The Principality of Rejection

The principality of rejection is the eleventh principality of Satan. The objective of this principality of Satan is to cause mankind to believe that they are rejected; and its attendant powers are the spirit of injustice and the spirit of distrust. The spirit of injustice has at his disposal one captain—bitterness. Both princes have all lower ranking principalities and powers like lying, disobedience, pride, lust, woundedness, etc. to use to fulfill their objective. Rejection is a false decision (see "Strong Holds (Idols of the Heart)" because generally another person is seen as the culprit—blamed for rejection: "He or she doesn't love me." Injustice fuels a victim mentality—blaming everyone else for what happens to him or her—that cries out continually, "That's unfair!" "Victims bear no responsibility. They live in a world where blame and fault can be laid elsewhere. It is true that we are all victims in certain areas of our life. But most of us in the West have little conception of what it is like to be victimized by grinding poverty, gnawing hunger, and brutal injustice. We are mainly 'victimized' by the trivial and the inconvenient. We have plenty of leisure time to concentrate on inner tyrannies and addictions: the tyranny of egocentricity, our addiction to safety and security."³ The spirit of injustice alters our perception of who God is and tells us that obedience to God doesn't profit. What's more, injustice teaches us to judge authority and validates rebellion against God: judgment, holding grudges and avenging ourselves. Injustice screams "Don't listen to God! He's unfair!" Injustice was first suggested by Satan in the Garden of Eden: "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). And subsequently expressed by Adam: "And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12). Notice in both instances that the cry of injustice is ultimately against God. Implicitly, or less often explicitly, God is blamed for our rejection from people. "Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal" (Ezekiel 33:17).

In addition to the ills of injustice, the spirit of distrust severs the rejected person's ability to trust. Trust is given "with strings attached": it will be pulled back at the slightest hint of injustice. Moreover, distrust and injustice combine to produce selfishness—looking out for number one—and stubbornness. Rejection relies heavily on discontent; and discontent incites judgment, resentment, and hate. Thus, rejection impedes our ability to love God, our neighbor and ourselves—we do not love God with our all. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31). "For, until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity."⁴ Unless we can love God with our all, our love for our neighbor and for ourselves cannot flourish: we have a wounded spirit. "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear" (Proverbs 18:14)? A wounded spirit, or a hardened heart, steals our ability to love, which kills our ability to become sons and daughters of God, which in turn, destroys our chance at salvation. "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Said another way, rejection misdirects us to view people as our enemies not Satan. For the rejected person, the following truth is not truly believed: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). As such, the rejected person operates blindly in judgment and resists giving mercy because they cannot see others as victims of Satan; of course, they demand mercy for their own transgressions from all others. An outgrowth of this is a strong hold of legalism: adherence to following rules takes precedence over mercy. Legalism becomes a form of one-upmanship—a way for the rejected person to feel superior over others; but this is not love. Rejection causes us to resort to manipulation to control our relationships or isolation to avoid being hurt again. Rejected people are generally self-centered and cannot cease from focusing on pleasing themselves; in a nutshell, rejected people suffer from self-idolatry. "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me" (Romans 15:1-3). They may attempt to mask their self-centeredness in service to others; however, they are not freely giving of themselves; they are not "hoping for nothing" (Luke 6:35) in return. They often feel like the burden of the world is on their shoulders: they struggle to cast all their care upon the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 5:7). They may often comment about having to "suffer for righteousness' sake" (1 Peter 3:14); however, righteousness brings peace not offence (lack of peace): "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever" (Isaiah 32:17). Rejection brings indifference in place of compassion, resentment in place of forgiveness, coldness in place of kindness, protective defensiveness or manipulation in place of openness, a life lived for self and not God.

The temptation to receive rejection, like so many of Satan's devices, is generally accepted as a child: even, in some cases, before a child is born. A child in its mother's womb may receive rejection due to the mother receiving rejection (often from the child's father), or may receive rejection outright from the mother that does not want the child or even from the mother fearful about having a child. "By the time a person emerges from the womb, or shortly thereafter, his spirit's ability to trust and open to life may be greatly hindered or blocked altogether."⁵ What is a baby to do with emotions, angers, resentments, loneliness, fears, longings, or needs for solitude? What about worse irritants like violence and terror? How can a baby handle such hurts? With what tools? The baby doesn't know the Lord, so forgiveness is not an option. The baby's mind has not developed so as to have reasoning skills (rationalize). The baby's self-control is yet to be developed. What is a baby to do?

He hastens to build walls around his heart! He learns to check the impulse to let his spirit flow out unguarded to another. Gradually, but most surely, he forms a heart of stone [a hardened heart—a wounded spirit] ... Every person on earth has fashioned such a heart, some softer, some harder and thicker, depending usually upon the degree of pain suffered ... All of us, having accepted rejection and formed hardened hearts, have to that degree failed to become fully human. To that same degree, we have closed down the very faculties needed for real interchange of heart and mind. We will not let the spirit be vulnerable, open to touch and embrace. It hurts too much. We hide behind stone walls.⁶

The person who is ensnared with the principality of rejection tends to be extremely sensitive to rejection: they often perceive rejection even where there is none. Even seemingly innocuous actions can be perceived as rejection. They end up pushing away the very spouses, friends, family, and brethren in Christ who care for them. Being in a relationship with a rejection infected person is analogous to riding a rollercoaster: lots of ups and downs with curves and loops to make your head spin. Those that care for them inevitably pull away and rejection is reconfirmed in the infected person's eyes—a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the vicious cycle goes on with destructive results. The infected person ends up being rejected by the very people from whom they feared rejection. "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25). Persons infected with the principality of rejection also suffer from an abnormal amount of fear (fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, and fear of confrontation) in situations where rejection is a possibility. They will often "move mountains" to resist these situations: they become skilled escape artists. What's more, the infected person often resists any attempt by someone to help them see themselves: fear of self-knowledge prevails. Fear of self-knowledge leads to fear of the knowledge of God (John 17:3), for "we cannot aspire to [God] in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? ... On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also – He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself."⁷ Thus, the infected person is resistant to change; they operate in protective defensiveness. They will be quick to say, "You're always finding fault with me ... I'm never good enough!" This can be even more difficult when the infected person is a Christian: they will affirm the scriptures which support their view of themselves and ignore the ones that require change. Other Christians will recognize the situation and since correction is inherent to the love of God (Hebrews 12:6; Leviticus 19:17), they will attempt to "restore such an one" (Galatians 6:1). Their attempts, however, will often be rejected, and they themselves will be accused of judgment.

What's more, the person afflicted with the principality of rejection doesn't stop with human relationships—they also push away God: they reject him, often in very subtle ways. They are fully persuaded in their own minds that their chosen method for worshipping God is sufficient: "going about to establish their own righteousness" (Romans 10:3). They invariably embrace hypocrisy: they worship God on the surface; however, they reject him by refusing to truly know him and by refusing to obey his Word. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hosea 4:6). Thus, their fellowship with God is based on their own terms of righteousness and not on God's. "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-7). Fellowship with God requires our spirit to have the capacity to commune with him. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). In human relationships, real fellowship is dependent upon our spirits' ability to extend themselves and blend with one another. So too in our fellowship with God, we must have God's Spirit and truth within us.

The difficulty is the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside the barbed wire of our still-too-inhuman nature. The Spirit, like water, must flow out through the shape of what we are. And God's approaches to us have to be interpreted by our still-imperfect, corrupted mentality. The union of the Holy Spirit in our spirit may be full and true, but meanings can become twisted altogether by the heart and mind. For example, if [God] comes to embrace us because of His love and compassion in the midst of our suffering, we can and often do take that moment of glory in His presence as confirmation that our wrong way is not only right but His will for us.

It follows then that the more our hearts are open to Him and the more our minds comprehend, the better our fellowship. Conversely, the more hard and stubborn our hearts are and the less our mind is akin to His, the less our ability to abide in fellowship. If our spirit meets His, understanding must match or we can not sustain. That is why Jesus said, "in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). Spirit to spirit without truth causes a relationship to flow like a bankless river in the desert—soon gone! Truth alone is only mind to mind—and barren! Neither without the other can produce or sustain fellowship. Both spirit and truth together spark and enhance in crescendo to blessedness.⁸

Thus our spirit's ability to love, to meet, to enter in and share another's life for the other's sake, determines our development of real conscience. We cannot relate to the power of God, which is love, until we learn to receive it. We cannot receive God's love until we develop the ability to receive love. Hardened hearts resist change "but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). It should be noted that Satan does not stop presenting rejection as a solution—temptation. Even as adults, the temptation of rejection enters whenever a loved one or someone we seek approval from, does not return or appear to return our love, or does not approve of us. Resist the temptation, resist the temptation to judge: "He doesn't love me," "She doesn't appreciate me," "They don't like me" or "He doesn't understand me." People gripped by rejection, cycle in and out of injustice and distrust. Every offence, like a spark to a match, generates fire—they respond with anger, shame, discontent, disappointment, anxiety, fear, sorrow, guilt, or hurt—and when the fire abates, it leaves a smoldering coal: injustice and distrust. The smoldering coal of injustice and distrust demands retribution—it generates a lust for vindication (in a Christian this often becomes self-righteous vindictiveness). "Most of us try to hide our vindictiveness as deep as we can, but it often wells up and finds expression in a variety of unlikely ways. These hidden drives need to be exposed if our religious commitment is to have any kind of maturity. Without such exposure, dreadful things can be done in the name of religion: cruelty is sanctified as moral rectitude; manipulation masquerades as love; vindictiveness poses as the desire for justice."⁹ It is judgment that kicks off the cycle of rejection: judgment is the catalyst to become offended (see "Judge Not"). Do not fall for it! Forgiveness and casting out all "invited" spirits breaks the cycle of rejection. For the born again believer, the path is clear: "whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be [Jesus'] disciple" (Luke 14:33). Demote everyone, including yourself, and everything in your life—forsake all—and let "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4), shine unto you. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27). Set the Lord as first, exclusively, in your life—seek his approval only: love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. "Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom" (Micah 7:5).

Rejection from another person is elevated beyond reason primarily due to ignorance—ignorance of the Lord—or unbelief. Rejection is entered into before a person knows—understands and trusts—the Lord: "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts 10:34-35). Moreover, "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:5). Therefore in Christ, we must learn "not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another" (1 Corinthians 4:6). For the born again believer, trust of man should be conditional anyway: "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8). Thus, we "trust" a person only as far as they follow the Word of God: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:25-26). We blame people for our hurts, we judge them as being unfair, we hate them for not loving us; however, they are not the problem, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). The only way for us to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44) is to recognize that our "enemies" are victims themselves—victims willingly or unwillingly of the devil—who are taken captive by the devil at his will. Thus, the true source of rejection from a person is not God but Satan: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10). Thus, "Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 97:10).

Conclusion

In summary, rejection from a person is pseudo-rejection—it is not the person but rather the devil that is presenting rejection as a "solution" to their hurts and pains. The catalyst of rejection is judgment: "X doesn't love me" and "X is unfair." Releasing the judgments depletes the fuel supply of rejection. Rejection is only valid if it comes from the Lord. Acceptance and rejection of a person can only truly be pronounced from God: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted" (Genesis 4:7)? God, however, only rejects those that have rejected him through refusal to learn of him and refusal to obey his Word (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hosea 4:6). Cain experienced true rejection from God for his sins: "Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth ... And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden" (Genesis 4:14, 16).

The principality of rejection becomes a false decision strong hold in the mind of the person infected. False decisions, or inner vows, change our view of ourselves. What's more, the powers of the principality of rejection—injustice, distrust, bitterness, judgment, etc.—works to cement rejection, a victim mentality, indifference, resentment, coldness, protective defensiveness, manipulation, self-centeredness, and a deep-seated fear of self-knowledge as strong holds themselves in the infected person. The principality of rejection becomes a strong hold and its powers secure their places in the person through additional strong holds (see "Strong Holds (Idols of the Heart)"). A strong hold of rejection and its accompanying strong holds are often the culprit behind many of the ills that afflict mankind: insecurity, stubbornness, depression, delirium, murder, drug addiction (spirit of sorcery), porn addiction, other addictions or forms of escape, disease, wickedness, and other woes. Rejection lays the foundation for keeping self on the throne—individuality is born. Individuality causes one to focus on self (or rather one's image of self) and on how self compares to others. What's more, individuality buoys a growing allegiance to the traditions of men: buying into the world system in which we can be our own authority. Individuality falsely proclaims, as did British poet William Ernest Henley in his short poem titled Invictus, "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."

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