Bitterness

Offenses Leads Us To Bitterness

Definition of OFFENSE: 1. An act of stumbling, a cause or occasion of sin, stumbling block. 2. Something that outrages the moral or physical senses. 3. The act of attacking, assault. 4 The act of displeasing or insulting, the state of being insulted or morally outraged, takes offense at the slightest criticism. 5 breach of a moral or social code, sin, and misdeed

Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! (New Century Version - Matthew 18:7 How terrible for the people of the world because of the things that cause them to sin. Such things will happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them to happen!)

As I observe people, I have realized how so many are hurt due to offenses.  You can see the different stages of hurt that has manifested on their faces or in their demeanor. The offenses almost always results in rejection.  We take offense because we believe what man says or does to us despite the fact that God is very clear on who we should trust. Psalm 7:1 O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me.  Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  Man cannot do anything to you unless you open the door for him to do so.  Man offends by criticism, judging, accusations (charges against you) blame, slander, backbiting, gossip, etc.

How do we open the door to torment and destruction when we are offended or when we offend?  Before we go any further, I want to give you a list that is a result of offenses and I want to ask you to meditate on these and tell me which one is the strongman.  This strongman will allow the rest to manifest and is the general over the rest.

Bitterness….Unforgiveness….Resentment....Retaliation….Anger/Wrath….Hatred….Volience….Murder….

If you picked Murder, you are incorrect.  Murder is the end result.  We have to identify the one in control once we opened the door due to the offense.  Bitterness is the strongman.  Bitterness initiates the process that can result in murder or will leave you in bondage somewhere in between Bitterness and Murder.

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.   Bitterness corrodes like acid, eating away at our soul.  It poisons the mind first and then the body.  It is often marked by cynicism and animosity toward others.  Bitterness is a strong man kept in place by several underlings.  Each underling is given entry into our lives by the one preceding it.  The severity of the evilness of each underlings gets progressively worse.  Bitterness is a strongman and he seeks a place to live.  You are the palace and he wants to be in your house and once you let him in, he will bring others to torment you.  He is the general and he has an army that he will try bring in and destroy you.

Un-forgiveness - Something has been done to you and there is a spirit assigned to you.  What is the first thing that comes to you when someone wrongs you?  Un-forgiveness.  Bitterness is the strongman and the first armor he trusts in is Un-forgiveness.  Un-forgiveness is now part of your life and your will not have forgiveness if you give a place and habitation for Un-forgiveness.

What Bitterness is banking on is you remembering a record of wrongs.  He is banking on the spirit of Un-forgiveness reminding you of Bitterness someone has against you.  The task of Un-forgiveness is to remind you, rehash it, bring it up, project it, and torment you with it.  Un-forgiveness will replay the words, the voices, the sights, and the sounds.  Un-forgiveness will flash at you everything others have ever said over and over again to reinforce itself so the strongman of Bitterness can stay.

Resentment – The strongman now sends out another spirit to reinforce Un-forgiveness.  Resentment stands on the foundation of Un-forgiveness.  The record of wrongs is now fermenting and Resentment fuels the fermentation of Un-forgiveness.

Resentment defiles you by saying “You know what?  I really don’t like you.  I resent you. I’m never going to forgive you.”  Bitterness is trusting the spirit of Un-forgiveness to stay with you and add fuel to the fire. He is trusting that Resentment will get a foothold for more torment and control. 

Retaliation – “I’m going to get even.  You’re going to pay.  I remember what you did to me and you better watch your back.”  The spirit of Retaliation is much more dangerous than Un-forgiveness and Resentment.  After Resentment has started to simmer, we find ways to get back at the person who caused it.  We do this in many ways and one of the most common is slandering of the person.  You will express your criticism to anyone who will listen.  You want to be heard and you want someone to agree with you and when they don’t, you go to the next person.

Anger and Wrath – After Retaliation gets a foot hold, anger starts to set in.  Un-forgiveness, Resentment and Retaliation have been building and now a strong feeling of anger comes along.  Un-forgiveness and Resentment can be hidden skillfully by someone who is deceptive.  Retaliation can be hidden, but Anger starts to show physically.  Family, friends, coworkers, see this manifestation of anger in your face and demeanor.  It is a very uncomfortable for people to coexist with a person with anger and wrath.

Anger and Wrath never occur unless these three, Un-forgiveness, Resentment and Retaliation have been festering for some time.  You get angry for a reason.  The reason is because of the breach, because of the hurt, because of the victimization, and they that their anger is justified.

Retaliation may seem worse than Anger, but this is the fermenting stage.  Retaliation sets the stage to eliminate, but you will not eliminate anyone unless you have Anger and Wrath working within the spiritual dynamics of this principality and the spirits that create and answer to it.

We are dealing with Anger coming out of a relationship.  This is the Anger and Wrath tied to Bitterness.  This is a progression of spiritual dynamics producing the elimination of a person in a relationship.  It is the root behind all people who murdered someone and are in prison.  It is the root behind all family splits, behind all division, and behind all break up of human relationships.

Hatred – After Anger and Wrath has gained their foothold, Hatred comes.  Hatred not only has the root of Bitterness, but is being fueled by all the previous.  Now begins the stage of elimination. 

Hatred says this: “I exist on the planet and you do too, and one of us has to go and it will not be me.  I hate you, I can’t stand you.  I resent you, I am going to get even because you don’t belong on this planet.”  Hatred involves the elimination of the other person.  Retaliation was the fermenting stage of this.  Anger started to vocalize it and now Hatred comes to help execute it.

Bitter ness is banking on the fact when you are ready to forgive, old Un-forgiveness will pull up a flash card of memories reminding you of what they did to you.

Violence – You can see Violence every day in families and the news is a constant reminder how bad it is getting.  This is the progression of breakup of human relationships out of Bitterness.  Bitterness is behind all domestic Violence and all juvenile Violence.

Violence is what puts people in jail and this is why we have a police force.  Violence is Anger and Hatred in motion because it is not just emotional and spiritual anymore, it has now become physical.

At this level, people will hate you so much; they will want to punch your lights out physically or verbally.  Bitterness is banking on the fact that this progression in your life is going to keep him in place and these spirits are able to generate their nature in you and also in others to fuel this thing back and forth.

Murder – The seventh and final spirit that competes the full plan of the devil for destruction originating from the strongman of Bitterness (Hebrews 12:15) is the spirit of Murder. 

This can actually be physical murder, or murder with the tongue, which is character assassination.  When hatred, violence and murder are in someone’s life, they feel they are justified and everybody else is going to pay the price.  Have you been a victim of this?  Did you feel defiled?  Have you victimized someone else on this basis?

Beware – If any one of these seven spirits answering to bitterness exists, all of the preceding spirits will be there.  If left unchecked, all the rest will surely come.  For example, if you see Hatred in a person, Un-forgiveness, Resentment, Retaliation and Anger always precedes Hatred.  Each of the seven is progressively worse than the one just preceding it.  You are a target of the strongman of Bitterness and you don’t want him to set up his throne within your life.

Resolution – In order to defeat the strongman of Bitterness, you need to understand how his armor works.  You have to understand the Bitterness armor in your life so that so that Bitterness can be dealt with and you can be set free.  If you have been offended by someone or you have offended someone, the breach needs to be repaired with that person if at all possible.  If it is not possible, you can still be free by the power of God through Jesus Christ whether there is any resolution with that person who created the breach or not.

We are going to get offended as we go through life.   The key is don’t hold the offense captive (….bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 2 Corinthians 10:5).  When someone says or does something that makes you feel a “ping of hurt,” recognize that “ping of hurt” as an offense.  This is especially important for people who have a long history of rejection in their lives.  They tend to take anything that someone says as rejection and therefore, is an offense to them.  Immediately renounce the words or actions that caused the “ping of hurt” in the Name of Jesus.  Below is the prayer and authority that we use when an offense comes.

Forgive me Father for taking offence.  I renounce this offense.  I repent for believing in this offense and in the name of Jesus Christ I cast out this offense (Mark 16:17).  I choose to believe what You say about me and not the offender.

Guard you heart against offenses because in doing so, you protect yourself against the downward spiral of torment that Bitterness brings to you and all people that are around you. Don’t claim the words or actions of the offense, but instead claim what God has to say about you.  I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well. Psalm 139:14. 

Forgive those who offend you and understand that it is the sin working in them. 

If man offends me, I choose to forgive him. Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins Matthew 6:14.

Thank you Henry Wright at Be In Health Ministries for your insights to Bitterness.

Blessings, Tony Sanchez