Bitter

I would like to talk about being bitter today.  Question: are you prone to be bitter?  It seems there are many people that are bitter today, they have either been hurt by someone or their circumstances or situations are not what they would like them to be.

People are easily tempted to be bitter and hang onto that bitterness for a long period of time, in many cases never to let go and be set free.  When we allow ourselves to be bitter, we enslave ourselves to the person, or whatever it is, that we are bitter with.  I have said this before, “unforgiveness and bitterness are like taking poison while we wait for the other person to die.”  Unforgiveness and bitterness are deadly forces that will eventually destroy your life and keep you in bondage permanently, if they are not eradicated and torn from your life.

I have a struggle with this at times, and most of the time I realize that I allowed my pride to rise up within me and take control of my emotions.  Do you ever catch yourself saying to yourself, or out loud, these statements, “who does he think he is,” or, “who are they to say that to me or do that to me?”  These statements can indicate that your pride is hurt and Satan can use the incident to cause a lot of unnecessary problems and pain, unless you deal with the problem right away.

The Word says in Proverbs 16:32, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”  I am so thankful that I am married to my wife, she very seldom gets angry and I have never known her to be bitter against anyone.  If she gets hurt she never lets it fester to that point.  I guess she has always put the verse into practice from James 1:19-20, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

When our ego, or pride, get hurt, we respond just the opposite of what these verses say.  Sometimes we can get hurt and angry when we voice our opinion and it is rejected, then our anger can turn into bitterness and unforgiveness and maybe even revenge.  When we allow these sins to take place within us we end up feeling like King David did when he sinned as recorded in Psalms 38:1-11,

“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,

Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!

For Your arrows pierce me deeply,

And Your hand presses me down.

There is no soundness in my flesh

Because of Your anger,

Nor any health in my bones

Because of my sin.

For my iniquities have gone over my head;

Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

My wounds are foul and festering

Because of my foolishness.

I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;

I go mourning all the day long.

For my loins are full of inflammation,

And there is no soundness in my flesh.

I am feeble and severely broken;

I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;

And my sighing is not hidden from You.

My heart pants, my strength fails me;

As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague,

And my relatives stand afar off.”

David became literally sick because of his sins, which doesn’t always happen every time we sin, but there is always a consequence, or correction, for sin and it usually isn’t very pleasant, and isn’t meant to be.

So let me encourage you to put into practice what it says in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

If you find yourself in this situation I hope this will help you to put your pride behind you and chose to forgive, and remember if you won’t forgive, you cannot find forgiveness for your sins, don’t miss out on heaven because of un-forgiveness.  Something to think about, have a great day and may God bless you and yours!!