How to rid yourself of Bitterness
Notes
Transcript
The Kudzu Plant
The Kudzu Plant
Brought to America in 1867
Sweet smelling, strong vines
1930 - 1950’s planted for soil erosion in the south
Overtakes everything in its path
Once the tip of one vine touches the moist ground it roots again and continues to grow and sprout new roots.
Can survive in dry drought conditions because of it’s deep roots
It takes over where native plants could not survive.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.
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3 Steps to Rid Yourself of Bitterness
Confront your bitterness
1 Cor 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
PS 4:4 “Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”
Identify Bitterness
Adults
Marriage
Friends
Parents
Sibiling
Work
Kids
Parents won’t let you go and do something
Teacher says no
Friends do you wrong
Bitterness is the residue of Unresolved Anger
Fasting
You may think I’m talking about fasting from food and water…Well… yes I am...
Ps 35:13 “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.”
Isa 58:6 “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, And to let the oppressed go free, And that ye break every yoke?”
The idea of fasting is to crucify the flesh. To deny the body of something that it has to have gives you the strength to deny things that are not beneficial to the body.
“Fasting for a Spiritual Breakthrough” Elmer Towns
Forgiveness
Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Forgivenes
Exoneration - Other party takes full responsibility for offense
Forbearance - Partial responsibility and shares blame with the victim
Release - No responsibility for offense
What you did to me (the offense) doesn’t shape or change how I treat you.
Release the person from your expectation of their expected response.
The power to forgive is rooted in calvary. Christ came and sacrificed his life so that when his Father saw me He would see the stain of sin. He would ONLY see his son.
Rom 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”