Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries Bitterness is a very serious spiritual problem. Thursday, February 26, 2009 HEB 11:11 By means of doctrine resident in the soul even Sarah herself. One of the main manifestations of spiritual growth is a decrease in bitterness. Every believer who does not have a personal relationship with God is a walking bombshell ready to explode at any moment. When you allow the missile of bitterness to explode, you always hurt your own life. If you harbor bitterness you have a very serious spiritual problem. A problem which is not correctable apart from personal love for God, and impersonal love for all mankind. Bitterness paralyzes life; love empowers it. Bitterness sours life; love sweetens it. Bitterness sickens life; love heals it. Bitterness blinds life; love anoints its eyes. Once the believer uses his own volition to allow bitterness, anger and jealousy to control him, he shatters his own life. Bitterness refers to animosity, jealousy, hostility, and is actually a part of anger and harshness. It means to be caustic or sarcastic. It means to have pain in the mind. Bitterness is also an expression of misery and disappointment. Bitterness is severity of temper, biting sarcasm, painful inward affliction, deep distress of mind, and it defiles others as well as self. Bitterness also means inward pressure, or to poison with a painful piercing and unpleasant irritation. Bitterness results in hatred, cruelty, antagonism, implacability, vindictiveness, vengefulness, and inordinate ambition and inordinate competition. In the administration of divine discipline to Israel, especially to the southern kingdom of Judah, it became quite apparent that they were a bitter people. What happened first bitterness or the downfall and the destruction of the nation? The people were bitter therefore their spiritual lives were destroyed. 2KI 14:26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter. The Jews brought upon themselves their own destruction which was very bitter and it was because of their own bitterness. for there was neither slave nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel. “Bitter people” are self destructive just as a bitter person is a walking bomb waiting to explode. Suffering causes bitterness to people who do not understand the principles behind suffering and who do not give number 1 priority to their relationship with God. DEU 32:24 “They shall be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague and their destruction will be bitterness.” Ridicule is a source of bitterness in LAM 3:14 “I have become a laughingstock to all my people, Their {mocking} song all the day.” LAM 3:15 “He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood.” It is inevitable that when the truth is taught, there is going to be the reaction of bitterness. GAL 4:16 Have I therefore become your enemy by telling you the truth? ACT 8:23 “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” The 20th century translation, “For I see that you have fallen into the bitterness of envy or jealousy.” The Phillips translation, “You are a man bitter with jealousy.” When someone leaves you be careful that you do not become bitter. Being rejected is a strong reason for bitterness in the lives of most believers. Degeneracy is also a source of bitterness. ROM 3:14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. EPH 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. PRO 14:10 “The heart or the right lobe, brain function, knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy.” Bitterness produces a complaining attitude. Bitterness then is found in the believer who is a walking bombshell who has exploded within and has times of outward explosion as well. JER 2:19 “your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you; know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God.” JER 4:18 “This is your evil. How bitter! And how it has touched your heart.” gbible.org
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 18:30:55 +0000
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