Managing Rejection: Staying Faithful to Your Assignment

In this episode, we reflect on how to respond when you feel opposed, misunderstood, or unaccepted in the work God has committed into your hands. Through 1 Peter 4:12–14, Galatians 6:9, and 2 Timothy 2:20–21, this message encourages you to manage your expectations, protect your heart from shock, and continue serving with integrity. Opposition does not always mean you are outside God’s will; sometimes, it is part of carrying the light of God faithfully.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Sometimes opposition is not a sign that you are outside the will of God. Sometimes it is the evidence that the light of God upon your life is disturbing darkness. Good morning and welcome to this expression of igniting your day. This morning, I believe I have a word of encouragement for someone. There is someone who often feels opposed or unaccepted in the assignments that has been given to him or her. This especially relates to the work of God, but I also believe the wisdom from the scriptures we will consider applies anywhere and everywhere, including your secular life. You may be facing rejection, you may feel regularly opposed while carrying out what has been committed into your hands. I know that can be emotionally difficult. I know it can be emotionally challenging to stay focused when you are battling discouragement, misunderstanding, rejection, criticism, or even the feeling that your labor is not being received. This morning there are two things I would like you to put to heart. The first is managing your expectations. The second is continuing in integrity. We will look at these through scriptures and we will respond in prayers. Number one, managing your expectations. The idea behind managing your expectations is simple. If they did it to Jesus, they can do it to you as well. So do not think it strange when you go through such experiences. Let's read 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12 to 14. The Bible says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fairy trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their path he is evil spoken of, but on your path he is glorified. Friends, there are two things I like you to see in this passage. First, I see the reason behind the rejection, the unacceptance, and the misunderstanding. Second, I see the key to keep moving. Let's begin with the reason. The Bible says, if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God rested upon you. That means one reason you may be reproached, rejected, resisted, or intentionally called controversial is because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The spirit of glory rests upon you. If I do not know so much about this spirit of glory, I know this: it is not a silent presence, it is a presence that has what it takes to unsettle the works of the enemy. It is disruptive in its nature because of what it emits and what it radiates. It radiates the light of God, and because it radiates the light of God, it exposes things the enemy wants hidden in darkness. So the reason why you face what you face may not simply be because of what you are doing right or what you are doing wrong, it may be because of the nature of the spirit resting upon you. The spirit of glory rests upon you. When you enter a place where people have been comfortable living in darkness, you become a disruptor. When the spirit of glory enters a place, there'll be a difference. The spirit of glory cannot enter a place and people will not know that something has entered. The spirit of glory cannot enter a place and its contributions will not be unique. The spirit of glory cannot enter a place and its suggestions will not be different from what has been suggested before. This is why I believe this word should bring comfort to someone this morning. It is not always because of what you are doing right or what you are doing wrong. Sometimes it is because of the nature of the spirit that has rested upon you. The spirit of God has rested upon you. There is something the Bible calls the spirit of glory. This directly refers to the Holy Spirit, but it also points to part of what the Holy Spirit ensures gets done. The spirit of glory rests upon you. The spirit of glory rests upon me. That is why some of those rejections call. That is why some of those attitudes show up. That is why those behaviors are directed towards you. This morning, the Lord is helping you manage your expectations by letting you know why some people behave the way they behave. According to the scripture, one reason is that the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But managing your expectation is not only about knowing why they behave the way they behave, it is also about knowing how to continue despite those behaviors. The Bible says in verse 13, but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings. That means you rejoice because you are partaking in Christ's sufferings. You rejoice because some of the things that happened to Christ are happening to you too. Just as Christ was doing what he was supposed to do and faced opposition, you also may face opposition while doing what you are supposed to do. This is important because the life of a believer is connected to the life of Christ. 1 John 4, verse 17 reminds us that as he is, so are we in this world. And when Apostle Paul spoke about the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, he was pointing us to a reality of identification with Christ. So, my friends, manage your expectations. First, understand why some of these things are happening. Second, continue with the consciousness that you are partaking in Christ's sufferings. Instead of allowing rejection to make you sad, rejoice that you are partaking in Christ's sufferings. Rejoice that you are not alone in what you are experiencing. Rejoice that the path of obedience may sometimes carry the mark of Christ's own path. Why don't you declare this morning that you rejoice because you are partaking in Christ's sufferings, that you rejoice because you do the work with joy. You rejoice because you belong to Christ. You rejoice because the spirit of glory rests upon you. My dear friends, the spirit of glory explains the difference. Yes, the spirit of glory explains the difference. The second thing I want to share with you this morning is this continue in integrity. Continue in integrity. Yes, continue in integrity. Continue to consecrate yourself, continue to make yourself effective. Continue to keep your heart pure. Continue to keep your motives clean. Continue to keep your focus on doing what the Lord loves. Yes, do not stop walking, keep moving, keep doing what the Lord has committed into your hands. Galatians chapter 6, verse 9 says, And let us not be willing well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. My friends, continue. Continue to consecrate yourself, continue to dedicate yourself to the fulfillment of that mandate. Continue to give yourself to what you have been told to do. Let's read 2 Timothy 2, verse 20-21. The Bible says, But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and made for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. If you separate yourself from dishonor, you become a vessel unto honor. That means you see the people the way God wants you to see them. You speak to people the way God wants you to speak to them. You conduct yourself in the way God wants you to conduct yourself. You put God first in all the things you're supposed to do. If you separate yourself from dishonor, the Bible says you will be a vessel unto honor. In other words, honor becomes your mark. If people are looking for someone who symbolizes honor, they can point to you. You become a vessel of honor, sanctified, useful for the master, and prepared for every good work. That phrase, prepared unto every good work, is very important. It means the Lord increases your usefulness. It means he increases your applicability. In one dimension, you are able to do more of the particular thing he has committed into your hands. In another dimension, the variety of things in which the Lord can include you also increases. So it's not only vertical, it's also horizontal. You may do more of the specific work God has given to you, and you may also become useful in other areas because honor is essential. If you know how to honor the people of God, and because the Lord loves his people, he will use the person who knows how to honor his people in many assignments. So pray this morning. Lord, I continue in what you have committed into my hands. I do not become weary in doing what you have assigned to me. I make progress daily, I give myself to it every day. As I continue to consecrate myself, my usefulness increases. As I separate myself from dishonor, I become a vessel unto honor. I am sanctified. I am useful for the master. I am prepared for every good work. My dear friends, why are these two points important? Why is it important to manage your expectations? Why is it important to continue in integrity? You see, managing your expectations is important because it protects your heart from shock. Yes, many times what breaks people is not only what happened to them. What breaks them is how unexpected it was. They did not expect that kind of behavior, they did not expect that kind of rejection. They did not expect that kind of response from the people they were called to serve. And because it was unexpected, disappointment becomes heavy. This is why the scripture says, think it not strange. Do not think it is strange concerning the fairy trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. My dear friends, do not think it is strange. Do not think it is strange to meet different kinds of people. Do not think it is strange to meet different kinds of responses. Do not think it is strange to meet people whose behavior is different from what you expected. Sometimes we think of Noah's ark and focus only on the fact that Noah built an ark and gathered the animals. But we often think less about the fact that those animals behaved differently from one another. Some were slow, some were fast, some were aggressive, some were calm, some were responsive, some were not responsive. In the same way, many times the people we are called to serve can be very different from one another. Their behaviors can be far apart, their responses can vary, their reactions can be unexpected. If your expectation is not managed, your heart can be shocked. So, manage your expectations. Protect your heart from shock. The second reason you must continue in integrity is so that what has been committed into your hands will not be corrupted. The work of every person will be tested, my friends. I do not want my work to burn. I want my work to be made better by the fire it passes through. I want my work to come out better after testing. I want my work to survive. I do not want my work to see corruption. So I encourage you this morning. As you go ahead this week, manage your expectations. As you go ahead this week, continue in integrity. Continue to dedicate yourself to what you have been asked to do. Continue to dedicate yourself to what you have been commanded to do. Continue to consecrate your heart, your motives, your words, your conduct, and your service before the Lord. And the Lord will be with you in the name of Jesus. Amen. My dear friends, I'd like to encourage you this morning. As you proceed this week, please manage your expectations. As you proceed this week, continue to operate in integrity and the Lord be with you in the name of Jesus. I wish you this morning not just an amazing day ahead, but an amazing week ahead. God bless you.