Chapter 17 Rejection

Rejection is one of Satan’s most effective forms of oppression. Rejection may keep a sinner from coming to God for salvation and a Christian from reaching his or her full potential in God; it undermines, breaks, and prevents normal and harmonious relations between family members, marriage partners, fellow workers, and friends. It also distorts our image of God as a loving heavenly Father who loves us and who wants only the best for us.

The dictionary defines rejection as “an act of throwing away or discarding someone or something,” which implies a lack of value in the person or thing thrown away. Being rejected, then, makes us feel valueless or worthless.
Being denied love is at the root of rejection. Rejection (whether active or passive, real or imaginary) robs Jesus Christ of His rightful position as Lord in the lives of His children and keeps believers from experiencing the vitality and quality of life He alone can give.

Rejection results in wounding of the heart—sometimes so painful that the mind refuses to deal with it, so we bury it in our subconscious. Later, it surfaces in other ways to cause us problems. Rejection is the greatest undiagnosed and most untreated malady within the Body of Christ today. Regrettably, a large majority of those coming for prayer suffer from feelings of rejection.

Symptoms of Rejection
How do you feel about yourself (circle each one that applies)?

low self-image insecure withdrawn personality
self-condemning self-hate try to please others
worthless believe I am a failure agony within
inferior question my identity display a facade
starved for love promiscuous can’t love spouse
unworthy fear of rejection don’t know who I am
approval-seeking self-rejecting feel abandoned
self-accusing can’t accept love depressed
can’t give love internal hurt/pain
no lasting relationships earn acceptance by being good or by hard work

Root Causes of Rejection
The root causes of rejection can be found from one or more of a number of sources, which are listed below (a thorough explanation of each one follows):

Heritage rejection
Generational rejection
Timing and manner of conception
Events and attitudes of the mother and father during pregnancy
Factors that may cause rejection while in-utero
Results of rejection occurring in-utero
Rejection caused from the manner of birth
Baby not bonding with the mother or father
Rejection causes after birth
Symptoms of rejection after birth
Being an adopted child, or forced either to live with relatives or in a foster home, or to live in a different culture
Healing from the effects of adoption
Factors that cause rejection during early childhood
Problems in school caused by teachers or schoolmates (that cause rejection)
Multiple causes of rejection later in life
Factors that cause rejection within a marriage

Heritage rejection: Satan is the father of rejection. Rejection came with Satan’s temptation of Eve and, ultimately, Adam. There was no rejection prior to Satan’s temptation, as “… God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). In accepting Satan’s suggestion to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve rejected God and fell into disobedience and sin. They were being covetous (of what the serpent hinted God had denied them) and rebellious (by over-stepping the only restriction God had made).

As a result, they were rejected by God, cursed, and forced to leave the gar-den. Eve (and all the women who came after her) were promised pain in childbirth and subjection to man. God cursed the ground and told Adam that he would eat bread by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:16-19). God no longer communicated with them as He had earlier.

Adam and Eve committed what is generally called original sin. Therefore, all the children born to them (and their descendants) inherited sin as a spiritual gene, thereby turning original sin into hereditary sin. Subsequently, the whole human race has had the same sinful nature; also, the curse of rejection and the penalty of spiritual death has been passed down through the process of conception and birth (Rom. 5:12).

Cain, as the first naturally-born child, was the first recipient of the “hereditary sin” curse. He was rebellious, argumentative, and disobedient, and did not offer an appropriate sacrifice, as God required. He rejected God and God rejected Cain. Because Cain “belonged to the evil one” (1 John 3:12), any consideration of how Satan is able to manipulate humanity into feeling rejected must begin with Cain.

While both Cain and Abel were born with hereditary rejection, it was Cain who appeared to be most affected. God reasoned with Cain to encourage him to make the right choice: “Then the Lord said to Cain … If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” (Gen. 4:7). Cain was being offered a second chance but he reject-ed it.

Because of Cain’s decision and the ultimate murdering of his brother, God rejected him and placed him under a curse, thus some refer to rejection as the “Cain Syndrome.” Cain’s self-pity, accusing God of over-reacting, fear of rejection, victimization, death, and abandonment (Gen. 4:13-14) helps us better understand the range of symptoms of many who suffer rejection today. (For a full discussion of the “Cain Syndrome,” see Excuse Me, Your Rejection is Showing, from which much of this section has been adapted.)

Generational rejection: We see from the above paragraph that all the descendants of Adam and Cain carry a predisposition to heritage rejection. However, not all persons actually inherit a spirit of rejection. Abel’s sacrifices were acceptable to the Lord. As we will saw in the section on curses, many curses are conditional. When we are disobedient, the promised curses come upon us (Deut. 28 and 30). Cain received a curse of rejection (because of the heritage rejection potential and his sins of disobedience and rebellion) while Abel did not.

Generational sin is discussed in depth in the section on “Healing from Generational Influences.” Suffice it to say that when our forefathers were disobedient, they incurred a curse (in this case rejection) and it continues to pass as a curse of rejection upon the heads of the children to the third and fourth generation, as stated in Exodus 20:5: ” . . . I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers up-on the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”

When those who come for prayer review the symptoms of their ancestors, many find that their mothers or fathers, grand-parents or aunts and uncles reflect the symptoms of having a curse of rejection as well. The material which follows describes a number of ways about how a predisposition for heritage and generational rejection turns into real rejection.

Timing and manner of conception: The following are specific ways rejection can begin within an individual. Pray the Lord will enlighten you as to the cause(s) of rejection in your life. Check all that you feel apply to you:
One or both parents did not want to conceive
Parents not married
Conception may have been the result of lust during a “one night stand” or through the act of adultery
The mother is very young and ill-prepared to be a mother
There may not have been sufficient financial resources to provide for a baby
Sexual abuse, rape, incest

Events and attitudes of the mother and father during pregnancy: In the book The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (Thomas Verney, MD ISBN 0-440 50565-8), the author quotes research about the capabilities of babies in-utero, which are noted to be able to:
Hear
Have a taste in music
Feel the love or the lack of love of the mother
Learn both the father’s and mother’s voice
Experience anxiety if the mother smokes
React when the mother even thinks about a cigarette
Have memory capabilities
Make decisions about how to react after birth (such as in refusing to bond)
Remember any prenatal or birth trauma
Form attitudes and personality traits
Refuse to nurse (because of rejection during pregnancy)
Express extreme anger (if the father left the home or the mother had sex with others, had an affair, or was the product of an affair)
Feel rejected if the father is absent or shows signs of not caring
Have the Mother’s fears transferred to them
Experience guilt for being in the womb
Become performance-oriented (earn the right to live)
Take responsibility for pregnancy problems (“if I grow, I might injure mom”)
Respond (to turn in the womb) to be under the mother’s hand when it is placed on her stomach

A more in-depth description of what a child in-utero can hear, feel and under-stand is included in a later section.

Factors that may cause rejection while in-utero
Attempted abortion
Mother didn’t want to be pregnant
Use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco during pregnancy
Child is planned to be put up for adoption
Parents married because the mother was pregnant
Child would have been aborted (if it had been legal)
Mother has hate and resentment for missed opportunities because of being pregnant
Mother physically ill during pregnancy
Mother had an accident or injury during pregnancy
Mother loses a loved one during pregnancy
Difficult delivery or delivery during a traumatic event
Mother wanted a child of one sex and got the other sex (identity confusion)
Ambivalence (bad timing, no money, father in army, mother in school, etc.)
Mother and father have a bad relationship

Results of rejection after birth that occurred while in-utero
Cries continuously
Has potty tantrums
Refuses the breast
Refuses a mother’s comfort
Feels guilty for being in the womb
Senses “I am not wanted; I am a burden”
Strives to be performance-oriented (“I must prove myself; I must earn their love”)
Strives to always please
Refuses affection
Wishes they hadn’t been born
Experiences problems with bonding

Rejection caused from the manner of birth
Protracted labor
Prolonged pregnancy
Caesarian or instrumental births
Babies born to women who didn’t know they were pregnant
Induced labor or forced delivery

Baby not bonding with the mother or father
Baby not held or loved adequately by either or both parents
Illness of mother during early infancy
Hospitalization
Sickness or poor health of baby
Mother’s insecurity in coping with motherhood
Experience of physical abuse
Medical disorders causing feeding problems

Rejection causes after birth
Love deficit
Being compared to another child
Never feels good enough
Abuse of any kind
Criticism
Fear
Adoption
Being made fun of by schoolmates, neighbors, etc.
Physical deformity
Having to earn love by performing
Knowing a brother or sister was lost to abortion or miscarriage
Child experiencing unworthiness; no time for the child
One or more parents are absent
Divorce of parents
Abandonment of the family by one of the parents

World War II experience in England revealed:
England built orphanages for children whose mom’s died and whose dad’s were at war.
One third died for no reason or their heart quit operating.
Others did not grow, would not eat, or their head grew but not their body.
Children looked like little old men and women, with gray skin.
They lacked love; young British women were called in to hold them, rock them, and feed them which caused them to begin to grow as normal.
This experience confirmed the fact that our need for love is greater than our need for food or survival.

Symptoms of rejection after birth
Believe the lies others tell them and they tell themselves
Messiah complex (“I must please God or He won’t like me.”)
Never affirmed for their own sakes, for who they are—only for their accomplishments, for what they did
Praise without affirmation: focuses on performance and not personhood
Most feel shame for their bodies
Many resort to addictions or mood-altering techniques (eating, TV, work, ex-ercise, religion, alcohol)
Many hate themselves, curse parts of themselves, or gain weight so they will not be attractive to males
Many are approval-addicted or accomplishment-oriented

Being an adopted child, or forced either to live with relatives or in a foster home, or to live in a different culture
Causes feelings of abandonment as well as rejection and fear of rejection
Children from one ethnic background are brought up in a different culture
Sent to a boarding school
Allows an opening for the spirits of orphan, abandonment, fatherlessness, vag-abond, rejection, and confusion to enter

Effects of adoption
Adopted persons may not know much about their parents or their early past; proceed with the information you have and rely on the Holy Spirit to fill in the blanks.
In almost every case, adoptees will have feelings of rejection, lack of self-worth, anger, and abandonment issues.
They have absorbed all the elements of their environment (fear, tension, anxiety, guilt, shame, confusion, hatred, anger, and the pain of their mother).
They will lack security, not being adequately nurtured and supported.
They will have a loss of identity and question their right to live or to belong.
They think something is wrong with them.
They are bound by lies (for example, “I am ugly, crud, a mistake…”).
They respond to life with either aggressive anger and rebellion or withdrawing in fear and isolation.
Prayers for the adopted should include a breaking of bonds and soul ties with the biological mother and father.

Factors that cause rejection during early childhood
Children who are criticized, over-disciplined, victimized, ignored, or who are treated as a favorite or who shares a family with a sister or brother who is the favorite.
Parents persistently confronting one another in front of their children
Talk of separation or divorce, which may result in the child blaming them-selves for causing their parent’s problems
Parents who only speak to one another through the children
A stern, legalistic or over-disciplinarian father
Fathers who are weak-willed, apathetic, or who are dominated by their wives
An alcoholic father or mother
Having a sick brother or sister who requires more attention.
Hearing comments that hurt (for example, “I never wanted you in the first place” or “You are stupid.”)
Physical, mental, verbal, or sexual abuse occurring through parents, friends, or others who frequent the home environment
A child being falsely accused of something done by a brother or sister, etc. (a trust issue develops)
Experiencing a dominating influence to exceed academically (bribes for academic accomplishments)
Experiencing a fire or earthquake which damages or destroys a family home
The conviction or jailing of a close family member
A sudden fall in the family’s living standards—caused by the unemployment of the family breadwinner, bankruptcy, etc.
Experiencing long periods of loneliness because of parental disinterest
The absence of the parents from the child’s school or extra-curricular activities
Immigration language difficulties
Sickness
An overload of home responsibilities
Severe or cruel punishment
One or both parents wanted a child of the opposite sex

Problems in school caused by teachers or schoolmates (that cause rejection)
Physical disabilities which keep a child from being chosen for team events or from playing in sports
Speech impediments, birth defects, lisps
Educational disabilities
Bullying, being treated unfairly, being sexually harassed
School expulsion
Being called by an insulting nickname
Not being believed by a teacher
Teacher picking on the child
The academic record of an older brother or sister being used against them
Hearing or sight problems
Shame or embarrassment over one’s sex

Multiple causes of rejection later in life
Poverty in the family home
Unhealthy early sexual experiences
Abortions (planned or forced)
Rejection of self (occurring through embarrassment over undesirable physical features, obesity, etc.)
Rejection from a relationship or a broken engagement
Being sick or bedridden
Unexpected pressure beyond one’s ability to cope
Self-condemnation after a moral failure

Factors that cause rejection within a marriage
Moral lapse (or unfaithfulness) by one spouse
Inability of one or both partners to communicate effectively
Spouse is controlling or financially stingy
A parent who takes the side of a child (against the other parent)
One spouse refuses sexual relations
When one spouse develops a long-term disease (such as cancer or Alzheimer’s)
Death of a spouse or a child
Divorce or separation
The inability to bear children
Husband dies intestate (without a will)

Compounding or Multi-layering of Causes
Rarely is there a single cause for rejection within the area of woundedness. Most people are wounded in many different ways, each new way adding to the pain and hurt which already exists. Thus, the person has multi-layered rejection, compounding the resultant problems. However, there usually is a core or main root that must first be identified before the offering of healing prayer. While many who come for prayer will have a generational predisposition toward rejection (because of the influences of darkness discussed earlier), there usually will be another core factor which occurred before, during, or shortly after birth.

Multi-faceted Spirit of Rejection
Seldom is spirit of rejection present by itself. It is almost always accompanied by one or more of the spirits of self-rejection, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear, and perceived rejection. In many cases, the seeker has rejected his or her parents, or others (as well as themselves and God), for not doing something to protect them from the hurt and pain they earlier experienced. The wounded seeker constructs emotional walls around their heart and typically makes vows, such as “no one will ever hurt me again” (vows are dealt with in more detail in the section entitled, “Healing from Vows and Death Wishes”). Those who suffer the worst types of rejection at times develop multiple-personalities or alter-egos as a form of emotional protection.
The outward expressions or symptoms of rejection (and related spirits) result in one of two major areas of response:

(1) an aggressive response (which exhibits rebelliousness, sexual promiscuity, self-sufficiency, anger, rejection of others, deception, and/or defiance) or

(2) a passive response (which exhibits an approval-seeking nature, submissiveness, loneliness, and/or depression).

Healing of Rejection
There are numerous examples of rejection exposed in the Bible. Jesus was the most rejected person who ever lived. He was born in a stable 70 miles from home. He was born to a betrothed—but unmarried—virgin. At an early age, his parents moved to Egypt to escape death. He was misunderstood by his parents when he was twelve, and his step-brothers gave him a hard time. His teachings were rejected by those in his home town and He could only heal a few of their sick. The locals tried to kill him. The religious and political Jewish leaders rejected him. The Jewish population at large rejected him.

The Roman overseers also rejected him, and even most of his own disciples rejected and abandoned him. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected of Men.” Other scriptures speak of Jesus’ rejection as well (Mat. 21:42, Ps. 118:22-23, Luke 9:22, Mark 8:31, Luke 17:25). Even while upon the cross, Jesus is stated by some to have questioned rejection by the Father, as in His statement, “… My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mat. 27:46).

He was born amongst cattle, crucified between criminals, and surrounded by a murderous mob. Yet Jesus, the Son of Man, made it possible for the “sons of men” to become the “sons of God” by the Atonement He made for our sins, our sicknesses, our sorrows, our suffering, and our being despised and rejected by men. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:4-5).
“By his stripes” we are healed, also, of rejection. It is a gift made possible by His death on the cross—equal to the forgiveness of our sins, the healing of our sicknesses, and our being given power over the adversary. It is appropriated by faith, as are all of His promises.

The opposite of “to reject” is “to accept.” “He hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6). In the Greek, the word accepted (as used here) means “highly favored one.” When we come to God through Jesus, we are accepted and as highly favored as is our brother Jesus.

(For further study regarding rejection, read and consider the following scriptures: Ps. 22:9, 27:10, 29:9-10, 68:5-6, 127:3-5, 139:13-16 and 23-24, Jer. 1:5, Eph. 2:10.)

Preparation Prior to Prayer

If the seeker has rejected their parents (or others who have rejected them) they need to con-fess these as sins and ask God for forgiveness.
The seeker must forgive their parents for not wanting (rejecting) them, release negative judg-ments made against their parents, and finally, bless their parents.
The seeker needs to forgive and release any and all others who have hurt or wounded them. Unless the seeker forgives and determines to “honor their father and their mother” (the 5th commandment), they most likely won’t receive healing.

Even though the seeker has suffered rejection, they are still accountable for the fruits, i. e. the ways in which they have handled, dealt with, and expressed their rejection (such as in anger, rudeness, rebellion, self-pity, etc.). These injurious behaviors need to be confessed and for-giveness requested from God.

Share with them scriptures on rejection (Ps. 27:10, 29:9-10, 109:22, 127:3-5, 139:13-16 and 23-24, Jer. 1:5, Eph. 2:10).

Have the seeker read the truths about themselves within the section on “Healing Our Image of God” and renounce the lies they have previously believed about themselves.
Have the seeker verbally commit to a conscious decision to get rid of the “bad fruit” that re-jection has produced in their life (such as bitterness, resentment, hatred, and rebellion).
Have the seeker verbally accept him/herself, as hard as that may be. Obtain a promise he (or she) will never belittle or criticize himself again. God made us. We are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10) and we have no right to criticize what God has made.

Healing Prayer

Pray the following items for the sake of the seeker (from when they were in-utero). Reinforce the concept that God desires “truth in the inward parts” (Ps. 51:7). If needed, read these with your eyes open as you pray.

Life was and is not a mistake
God made you out of love
God called you into being; it was the right time and the right place
God prepared a way
God gave you life
You are a privilege and a joy, not a burden or a disappointment
I ask to destroy the lies this child may have accepted
I bring to the cross every destructive attitude or expectation
See the Lord pouring out love on this child
Breathe a fresh breath of life into this spirit
Invite this child to grow into the fullness of life
Ask the inner child to forgive those who wounded him
Ask the inner child to forgive himself for his negative responses and attitudes
Ask the healing love of Jesus to be poured into the wounded spirit
Ask Jesus to give the seeker the gifts of trust, rest, and peace
Ask that the seeker’s entire being be integrated with wholeness and harmony
Ask to break the power of all unrighteous habits and patterns
Command (in Jesus’ name) that all generational sin be stopped
Command (in Jesus’ name) that every evil spirit and curse through this child’s family be stopped
As mentioned earlier, there is no time in heaven. Pray for the Lord to go back through the pages of this person’s life and heal every instance where they had low self-esteem or felt un-wanted, rejected, or feared being rejected.
Invite the seeker to close their eyes and picture themselves in the throne room, to feel the awe, the love, and the peaceful and joyous atmosphere
Have the seeker imagine themselves as a child, welcomed onto Jesus’ lap, with the Lord’s arm around their shoulder and then placing a crown on their head—let them see themselves grow-ing up on Jesus’ lap
Put to death the power of any experience of trapped emotions
Put the cross of Jesus between the child and their parents
Ask that all their inheritance be filtered through the cross
Command (in Jesus’ name) that every curse be stopped
Ask for them to be surrounded with the love of God—proclaim that nothing can harm them and ask that they be made invisible to all influences of evil
Ask that light be cast into this child’s life
Ask that any hardness of heart be melted
Ask to enlighten the eyes of the heart
Ask to open healthy doors for him, to draw him to his eternal destiny
Ask that the balm of the Lord’s healing be poured into him—to hold him until he is able to come and rest within the heart of the Father
Ask that the truth of his belonging be written on his heart
Speak directly to his inner being to enable him to wrap strong welcoming arms about the per-son inviting him into the fullness of life
Ask that the healing love and life of Jesus come into the wounded spirit/

Pray that the person chose a new identity and ask them to pray, knowing:
I am a child of God
God loves me
I am chosen
I am loved
I am precious
I don’t have to earn anything
I am God’s gift
I can’t lose it
God has prepared the way
God has preserved my life
God wants me to restfully walk in my new life

Now envision the Lord coming with the sword of truth to cut the seeker free from the past … (correct the following using his or her pronouns as you ask):
to lead him forth into the fullness of his own destiny and purpose
to loosen him to be himself
to melt any hardness of heart and to open his eyes and heart
to provide protection
to fulfill destiny
to place the cross of Jesus between the child and his parents
finally, to place a blessing on his life in the name of Jesus
to forever cast out the spirits of rejection, self-rejection, fear of rejection, abandonment, isolation, loneliness, false accusation, guilt, and shame

Inner Healing Prayer
Review the information on inner healing prayer in another chapter in this study. If the intercessor can discern when the rejection began during the interview, or receive the answer from God, it may be very helpful to pray a prayer of inner healing, asking Jesus to come into the first rejection experience. This is particularly helpful for those who have been adopted, or abandoned by one parent or both.

Prayer for the Seeker to Pray
Have the seeker proclaim the following prayer aloud.

Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are the Son of God and the only way to God the Father. You died on the cross for my sins and you rose again from the dead.
I repent of all my sins and I forgive every other person, as I would have God forgive me. I forgive all those who have rejected me, hurt me, and failed to show me love Lord, and I trust you also to forgive me and them.

I believe Lord, that you do accept me. Right now, because of what you did for me on the cross, I acknowledge that I am accepted. I am highly favored. I am the object of your special care. You really love me. You want me. Your Father is my Father. Heaven is my eternal home. I am a member of the family of God, the best family in the universe. Thank you! Thank You, Lord!

One more thing, Lord; I accept myself the way you made me. I am your workman-ship and I thank you for what you have created. I believe that you have begun a good work in me and that you will carry it on to completion until my life ends (Phil. 1:6, 1 Thes. 5:24).

Lord, so that your forgiveness can be fully effective in me, I now forgive myself for doing all the things I have brought before you in prayer, and I release myself from previous feelings of guilt and from constantly going back into the past when I have already asked for your forgiveness.

I break any bondage condemning myself and judging myself unacceptably to you and to others. Release me from these self-destructive thoughts and behaviors, in the precious name of Jesus.

And now, Lord, I bind the spirits of rejection, self-rejection, perceived rejection, and fear of rejection, in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. I break the power of the adversary over me and I command him to leave, in Jesus’ name. I renounce any territory that was previously given to him and I joyfully give it back to God.

I proclaim my release from any and all dark and evil spirits that have taken advantage of the past woundedness in my life. I release my spirit to rejoice in the Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Prayer for Release from Generational Rejection
Have the seeker proclaim the following prayer aloud.

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, I thank you for all of those in previous generations who passed down to me peace, love, and an opportunity to know you and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Please send the light of your Son Jesus Christ into all of the sinful and hurting places of the past generations of my family lines, to those who may have suffered rejection, self-rejection, fear of rejection, self-condemnation, lack of self-worth, fear of failure, loneliness, perceived rejection, or feelings of abandonment. Please send the light and blood of Jesus (shed for the forgiveness of sins) back into all the pain-filled and empty places in the hearts of my family and heal them in Jesus’ Holy Name.

Those in past generations have sinned against me and hurt me by participating in behaviors, activities, and acts that have caused rejection and all of the related feelings previous-ly mentioned and associated with this unholy condition. Let me, O Lord, stand in their stead and plead repentance for them before your heavenly throne. Forgive them, Lord, because in many cases, they did not know what they were doing. Please forgive them and break the hold these involvements have had on me. Release those here, O Lord, from the sins of their forefathers-and-mothers, even to the third or fourth generation, as it is written in your Holy Scriptures (Ex. 20:5).

Cover me with your blood, spilled at Calvary.
I send your love and forgiveness back to those who hurt me or who hurt other mem-bers of my family line. I ask you to forgive them and to bring them into wholeness and new-ness of life in you. Take all of the hurts and pain away that I have experienced from critical words spoken to me which have caused me to feel unloved and unwanted. Forgive those of my family lines who have been critical of my appearance and of my mental or physical abili-ties, as well as of others.

I ask you to forgive me for any way in which I may have given in to the tendency to sin in the same way as my forebearers. Forgive me and restore me to life and health as only you are able to do.

Almighty Father, I ask that you reveal to me any places in my family lines that need further prayer, to break the bondage of sin and ignorance and to restore myself and others to our rightful heritage in you. Look upon all of the people in my generational lines with com-passion. Free them all, that they may come before you in the sure knowledge of your love and forgiveness. Send into every dark and hurting place the love of your Son Jesus Christ that those in the past, present, and future generations may learn to live in wholeness of body, mind, and spirit to the eternal glory of your holy Name, in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask these favors in Jesus’ worthy name. AMEN.

Resources (in order of usefulness)

1. Chris Hayward, The End of Rejection (Regal Books, 2007), ISBN 0-8307-4317-0
2. Noel and Phyl Gibson, Excuse Me, Your Rejection Is Showing (Sovereign World Pub-lishers, PO Box 777, Tonbridge, Kent TN 11 0ZS, England, 1997, reprinted 2004). ISBN 1-85240-110-9. (Available in the US through the Arsenal Bookstore, 11005 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921.)
3. John and Paula Sandford, Healing the Wounded Spirit (Victory House, 1985). ISBN 0-932081-14-2.
4. Norma Dearing, The Healing Touch (Chosen Books, 2002). ISBN 0-8007-9302-1.
5. Charles Kraft, Deep Wounds, Deep Healing (Servant Pub., 1993). ISBN 0-89283-784-5.
6. Derek Prince, God’s Remedy for Rejection (Whitaker House, 1993). ISBN 088368-864-6.
7. Francis and Judith MacNutt, Praying for Your Unborn Child (1989). ISBN 0-38523-2829. (Available from www.Christianhealingmin.org, 904-765-3332.)
8. Thomas Verney, MD, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (Summit Books, 1981).