The following is an excerpt taken from my book: "Poured Out, Spilled and Broken", you can purchase my book and all the accompanying study guide materials through my website at www.egbnow,org.
"...looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by this many become defiled." (Hebrews 12:15)
I find the definition of bitterness very interesting in light of the fact that many of us have it in our hearts. According to Webster it means, "An intensity or severity of distress or hatred causing an extremely or cruel feeling." It's also described in the Bible in Acts 8:23 as being, "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity". Why do so many of us allow ourselves to be poisoned by such an unhealthy thing? Imagine the depth of damage, spiritually as well as physically , that this poison can do to us over the course of an extended amount of time?
Bitterness can poison and contaminate us. Because of it' effects, our spirits become soured and then before we know it, it's progressed to us being at enmity with god. If we continue to allow "bitterness" to stay it's course, it will eventually overtake us to the point of our hearts becoming spiritually desensitized. Oh, but it doesn't stop there either! It can actually lead us in to an emotional and mental collapse. What's nest? As the TV commercials tells us, maybe Zoloft? It doesn't have to be.
When we make a choice to step in to bitterness, we immediately step out of God's covering. This willful act of disobedience on our part ties God's hands from intervening on our behalf. Whenever we choose to disobey any of God's commandments, we are obeying our human nature and embracing sin. Every single time we choose sin over godliness, the effects are harmful to our spirit. We are in effect, replacing God's yoke, which is light and easy (Matthew 11:29), with our own yoke, which is heavy and hard. Is it not any wonder, that when this transfer takes place, we begin sensing a heaviness within our spirits that weighs us down?
Now, let's say we step even further in to bitterness, what can we expect then? Utter desolation.In our flesh, we find ourselves continually concentrating on our offenses. We eat, sleep and drink our "offenses"! We roll them over and over in our minds like a silent movie, continually pushing the replay button. Before we know it, , our mouths have now teamed up with our minds. Now, we're not thinking about the offense, we're talking about the offense! These offenses have now become the new hot topic of conversation with everyone we come in to contact with.
Bitterness has mixed itself with the ingredients of poison, disobedience and desolation and baked itself all together to form a brand new recipe called: "a barren wasteland." As we dig in and eat this entire new-found recipe, we realize our spirits are now dry and parched. So what are we supposed to drink? The only water available to us is contaminated with pollutants? Now, we're really in trouble! Do you see the end result with all of this? It's not worth it.
In our physical bodies, we have been give "physical" senses to taste, touch, smell and see in order to respond and function in our physical world. When any of these senses are dulled, we no longer function properly. We have also been given "spiritual" senses to help us respond and function in the spiritual realm. When we drown ourselves in bitterness, we dull our spiritual senses, which cause us to struggle in finding ways to walk in victory. The path to victory has always been there, it never moved or disappeared. The problem is that we, ourselves, have blocked the path and immobilized ourselves because of our flesh getting in the way.
Bitterness should be looked upon as nothing more than a handicap, sent from hell, to render us powerless in our spiritual walk. Keep that in mind the next time bitterness comes knocking at your minds door. Keep that door shut and bolted, never welcome it in.
If you'd like to read the next three parts of this excerpt: "The Messengers of Bitterness", "The Fruits of Bitterness" and "The Body of Christ", you are welcome to purchase the book through my website at www.egbnow.org
Thanks so much and Be Blessed!
Tracy :)
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