READ: Psalm 68
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor…sitteth in the seat of the scornful” – Psalm 1:1
The world has two types of people: those who believe in you and those who have no confidence in you. Learn to turn away from people who despise you.
I can always tell when someone despises me at heart. Every leader should learn to detect the spirit of critical and hateful people (1 John 4:1). Rejection is a spiritual thing and can be discerned spiritually.
I once spoke to a doctor in the USA. I had always known that this fellow despised me. Though he never said much to me, I knew it in my spirit. Just like David, I turned away from him and “flowed” with those who believed in me. He confirmed this and said, “What you are saying is true. Somehow, in those days I didn’t like what you were doing. But now, I have come to appreciate your ministry.”
No one can flourish in an environment of spitefulness. In some churches, professionals are neither regarded nor respected as far as the ministry is concerned. If you are a lawyer, doctor or accountant, the ministers may consider you incapable of ministry work. I advise such people to attend a church where they can be involved in ministry without being despised. Some full-time ministers simply do not recognize the role of lay people.
In some places, poor and uneducated people are despised. It is important to turn away from an environment where you are despised. You can only flourish where people respect and love you.