Destiny Destroyers: Uprooting Bitterness
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. - Hebrews 12:15-16
Bitterness…Like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
It is hardened anger at someone, something, or some entity that you believe or perceive has mistreated you, treated you unfairly, caused you severe pain, and/or grief. It doesn’t start as a tree with roots but as a seed that is planted. If you can recognize its toxic presence early, you can uproot bitterness and stay on the destiny track that the Father has personally designed for you (Eph 2:10). When I say “your destiny” I mean: To be a wholehearted lover of God and a lover of people (Matt 22:36-40), to be conformed into the image of Jesus (Rom 8:28), and to walk out God-ordained assignments that He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in (Eph 2:10). God’s plan for you was far more magnificent than simply to save you from burning. He took a lifeless, broken branch, opened up the side of the true vine, and grafted you in. Then life from the vine began to flow through that once dead branch and caused you to bear fruit. What was once dead is now alive and bearing fruit that will bring the Father great glory in the earth.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. - John 15:8
Satan is seeking to sow seeds of darkness in our lives, hoping that we will water them and let them grow into trees that will bear fruit that will not glorify God, and thus work against our destiny. Offense is one of those seeds that when planted, shoots up out of the soil of our soul when we feel mistreated, unappreciated, or overlooked. The writers of Hebrews say it “springs up” because offense happens quickly; in a moment it will spring up, but it has no root system yet. We can deal with offense quickly; it is easy to pull out of the soil of our hearts. Bitterness is when offense grows roots. Think about weeding out your garden versus clearing years of brush from an overgrown yard. Both are possible, but one is a lot more work. We want to do the work of dealing with offense before it grows roots.
When we fail to pull out that weed of offense when it springs up, it begins to grow roots that wrap around our heart and mind. Those roots carry a deadly poison that will “defile” our soul. That poison is called bitterness. It’s a poison that leaks into every part of our lives. Soon those bitter roots will produce bitter fruits. It will come out every time you talk about certain people. It will rear its ugly head every time you hear about that certain place. Whatever you hold bitterness against will preoccupy your thought life. That person, place, or thing will preoccupy your memory of the past, your thoughts about the present, and your plans for the future. It is like you can’t get away from them. Not only will it poison you, but it will also begin to poison other relationships. Bitterness loves company. This is how it “defiles many.” It is like a toxic substance that splatters onto everyone around them. Paul told Simon the Magician that he was caught in the gall of bitterness. Gall is the dark-green/yellowish fluid produced by your liver that breaks down fats from the food you eat in your digestive system. The gall of bitterness is the toxic slime produced by a wounded heart that breaks down relationships, assignments, and destiny.
Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." - Acts 8:22-23
The gall of bitterness will stall out your destiny, like swimming in a tank of sludge. Bitterness causes you to only be aware of the negative narrative about a person, organization, or entity. It latches on to offense and unforgiveness and fills in the whole story about that person, place, or thing with a negative narrative. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth will speak. When we speak about places or people that were involved in that past offense, we compulsively speak negatively about it or them. The more we talk about it and think about it, the more we water that weed that is now becoming a tree.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:29-30
Paul exhorts us to let no corrupting [rotten, worthless, unfit, putrefied] words come out of our mouths but instead let out words that build up. We can impart grace to others by what we say. But we can also grieve the Holy Spirit in the same manner. We grieve the Holy Spirit by what we dwell on in our thought life and with the words that come out of our mouths. To grieve [g.k. lypeō] means to make sorrowful; to affect with sadness, cause grief; to make one uneasy. Although we have joined to the Lord through the Spirit by the finished work of the cross, we can make the Holy Spirit’s presence in us uneasy and uncomfortable because He does not agree with the accusation narrative against other saints.
Many believers are unaware or unconcerned with the condition of their hearts. They see it as a secondary, at best, priority to what they can accomplish in terms of their vision and goals.
When we speak about “hosting the presence” of God, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is an external reality or feeling. We tend to think of our need for God’s presence mostly when we are ministering to people or in need of a ministry breakthrough; many do not think of what is happening internally in us and our need for a greater measure of the awareness of the presence of Jesus to dwell in our hearts and minds. Paul pleads with the church in Ephesus: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:29-32)
If you let bitterness take root, the wounds will fester, and you will stay stunted and angry, constantly blaming everyone else for the condition of your heart. There is only one problem with that…
You are the only one responsible for the condition of your heart.
There will be wounding moments. The way we receive those wounds is often no fault of ours. But how we respond to that pain, what we do with those wounds, how we hold that anger, and process that pain is one hundred percent our responsibility. The Holy Spirit is present and able to take us by the hand and lead us through that process along with, if necessary, a pastor, counselor, or therapist. If you take the responsibility to keep your heart tender and free from bitterness, you can move forward unencumbered. Unfortunately, many are shipwrecked by bitterness toward their brothers and accusation toward their leaders who they feel did not support them. Offense that has grown roots in your heart will grieve the precious presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, defile those around you, and destroy your destiny.
Let’s do a heart check. Is there someone that you make no allowance for them to make an error or have a weakness? Is there someone or something that you are compelled to make a negative statement about whenever they are mentioned? Is there a moment of mistreatment that is on replay over and over in your mind? Do you intentionally withhold love from someone as a way to punish them? Is there a person, ministry, or organization that you cannot sincerely celebrate, bless, or pray for their success? Did any of these questions make you angry, nervous, or uncomfortable? If the answer is yes, then there’s good news.
It’s time to uproot bitterness and take hold of your destiny.
