarf greatness, discredit genius, disarm warriors, and damage relationships. If you think about it, almost every person you know has had an encounter with rejection. As people become more mobile (relocating more often), isolated from their families, and hardened in their hearts, its prevalence will likely increase. More than ever, the church must be equipped to deal with rejection and bring healing to the bruised who will walk into its doors.

Because everyone is made in the image of God—who is love—each of us has an innate desire to be loved and show love. When expressions of love are returned with rejection, it is an anti-God reaction. David details a similar experience in Psalm 109. His response was to release violent prayer.

Yet, giving ourselves to prayer is only one necessary step to dealing with rejection. Simple medical practice helps us understand and apply other vital steps to deal with rejection’s wounds. For example, Webmd.com offers these simple steps for dealing with a physical bleeding wound: apply pressure to the wound to stop bleeding, clean the wound, and finally, protect the wound. Each of these steps has an application to dealing with rejection spiritually.

Apply pressure:

In the spiritual, applying pressure is resisting the devil’s spirit of rejection. To resist is to apply pressure against [an object] to move it in the opposite direction or prevent it from moving further. The scripture tells us to resist the devil, and he will flee from us (James 4:7). To be victorious, believers must