Your Response And Responsibilities in Him: Abuse And Rejection In The Christian Church Part Eight

In previous blogs we discussed the first four of the five keys to healing from abuse and rejection. Those first 4 keys are:

1. Focus on God’s character and identity
2. Focus on God’s intentions
3. Focus on who we are in Him
4. Focus on the solution and not the problem

 Now it’s time for the fifth and final key:

5. Focus on our response and our responsibilities in Him

When we focus on God’s character and identity, His intentions, who we are in Him, and on the solutions and not the problems, that leaves us with another key to healing from rejection. These keys all require a response from us. We have a responsibility to be proactive and put into action what we believe. Too many people keep their beliefs and faith in their heads but not in their actions. The first four keys are not just for us to sit around waiting for a magic wound to wash away every problem. God is the provision, but we have a responsibility to administer the victory that He purchased by applying the truth through our life and relationship skills. The provisions and tools He has given us require a response.

When the Bible says fear God, it can better be described by a very healthy respect and awe of Him. Our responsibility begins with this awe as we seek Him with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving, glorifying and exalting His name. Even if the world is crashing down around us, we can still praise God for who He is and what He will do. In bad situations we don’t praise Him for the problem, but the solutions to the problem that He is bringing and the growth that accompanies it. We can praise Him knowing He has heard us and is working on our behalf.

Sometimes our circumstances seem very bleak, but if we turn our focus away from the problem, we can thank Him by remembering past protection, deliverance from troubles, and provisions. The Bible says that we overcome by the word of our testimony. That is us remembering and proclaiming what He has done for us and others.

Our response to God and His promises is to stand firmly and listen for God. It requires humility and a desire for all that God has for us. We must be teachable and willing to grow and learn through our struggles. I always tell God that I don’t want to do another lap to learn what He needs me to understand so let me grasp it and apply it now.

We have to identify what we cannot change and what requires us to be proactive. We are not responsible for others but for ourselves and our responses. Sometimes we do nothing because we don’t like our options, but we must choose our best option, even if it is not ideal and move forward trusting God. What we focus on produces are thinking patterns, which in turn produces our core beliefs, which directs our emotions, speech patterns and life and relationship choices.

It is our responsibility to focus on the positive. Our core beliefs produce our speech patterns. One of our very important responsibilities is to guard our mouth and speak life, hope, and words that agree with God’s Word. It begins with our focus and ends with our actions and behaviors. We must begin with proper focus if we want core beliefs that keep us from evil because our behavior and our speech is produced from our thinking and beliefs. We can imitate Jesus example by walking out these five keys to overcoming. The result is that in the midst of rejection, persecution, affliction, and troubles we can have peace and confidence in God’s provision and our eventual overcoming, deliverance and blessings.

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9 NIV

“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 34:1-4, 8-14 NIV

Consider the Lord’s Prayer which is our model to pray. It is not only an example of how to pray but also how to focus.

“In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”

Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV

It begins just as we have with our first key of focusing on God’s character and identity as our Holy Father in heaven. It then moves to our second key of focusing on God’s intentions to bring His kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Key number three focuses on who we are in Him so we have confidence to ask for our daily provision from Him. We move in key number four, focusing on the solution and not the problem when we stop focusing on our and others sins and start focusing on the solutions for growth, godly responses, discernment, and forgiveness that He so freely gives. Then we arrive at key number five, and focus on our response and our responsibilities in Him. It is our responsibility to choose to forgive ourselves and others. We trust Him to be our solution again and again by putting our hope in Him. We believe Him and we do our part to keep us from temptation and the evil one.

We can understand that we can grow, develop and are blessed by going through circumstances with perseverance. It is often painful, but it always produces a bountiful crop in our lives. We will be changed for the better when we operate in our keys and we will not be disappointed.

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 NKJV

Dr. Michele

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Michele Fleming, Ph.D.