Facing My Fear of Rejection

Series: Facing My Fears
Message: Facing My Fear of Rejection
Scripture: Proverbs 29:25

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)

Making a distinction:

Fear of failure: What I Do - My Performance

Fear of rejection: Who I Am - Me as a Person

This Fear Can Entrap Us By:

• Causing us to Conform our lifestyle and values
• Keeping us from Speaking the truth in love
• Preventing us from giving and receiving Genuine Love
• Leading us toward loneliness and Isolation
• Creating in us insecurity and unhappiness as we continually seek to Please others
• Silencing our Witness/Sharing about Christ
• Keeping us from spiritual Maturity as we focus too much on others and not enough on God

How I Can Overcome This Fear

1. Recognize the fact that people will sometimes reject me

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” (Matthew 10:24–25)

“I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,” (Isaiah 51:12)

We will all be Affected by the rejection of others, but we must not be Directed by it

2. Draw Strength from supportive relationships

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,” (2 Corinthians 7:6)

3. Focus on pleasing God

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

We must learn to live for an audience of One

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

We tend to focus on the wrong Fear

Courage has to do with the Direction of our fear. If we fear God more than we do people we will be courageous 

4. Realize how God looks at you

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7)

God has a different way of Looking At us than people do

The truest thing about you is what God says about you!

5. Rely on God’s unconditional love for you

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9–10 

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)

It is one thing to Know about God’s unconditional love, it is another thing to fully Embrace it

Making It Personal:

• Have I fully embraced God’s unconditional love for me? Have I responded to that love by turning from sin and trusting Christ with my past, present and future?
• How has the fear of rejection impacted my life in the past? How is the fear of rejection impacting my life today?  How does this fear tend to entrap me most often?
• Review the major points on this outline about how to overcome the fear of rejection. Which truth do I most need to internalize this week?
• Is there somebody in my life who gives me a “sense of rejection?” How do they communicate this to me?  Why do I think they might be communicating this to me?  What part of the relationship can I control, what part must I leave to God?  What adjustments do I need to make in this relationship?
• Is there somebody in my life who gets a “sense of rejection” from me? Why and how am I communicating this to them?  What adjustments do I need to make in this relationship?  Is there a relationship where I need to be able to reject certain behaviors, but not reject the person?  How can I more effectively do this?
• What do I sense God is calling me to do, but I haven’t yet done it because of my fear of rejection? What am I going to do about it?  What is my next step in obedience to God?
• Who can I share these truths with?