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Short Clip
Bitterness Leads to
Intense Inner Torment
Look again at what Jesus said in v. 34: He said that we hand ourselves over to the torturers (v. 34) when we embitter our hearts against someone. Those who live in the gall of bitterness, listen closely: imprison themselves in an emotional concentration camp and become the victims of immense internal torment.
Nurturing bitterness instead of love (which leads to tenderness and a forgiving spirit) is as foolish as drinking poison or diving into a dark pit. Our refusals to forgive wall us into solitary confinement and bitterness becomes our tormentor. Jesus warns that any believer is a candidate for this unspeakable emotional and mental torment when they begin making an unforgiving response to hurts.
Do you see now why Paul lists bitterness first in the lineup of Spirit grievers in Ephesians 4? Do you see why he says “put away ALL bitterness”? He says it is so deadly, so painful, and so quick to spread that it must be dealt with right away.
A bitter person is cut and punctured by the words or actions of others. Those wounds untreated by the healing grace of a tenderhearted, forgiving attitude become a source of malignant poison. So this wound infects the wounded person with bitterness, a hurtful condition that touches every part of their life.
As Hebrews 12 warns us from the life of Esau, bitterness spreads throughout a person’s life until everything around them and in them gets defiled by bitterness.
Hebrews 12:15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; NKJV
Now go back with me in your mind to the nurturing love we have been considering these past two weeks for godly women of grace.
One of the telltale signs of a wife or mother being hindered in living out her God-given calling is when she feels “hurt” by her husband or children. Those hurts can quickly get infected and become resentful feelings, which always grow into bitterness. So a godly woman (and for that matter, every believer) is called by God’s Word to:
Say NO to
Bitterness Daily