From Rejection to Reflection: God’s Heart For You!
Have you ever felt overlooked, unwanted, or unworthy? You’re not alone — but you’re also not unseen. In this heartfelt episode, Diana shares how God’s generosity and love permeate every aspect of who we are — body, soul, and spirit — and how His reflection of us is far greater than the world’s rejection. It’s time to see yourself the way He sees you — wonderfully complex and deeply loved.
Diana’s Notes
From Rejection to Reflection: God’s Love for You!
Hello everybody!!! And welcome to today’s episode, From Rejection to Reflection: God’s Heart for You - here on Heartfelt Conversations with Diana!
Did you know that God is a triune God- 3 in 1 the Godhead, or maybe you have heard the term Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
We have talked in the past about how we are created in His likeness:
Genesis 1:27: (NLT) So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Being created in the image of God means that we have three parts to our being. We are tripartite (tri-par-tite). As human beings, we all have a soul, a spirit, and a body.
Our spirit allows us to have personal, intimate interactions with God in the spiritual realm. Our spirit is what gives us the ability to receive what we would think of as our “gut feelings”, intuition, and our conscience.
Our soul is our innerman - or innerself. Our mind, which is sense, reasoning, and memory - the emotional side of our soul, would be all those feelings we have, like fear, sadness, anger, and happiness. Then we have our will. God has given each of us free will to make choices and decisions for our lives.
Then God took our soul and spirit and placed them inside a body so that we could live on earth.
We are wonderfully complex. Have you ever thought about someone, “Why do they have to be so complicated?” Well, there you go! Because we are all complex beings. Do you find that amazing or irritating? LOL
The next time you get really frustrated with someone or even yourself, remember this verse in Psalms…
Psalms 139:14: (NLT) Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
For many years, I did not know that we were created with a body, soul, and spirit. I thought we were just humans. People who had bones, skin, organs with different hair, eyes, body shapes and sizes, color of our skin, different heights and weights from all over the world. I was completely unaware of this truth, but in order to have a better understanding of ourselves, our relationship to God, and our ability to grow and mature into the sons and daughters God created us to be, I think it helps to have this basic knowledge and understanding. At least I know it has made a difference for me when it comes to being more patient with myself and with others.
If this is news to you, like it was to me when I first was learning this truth, then I encourage you through scripture to dive deeper into God’s word and get involved in a strong, biblically founded church to gain more insight and revelation on how wonderful you really are.
I think a lot of the missing puzzle pieces of who you are as an individual, and how God sees and works with us, will begin to take shape and make more sense.
Our God, no matter what the world tries to box Him into, is so loving, kind, and generous, and He wants to bless all the areas of our lives. Body, Soul & Spirit.
Over the next few episodes, let’s have a conversation on just how generous God is, and thankfully, I do not need to have a master’s degree on the subject of generosity because there are so many wonderful teachers, leaders, pastors, Rabbi’s, and priests who have done all the work for us. Our job is to study & with the help of God, bring His word alive to us in our spirit, we will grow. We will gain knowledge, yes, but we will also gain wisdom, discernment, and insight as His truth begins to reveal itself to us and, in a very personal way, one by one.
And of course, as always, the bible, God’s holy word, is the ultimate authority on this and every subject.
We are all on a journey, and as unique and individual as we are in our outward appearance, we are all wired and gifted uniquely inwardly as well. So it is important that we all get in the habit of studying His word and spending time in prayer with our Father.
And, as with our last couple of conversations on the topic of prayer, I will be referencing the teachings of Beth Jones, my founding pastor, from her Bible study series: Getting A Grip On The Basics Of Generous Living.
In last week’s notes, I put a link to one of Beth’s videos, The Sky is the Limit, as a little teaser for this week’s conversation.
Why, you might ask?? Because that is how phenomenal God’s generosity is towards us, “the sky really is the limit,” and if you can’t believe God wants to be good to you, then how can you receive His gifts?
Have you ever tried to do something nice for someone or give a gift to them, and they wouldn’t accept it? We should not be people who just take, take, take, but, on the other side of that, we should not be people who do not know how to receive blessings and generosity.
So with all that, if you don’t mind, let’s pray:
Father, we are so thankful for Your word. It is the Truth. Your word reveals Your will to us, and we are so grateful that we are beginning to get a better working knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that we may walk in a manner worthy of You, being fruitful in every good work. Thank you for leading us by Your word and by Your Spirit into a successful and generous life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
(prayer adapted from the workbook)
God yearns to be good to those who trust in Him. Generosity is a reflection of God’s character and love for us.
God’s generosity and depth of love for us begins with Him demonstrating His absolute, unquestionable love by sending His Son, Jesus, here to earth to be the payment for our sin and restore us through salvation back to Him.
This act of generosity is rooted in His boundless love for all people through all generations in every tribe, tongue, and nation on the entire planet. God withholds His love from no one. It is a free gift to us all, but like we mentioned earlier, we have to be good at receiving gifts. This is one gift that you do not want to refuse.
Let’s look at a familiar verse in the book of John:
John 3:16: (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Verse 17 goes on to say: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
One of the biggest lies that kept me on a broken path, leading to one bad decision after another, was that I believed God was mad at me. He did not approve of me. I thought God rejected me because there was something wrong with me.
If this is something you struggle with, let me ask you this. Would the All-Mighty, All-Powerful God, Creator of heaven and earth, who obviously can make whatever He wants, even create you to begin with if He did not like you?
Why would God create you, breathe life into your spirit, and give you a soul and a body and place you on the earth for His pleasure if He did not even like you?
Revelation 4:11: (NLT) “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
God did not have to create you or me. He created us and we exist for the simple reason that He pleased Him.
Your creation, your birth, pleases God.
Then, if that wasn’t enough, let’s say God didn’t like you, okay, well, why would He sacrifice His One and Only Son as an offering for all your sins so that He could restore you back to Him so that you could spend eternity with Him? Would you sacrifice anything or anyone, let alone someone so precious as your child, for a person you couldn’t stand? Let’s be real, no, you would not!
God hates sin, not people. Why does He hate sin? Because sin separates us from Him and all the good things He has for you. But God does not hate you, the one whom He created in His Own likeness. You really gotta lay hold of that.
I grew up believing I was unwanted, unworthy, unacceptable. Rejection was my destiny. I spent so many wasted years trying to earn my way out of the rejection prison, but I am here to tell you right now that God Himself does not reject you! He loves you, and He is waiting for you to turn to Him so He can get you on the right path with the right thinking and heal your soul wounds so you can be living the generous life He has all prepared for you.
So before we go any further, let’s take care of first things first. If you have never received Jesus Christ by confessing Him as your personal Lord and Savior, God’s Free Gift of eternal salvation, then repeat these words from your heart right now:
Dear Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I need you. I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus, I believe that You died for me and that You were raised from the dead by God. I believe that You are Lord, and right now I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart and receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for this free gift, and Thank You that I am now saved and a part of Your family forever and evermore! AMEN!!
(prayer adapted from the workbook)
Whoo Hoo!!! Celebrate, do a little jig if you can. No matter what your brain tries to tell you as a new believer, know in your heart that you are now a child of God! And speak this truth out loud over yourself every single day if you have to, until it becomes a reality to you.
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, I encourage you to get Beth’s workbook Getting a Grip on the Basics or her book 7 Basics - Strong Roots for Every Christian. It will help you to grow in your new relationship with Jesus. And if you do not have a good, solid bible teaching church, then I invite you to be a part of our online services at Valley Family Church. It is always best to attend a church in person because community is so important, but if that is not an option for you right now, or you need to get comfortable walking into a new place, then Valley is the place for you to begin.
We have a chat host ( a live person) that you can introduce yourself to and tell them you are a new Christian, and Diana invited you to the 9 AM service on Sunday, or we also have an 11:15 AM service, but there is not a live person during that timeframe. But it is all good. Just attend and grow!
Simply go to ValleyFamilyChurch.org, and you can see how to join for Sunday services on the website, or you can also find our services on YouTube.
Okie Dokie peeps, let’s keep rolling!
Let me ask you this: why do you want to be successful? In other words, what is the motivation that drives you? Do you want to be rich and famous so you can have all the attention that you feel you do not get now?
Do you need to succeed so people will approve of you or want to be friends with you? So you can be popular or make other people envious of what you have? Are you seeking a job title that makes you feel important?
Motives are very important to God. What you look like, what you do for a job, a career, what car you drive, how big your house is, what neighborhood you live in, and how many decimal points are in your paycheck do not mean anything to God. He is not impressed with any of that. What God is interested in is the status of your heart.
When God was looking for a new king to replace King Saul, He sent His servant Samuel to a particular household, the house of Jesse, to anoint the next king.
Let’s take a minute and look at 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 16:1 (NLT) The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” -
Now, there was a little dialogue that went on between Samuel and the Lord, and then the people when Samuel arrived. Basically, no one wanted to tick off King Saul, so God told Samuel how to handle the prickly situation.
So, now all of that has been settled, and Samuel is at Jesse’s house preparing to meet his sons and anoint one of them king.
In walks Eliab, Jesse’s oldest, and we will pick back up in 1 Samuel 16:6:
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!”
Samuel took one look at Eliab’s outward appearance and thought, “Yep, he is the one.”
But God was not so impressed. God told Samuel, Nope. Not him.
Listen to God’s response to Samuel’s thoughts: Verse 7
1 Samuel 16:7: But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Samuel went through each of Jesse’s sons one by one. In fact, seven of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel, but the Lord did not choose any of them.
Finally, probably a wee bit tired and irritated, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons, and Jesse was like, “Well, yeah, I have one more, my youngest, but he is a shepherd, out in the fields working and tending to the flock.” So Samuel told Jesse to fetch the youngin and bring him to the house because they could not eat until God anointed His next king. So they sent for little ole stinky, dirty David, who had been watching over his dad’s sheep. David was exactly who God wanted for the position.
Once again, God demonstrates to us that just because your family may not highly regard you, just because your boss may not see your value, just because the world tries to tell you that you are a nobody, God looks at your heart to see what your character is like. He looks for honor, integrity, and ethics.
Beth tells us in Chapter 3 of her workbook that God’s number one concern is the condition of our hearts!
Have you considered the condition of your heart?
I went through this exercise a few years ago, and to be very frank, I did not like this exercise, and I did not like seeing what my heart was reflecting back to me.
God does want you to be wealthy, successful, and blessed beyond measure, but not to the detriment of your spiritual life.
Can you be wealthy, stinkin’ rich with all the bells and whistles without honor, integrity, good character? Absolutely! I think we all probably know quite a few people like that. But here is something to think about. At what cost did they get there?
Did it cost them their marriage? Their relationship with their family? Did they become workaholics and sacrifice family time, ball games, piano recitals, and church just to get more money?
Yes, God desires that you succeed in all areas of your life, but before we get into the rest of it, it is vitally important that we understand an even greater truth besides monetary prosperity - God wants you to be strong, stable, and able to handle all your blessings without it costing you a bigger payment in the end - God wants your hearts to be totally committed and sold out for His Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He sacrificed for us, and for the good news of the gospel.
Beth’s first question regarding the matter of our heart is this -
Do you have the right foundation? The foundational question is “what do you love”?
What do you love more, God or money?
Listen to Mark 8:35-37: (AMP) If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? ( good question, right? Verse 38 asks another really good, pause and reflect on this kind of question, listen to verse 38. Is anything worth more than your soul?
What is your answer to these questions that Jesus asked?
Here is another question - How is your heart?
Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23: (NLT) Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Beth goes on to say in Chapter 3, “It is important that we guard our hearts. It is from our heart that the very issues of life flow. Our inner life does affect our outer life. The prosperity of our heart, or inner life, is proportionate to the prosperity of our outer life.
As we wrap up this conversation, ponder and think about these questions, and here is a little more to be thinking on this week and over the course of your everyday life:
How is your inner life? Are you enjoying fellowship with the Lord through His Word and by His Spirit? Are you managing your thought life? Is peace ruling your heart? We have to take time to examine our lives to be sure successful living is happening internally before we spend time believing God for successful living externally.
Remember shepherd boy David, whom God ended up anointing to be king? Here is a verse in the Psalms that David wrote.
Psalms 139:23-24:(AMP) Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
Wow! Right? Are you able to say to God, Test my heart thoroughly and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me?
This was a really tough subject for me. When I got to this part of my healing and growing in the Lord, I struggled. I really did! There were people who hurt me deeply in my life. People who harmed me, tried to kill me, and abused me. Even forgiving God, as crazy as that might sound to some of you, for not keeping my daughter from death. There were times when I would go into prayer and enter God’s word to deal with examining my own heart towards what I was angry with other people over and really hard things I had to face and honestly, I would get to a point where the pain was too much and the tears were too heavy and I felt my heart would break in pain all over again. And I would basically cry “uncle,” I give. I have had enough for the day. I would tell God, I can’t do any more right now. And He never once gave me a failing grade! Instead, I felt His love and grace cover me, and that it was okay. It was good work, because at least I showed up and spent time with Him.
Do you know that as hard as it was, it was really, really hard! Every single time, later in the day or sometimes even after I washed my face and dried the tears, I felt better. I felt a little more healed. I felt a little stronger in my faith. I was developing a trusting bond with God, and that is what He desires for us. In order to be truly blessed and prosperous in all areas of our lives, we have to have a trusting bond with God, knowing that no matter what, He has our backs.
So, are you gonna do the work? Say Yes! HAHAHA
You can go to our website: heartfeltconversations.com and find the notes from today’s episode. In the notes, you will find the scriptures we read today and the questions of the heart for us to ponder. It is a simple, easy way to print them out or just open them up as you sit down and read through them. Eventually, you will begin to develop your own rhythm with God as you walk with Him.
Whatever works for you is awesome! The only thing I ask is that you don’t ignore this part of your journey and skip over it because you think it is too hard.
It might take you some time to get through all the mess of your heart, like me. That’s okay. God will be right there with you, no matter how long it takes.
I do recommend grabbing a box of tissues, though!
Along with today’s notes, I will have a link to Beth’s video:
And Pastor Eric had a phenomenal message on the Scarlet Thread: The Gospel of John that will really speak to your heart. That link will be on our notes as well.
I love you. More importantly, God loves you! You can do this! Come on! Let the first place you prosper be in your heart!
See ya next time on Heartfelt Conversations with Diana!
Generous Living: The Motive Question
7. Why Do You Want To Succeed?
The Gospel of John
Thirst Quenchers
Songs to inspire you:
Consumed By Fire - First Things First (Official Music Video)
Apollo LTD - "Soul Worth Saving" (Official Music Video)
What Mercy Did For Me [feat. Crystal Yates Micah Tyler Joshua Sherman]
Encouraging Verses:
Isaiah 42:16: God’s Word Translation
I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads. I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.
Isaiah 54:10: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
Psalm 119:105: Your word is a light unto our path and a light unto our feet.
Isaiah 54:17: But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 52:12: (EASY) But you will not have to hurry and run away.No, the Lord, Israel's God, will keep you safe.He will lead you at the front,and He will be your guard at the back.
Matthew 7:11: So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
1 Peter 2:23 tells us - When He was insulted, He did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but placed His hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
1 Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God.”
The New Living Translation reads it this way: Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Now choose life."
Luke 6:37 “Forgive, and you will be forgiven”.
Matthew 6:14: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Romans 8:31 in the AMP Bible tells us: What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?
Psalm 65:11: You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
Psalm 32:8: The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Proverbs 15:3: The Lord sees everything, whether good or bad.
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Additional Resources:
Steven Furtick: Triggered Taking Back Your Mind in the Age of Anxiety
Beth Jones: Getting a Grip on the Basics is a great resource to help you get the basics of how vital you are to God and how good He desires to be to you
https://www.thebasicsuniversity.com
Joyce Meyer: The Mind is a Battlefield - https://joycemeyer.org
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand-new Christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana, and we will forward your information to you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you.