Has the fear of rejection kept you from stepping out into a new relationship, or a new area of ministry?

Have you remained silent because you feared the consequences of angering the other person, especially if they were your boss?

For some of us, this fear of rejection is rooted in our childhood when we were betrayed by friends or family members. One young man shared with me how as a child he wanted to be friends with a boy living next door. But that next door neighbor sexually abused his little sister and then threatened to harm her if he told anyone.

His desire for acceptance was turned into a dagger that pierced his heart. In the years that followed he experienced rejection from other friends. He developed a phobia of rejection. In his mind he assumed others would reject him, and so he kept them at arm’s length.

So what impact does fear of rejection play in our lives today? In recent training on counseling at the Europe Teen Challenge Staff Training School, Tom Bremer pointed out that the fear of rejection is at the heart of most of our problems.

For some it is the fear of being rejected by other people. For others it is a fear of being rejected by God. When we take a look inside, do we see the inadequacies, the past failures, the betrayals of others, and conclude that speaking up or taking action is simply too risky?

So how do we get beyond the fear of rejection to a better place in our lives? Part of the answer lies in one character trait—courage. When God calls Joshua to take over the leadership of the nation of Israel, several times in a few verses God tells Joshua to respond with courage and to not be afraid.

The Bible is filled with examples of others who responded with courage— Esther, David facing Goliath, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

What if David Wilkerson had allowed the fear of rejection to keep him from coming back to NYC after being thrown out of court in February of 1958? He had no idea at the time what God had in store in the future. How blessed we are that he conquered his fear of rejection and moved ahead with what God had planned.

So how is the fear of rejection holding you back? Are you staying where you are because you know you can control your destiny? Are you afraid to take a risk because of what you might lose? It’s time to face the uncertainty of the future and step out in courage and do what God has put before you.