What do you think?
Rate this book
Dealing with Azazel: Spirit of Rejection: Strategies for the Threshold #7
'I am your only friend.'
That's the playbook line that works so superbly for the spirit of rejection. Most of us fall for it without ever realising our coping mechanisms-fight, flight, freeze, flatter, forestall or forget-are actually undermining our every effort to overcome this entity. So how can we subdue the spirit of rejection in our lives without sabotaging ourselves in the process?
This seventh book in the series, Strategies for the Threshold , is the most highly anticipated volume so far. It addresses the nature of the spirit, its wider agenda, its spiritual legal rights, and its propensity for following after us to undo the good that we do.
That's the playbook line that works so superbly for the spirit of rejection. Most of us fall for it without ever realising our coping mechanisms-fight, flight, freeze, flatter, forestall or forget-are actually undermining our every effort to overcome this entity. So how can we subdue the spirit of rejection in our lives without sabotaging ourselves in the process?
This seventh book in the series, Strategies for the Threshold , is the most highly anticipated volume so far. It addresses the nature of the spirit, its wider agenda, its spiritual legal rights, and its propensity for following after us to undo the good that we do.
264 pages, Paperback
Published April 21, 2021
4 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Anne Hamilton
57 books184 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
For twenty years, I was the coordinator of an annual camp for children based around The Chronicles of Narnia. That experience shaped a lot of my thinking about how readers enjoy fantasy.
Like CS Lewis, my fantasy story Many-Coloured Realm began with a picture in my mind's eye: a boy without arms floating in a field of stars and faced with an impossible choice.
My non-fiction series beginning with God's Poetry can be traced back to the observation that Lewis comes from the Welsh word for lion. The discovery of name covenants led to the discovery of threshold covenants, as well as many other long-forgotten aspects of our Judeo-Christian heritage.
I love exploring words, mathematics and names. All of these combine in my books, whether they are fiction or non-fiction, or whether they're for adults or children, whether they're academic in tone or primarily devotional. I hope my readers always come away from my books with a renewed delight for the world around us and a child-like wonder for its awesome aspects.
For twenty years, I was the coordinator of an annual camp for children based around The Chronicles of Narnia. That experience shaped a lot of my thinking about how readers enjoy fantasy.
Like CS Lewis, my fantasy story Many-Coloured Realm began with a picture in my mind's eye: a boy without arms floating in a field of stars and faced with an impossible choice.
My non-fiction series beginning with God's Poetry can be traced back to the observation that Lewis comes from the Welsh word for lion. The discovery of name covenants led to the discovery of threshold covenants, as well as many other long-forgotten aspects of our Judeo-Christian heritage.
I love exploring words, mathematics and names. All of these combine in my books, whether they are fiction or non-fiction, or whether they're for adults or children, whether they're academic in tone or primarily devotional. I hope my readers always come away from my books with a renewed delight for the world around us and a child-like wonder for its awesome aspects.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2024
4.5 stars - This is the third book I've read in this series, and it has a lot of meaty content. Some of it I'm still chewing over, but it provided a lot of food for thought and helpful insights.
One of the main insights is that when people reject us, we often choose a strategy such as fighting, freezing, fleeing, flattering, forestalling or forgetting. However, none of those actually deal with the issue. Saying 'I'm not going to let it get to me' is not dealing with it. They're just false refuges. The author explains how the enemy uses rejection and its allies to stop us from entering our calling, and I can certainly relate to that. The only way to deal with rejection, is to bring it to Jesus and sit with Him in the rejection, letting Him heal you. The author explains how to go about that, including some suggested reflections in the Appendix.
There's a lot of interesting information about the meaning of the scapegoat in the Old Testament, and examples of Biblical characters and personal anecdotes to illustrate various points. The author has a deep knowledge of Scripture and the meaning of different names, places, practices and so on. It brought out a lot of information you don't often hear about, which was illuminating. The author builds up her case well.
One aspect I wasn't so sure about is that she bases a couple of points on material contained in the Book of Enoch. Although she clearly states that it is not part of scripture, she notes that it is quoted in scripture (e.g., Jude 14-15), and that it was valued by the early followers of Jesus. The book contains information about some of the fallen angels, such as Azazel, though the whole argument doesn't rest on that point. I just found it a little unusual that it was included and need to give it more thought. But the author does provide a lot of endnotes so that you can explore other sources and arguments more closely if you wish.
Although that last point gave me a little cause for pause, I did gain a lot of valuable information from this book that I can apply to my own situation. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know they are quite deep. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a deeper look at the roots of rejection and is willing to mull over some thought-provoking material.
One of the main insights is that when people reject us, we often choose a strategy such as fighting, freezing, fleeing, flattering, forestalling or forgetting. However, none of those actually deal with the issue. Saying 'I'm not going to let it get to me' is not dealing with it. They're just false refuges. The author explains how the enemy uses rejection and its allies to stop us from entering our calling, and I can certainly relate to that. The only way to deal with rejection, is to bring it to Jesus and sit with Him in the rejection, letting Him heal you. The author explains how to go about that, including some suggested reflections in the Appendix.
There's a lot of interesting information about the meaning of the scapegoat in the Old Testament, and examples of Biblical characters and personal anecdotes to illustrate various points. The author has a deep knowledge of Scripture and the meaning of different names, places, practices and so on. It brought out a lot of information you don't often hear about, which was illuminating. The author builds up her case well.
One aspect I wasn't so sure about is that she bases a couple of points on material contained in the Book of Enoch. Although she clearly states that it is not part of scripture, she notes that it is quoted in scripture (e.g., Jude 14-15), and that it was valued by the early followers of Jesus. The book contains information about some of the fallen angels, such as Azazel, though the whole argument doesn't rest on that point. I just found it a little unusual that it was included and need to give it more thought. But the author does provide a lot of endnotes so that you can explore other sources and arguments more closely if you wish.
Although that last point gave me a little cause for pause, I did gain a lot of valuable information from this book that I can apply to my own situation. If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know they are quite deep. I would recommend it for anyone who wants a deeper look at the roots of rejection and is willing to mull over some thought-provoking material.
July 24, 2021
Usually I preface reviews of Anne Hamilton's though-provoking and insightful books by noting that these are not quick reads. They invite readers to ponder and digest, so tend to sit on the bedside table for weeks, even months.
Inevitably, her books are so deep they warrant a reread before writing a cogent review.
Yet I steamed through Dealing with Azazel: Spirit of Rejection. Because, like fellow authors, I know that scene all too well. It's our natural Habitat.
Writers must develop thick elephantine skins to inure ourselves to the prospect of yet more rejection slips. (Hamilton takes some delight in casting doubt over "big-name"authors' reputed rejections; "CS Lewis, it's alleged, was rejected 800 times before he sold a single piece of writing." She decided that this number was "a trifle unbelievable...because his first volume of poems ws printed when he was just twenty years old...However his first publication came out in 1919."
Don't we authors collect such reassuring figures? Chicken Soup for the Soul rejected 144 times and after each Canfield said "Next!" Just look how many copies, series, spin-offs those chickens now proliferate! Gone with the Wind rejected 38 times; Dr Seuss 27 times.
"Many of us avoid them by learning and honing incompatible, unlikely skills in order to self-publish. Or, as we prefer to describe ourselves as Independent Publishers, for we create our own Indie houses. All the more PR and marketing to do, but we suppose mainstream published authors are expected to promote their tomes.
PERSEVERE. DON'T TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY. DON'T GIVE UP.
Anne Hamilton admits to imbibing such mantras, listing luminary long-haul stayers like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Dolly Parton. And herself. "It took 27 years of hard work, perseverance, grit and determination for my first book to be traditionally published."
In offering solutions, Anne draws on her teaching experiences. The time her lessons became "boring...no fun any more." because the principal issued a directive against sarcasm. Yet insightful students delegated boys to say "Miss, there's a difference between being sarcastic at our expense and being sarcastic in general. You don't make us the butt of your jokes. WE all like you the way you are. Please don't stop."
Or the boy who topped his Year 8 class at Algebra, then failed next time, because he was scared his friends would reject him.
A quirky opening about a goat named Giotto leads to the scapegoat, Pan of the Greeks, and Azazel of the Hebrews. After discussing poor Moses, flawed and wounded by rejection as a baby, Anne begins and ends with the rejections Jesus experienced. The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22) She is honest about her own journey ("I built a bridge and I got over it. Trouble was...building a bridge wasn't really forgiving–it was ignoring."). God puts her straight in their conversations and helps her cease ignoring rejection, to sit in it with Jesus the rejected cornerstone.
This book challenges us to face our own rejections and offers prayers to consider before praying. Such insights may well change lives. Highly recommended.
Inevitably, her books are so deep they warrant a reread before writing a cogent review.
Yet I steamed through Dealing with Azazel: Spirit of Rejection. Because, like fellow authors, I know that scene all too well. It's our natural Habitat.
Writers must develop thick elephantine skins to inure ourselves to the prospect of yet more rejection slips. (Hamilton takes some delight in casting doubt over "big-name"authors' reputed rejections; "CS Lewis, it's alleged, was rejected 800 times before he sold a single piece of writing." She decided that this number was "a trifle unbelievable...because his first volume of poems ws printed when he was just twenty years old...However his first publication came out in 1919."
Don't we authors collect such reassuring figures? Chicken Soup for the Soul rejected 144 times and after each Canfield said "Next!" Just look how many copies, series, spin-offs those chickens now proliferate! Gone with the Wind rejected 38 times; Dr Seuss 27 times.
"Many of us avoid them by learning and honing incompatible, unlikely skills in order to self-publish. Or, as we prefer to describe ourselves as Independent Publishers, for we create our own Indie houses. All the more PR and marketing to do, but we suppose mainstream published authors are expected to promote their tomes.
PERSEVERE. DON'T TAKE REJECTION PERSONALLY. DON'T GIVE UP.
Anne Hamilton admits to imbibing such mantras, listing luminary long-haul stayers like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Dolly Parton. And herself. "It took 27 years of hard work, perseverance, grit and determination for my first book to be traditionally published."
In offering solutions, Anne draws on her teaching experiences. The time her lessons became "boring...no fun any more." because the principal issued a directive against sarcasm. Yet insightful students delegated boys to say "Miss, there's a difference between being sarcastic at our expense and being sarcastic in general. You don't make us the butt of your jokes. WE all like you the way you are. Please don't stop."
Or the boy who topped his Year 8 class at Algebra, then failed next time, because he was scared his friends would reject him.
A quirky opening about a goat named Giotto leads to the scapegoat, Pan of the Greeks, and Azazel of the Hebrews. After discussing poor Moses, flawed and wounded by rejection as a baby, Anne begins and ends with the rejections Jesus experienced. The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22) She is honest about her own journey ("I built a bridge and I got over it. Trouble was...building a bridge wasn't really forgiving–it was ignoring."). God puts her straight in their conversations and helps her cease ignoring rejection, to sit in it with Jesus the rejected cornerstone.
This book challenges us to face our own rejections and offers prayers to consider before praying. Such insights may well change lives. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews