“See to it that no one comes short of the
grace of God; that no root of bitterness, springing up, causes trouble, and by
it many be defiled” Hebrews
12:15
What is bitterness? It is hostility, it is anger, it is
animosity and many other unpleasant feelings. Bitterness disconnects us from
the grace of God; we limit God’s hand and His work in our hearts when we choose
to be bitter. Bitterness causes trouble in our lives and it is bitterness that
causes our lives to be defiled (Corrupted, tainted, ruined, etc). We will never
be able to grow in character, in the things of God and in our call until we
allow God to deal with the bitterness in our hearts. It has nothing to do with
who is right or who is wrong; it all has to do with you and your willingness to
forgive. Bitterness comes into our hearts when someone does something that
greatly offends us. Little by little it grows so, much that it becomes a strong
root that will eventually spring up in our lives.
Many are still bitter over an old friend, over what a
parent said, over failed relationships, divorces, etc. God dealt with Job’s
friends harshly; Job’s friends were clearly in the wrong, but Job needed to
forgive them before God released the blessing over Job’s life. So, we can’t
limit the bitterness argument to who is right or who is wrong. As I said
before, circumstances and people have a way of revealing what is truly in our
hearts.
When I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, one
of the first things that I heard in my spirit from the Lord was to call the man
that tried to kill me in that dark road. I called my Mother in Law, who was
this man’s sister, and asked her for his telephone number. At the time, I was
residing in Jacksonville, Florida and this man was in my hometown. She gave me
the number and when I called and introduced myself; there was a silence on the
phone; this man was clearly terrified of me, even after over six years from the
time of the incident. He accepted my apology and apologized himself; but I
could feel that something was not right. I left it at that. three years later; about
nine years from the incident, I went to Puerto Rico for a one week vacation.
I was taking a walk and I saw him entering his car; when
he saw me, he sped up. A couple of days after that, my grandfather passed away,
which caused me to stay a few extra days. During that time, we had some heavy
rain in my community and the old creek was flooded. That was always a show for
everybody to see. There were a lot of people from my community looking at the flooded
creek; among the people was this man. I went to him. Everybody knew of our
story; everybody knew I hated him; but I was now a Born Again Christian and God
had done a work in my heart. I approached this man and gave him a huge in front
of everyone. Everyone was shocked. That was the greatest testimony I was able
to give them, that God has indeed, done a work in my life.
Beloved, no matter what you have been through, nothing, absolutely
nothing, justifies bitterness. Our world is filling with bitterness; America is
filling with bitterness, the church is filling with bitterness. It is time to
allow God to deal with our hearts; it is time to be freed from the chains of
bitterness.
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