Greetings,
Many times,
I ask people if they have bitterness and they say no. Perhaps they can’t identify what bitterness
encompasses so we must go to the dictionary to define bitterness. Similar words are from the dictionary are:
Sharpness, acidity, harshness, resentment, dissatisfaction, discontent, grudge,
indignation, spite, petulance, trauma, pain, agony, grief, unpleasantness,
nastiness, awfulness, upset, heartache, heartbreak, unhappiness, misery,
despair, tragedy, hostility, enmity, friction, anger, hate, hatred, loathing,
venom, poison, poison, bile ill feeling, ill will, and bad blood to name a few.
Does this clarify bitterness and how it can pertain to us?
I have
identified some riders that are associated with bitterness in this
teaching. It started with a few and the
Lord started showing me more.
It’s
important to understand the mind-body connection as it pertains to our
thoughts. Where do our thoughts come from? Is everything we think from
ourselves? For Christians, some of our thoughts are from the Holy Spirit. Some
of our thoughts are from us. Some of our thoughts are also from the enemy –
Satan who is forever tempting us or reminding us of our weaknesses. Your body is a responder to who you are in
thought. It’s referred to as the
min-body connection. It’s not anything
new to a believer. God already told us, “For
as he thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7. God knew what He was
talking about. It’s a biological truth that the things we think about and dwell
on actually become part of who we are.
We will never get to the spiritual roots of disease if we don’t first
understand the biology of how our minds affect our bodies. I hope this teaching brings understanding to
that which is not taught. Please share.
Blessings to
you all
Bitterness
and Negative Riders –
Bitterness has the following riders attached to it and contribute
to bitterness. All these negative riders
and many more not mentioned affects our health.
Unloving – Have you felt unloved your entire
life? Romans 1:31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,
unmerciful. For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, John 3:16.
Rejection – How many times in your life have
you been rejected? 1 Peter 2:4 Coming to Him as to a
living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious. Have you rejected yourself?
Anger – Anger at others and self will
control you at times and it gets worse throughout your life. Colossians 3:8
But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice,
blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
James 1:20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of
God.
Unforgiveness – If you forgive someone and it
still stings, then you have not forgiven them.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Forgive them over and over until it does
not sting anymore.
Hatred – Most people have some level of hatred
of others and self. 1 John Whoever hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Proverbs 10:12 Hatred
stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. Hatred affects you more than the person
you hate.
Offences – Take inventory of all of those who
have offended you and especially those who won’t show love towards you. Matthew
18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to
that man by whom the offense comes! Forgive
them!! Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to
one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ
forgave you.
Gossip – Gossipers cannot stop themselves
and it is not ever 100% accurate. It is a huge problem in the world and is not
addressed in the church. It is character
assassination to the highest level and especially rampant in the family. Ask yourself: Who doesn’t gossip? Leviticus
19:16 You shall not go about as a talebearer (gossiper) among your
people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the
Lord. Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
Therefore, do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. Proverbs 26:20 Where there is no wood, the
fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer reveals secrets, but
he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. 1 Timothy 5:13 And besides they learn to be
idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips
and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.
Slander – Slander is a false spoken
statement damaging to a person's reputation. Slander and gossip are tied
together. Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil
speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 1 Peter Therefore, laying
aside all malice (evil), all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil
speaking (slander and gossip).
Regrets – This is a feeling of sadness or
disappointment over what we have done.
It can lead to guilt, shame, self-hatred, self-condemnation, feeling
like a failure, and feeling not worthy to be loved. People beat up on themselves which leads to
self-bitterness. Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren,
I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things (regrets) which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. When we beat up on ourselves with our thoughts it will
affect us mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Envy and
Jealousy dries the bones – Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is
rottenness to the bones. “Dries
the bones” is a metaphor for the destructive and corrosive nature of envy. It
means that harboring envy and jealousy can negatively impact a person's
well-being, physically and emotionally, leading to a slow decline or decay from
within. Why are bones in this scripture? Medically and scientifically, it is where
bone morrow is located which produces White T Cells that fight off immune
diseases including cancer. Envy, which
is tied to bitterness is rottenness to every part of the body. Not just the bone marrow. Bitterness causes
excessive cortisol drip that destroys soft tissue all over the body.
Negative Declarations – Declarations are very seldom discussed
in the church and the body of Jesus Christ. Declarations can be good or bad
depending on what comes out of the mouth, James 3:8-10 But no man can tame
the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our
God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude
of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren,
these things ought not to be so. What
are you declaring to yourself and others?
Unloving
Spirit – It means we
don’t feel loved or worthy to be loved.
It is the most common issue in ministry. We must turn to God for love
because mankind’s love is conditional and imperfect. Unloving has a fear rider as well says the
Lord, 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in
love. Only trust God’s love and do not fear.
Sorrow – Sorrow is prevalent throughout the
Bible, reflecting the human experience of pain and suffering. It is portrayed as a response to loss and
brokenness. Extreme sorrow can lead to health
issues associated with all the topics in this teaching. It leads to depression. Fear that it cannot be
fixed. Doctors do not know the cause of
depression, but God does, Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety (fear) of the heart of man
causes depression. Sorrow leads to a broken heart but, "The Lord is
near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" Psalms 34:18. Psalm 6:6-7 I am weary with my groaning; All
night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away
because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.
Fear – Fear is can be found in all these
topics. All of them can cause stress and
anxiety, which is fear. We are responders to our thoughts good or evil. Our evil thoughts and actions work together to
bring us into captivity. All of these topics can lead us into premature
death. Romans 6:23 For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These topics
are sinful and result in sickness and disease because of disobedience, Deuteronomy
28:15-68. The world does not take
into account the causes that lead to sickness and disease. They only consider the symptoms and we remain
sick and diseased. Yet, biblical scripture has all the answers to keep us
physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy. God has given us a spirit of
stupor because we don’t believe, Romans 11:8 “God has given them a spirit of
stupor, Eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear.
Deuteronomy
11:26-28 Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the
blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you
today; 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your
God.
It’s God’s desire
for us to be in health – Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers, 3 John 1:2
