How To Remedy Bitterness

How To Remedy Bitterness

By Apostle Felix

15  Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many. 

Hebrews 12: 15

Bitterness is poison to one’s soul. It has destroyed many lives can one imagine. Most of the problems in the world since the fall of man can be traced to bitterness. The first murder in the history of man is bitterness motivated. Cain killed his brother, Abel because of the bitterness he had harbored against his brother. He felt God preferred Abel to him. The motivation behind serial murders is bitterness. The serial killer feels a certain gender or class of people does not deserve to live because of what had happened to the individual in the past. Most of the people in prison is due to bitterness. Marriages are broken because of bitterness. Families fall apart because of this same enemy of mankind – bitterness. Nations rise against each other because they tread the thresholds of bitterness. churches, too can be swayed by bitterness. Great ministries disappeared into thin air because of bitterness. The Bible puts it in this way:

1  What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires?
2  You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it!

James 4: 1, 2

Bitterness is the issue of the heart. It is a root that grows in one’s heart. Therefore, we have to be cautious of what is growing in our hearts. Wars start from an individual’s heart. The famous second war world, though it was Europe’s war was started by Hitler and his henchmen. It was a bunch of bitter men who had carved a philosophy of life which was based on bitterness. Hitler’s book, ‘My struggle’ was a book whose content was an expression of Hitler’s hate sentiments. The book’s content became the German’s belief system, hence the holocaust.

Grace: The Remedy

28  “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. 

Matthew 11: 28

Jesus made an open invitation to whosoever to come and drink from Him. He, Himself is REST, that can give rest to anybody in need of rest. This invitation was made to people who had read the scriptures and knew the law, but yet had no peace in their lives. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were a bunch of bitter people. They had the letter of the law but they did not have the Person the letter testified about. The letter could not provide the rest they were looking for, as the result they grew more bitter. Man’s need is not more religion, more money or more material things. No, man need the Saviour. Since the fall of man, man had been desperately looking for means to ease his state of emptiness with material things. That has not been of any help. The rich young man, approached Jesus because he was wondering why he could not experience peace even when he was observing the law and had the money to buy all he wanted, Matthew 19: 16 – 22.

In Hebrews 12: 15, the Bible admonishes us to watch over each other so we do not miss the revelation of grace. What does the grace of God entail? The grace of God is God’s work on behalf of man. It is God taking the blame so man can be justified. It is God forgiving man before man asks for forgiveness. It’s God loving man even when man is rejecting Him. It’s God giving all to undeserving man. God was supposed to be bitter with man for all the rejections and abominations of man. But yet God chose to send His Son as a response to remedy man’s problem. The remedy for bitterness is to choose to live in the grace of God. We have all received salvation by grace through faith, so then we have to give grace to others as well.

8  For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! 

Ephesians 2: 8

Bitterness is subdued by a gracious lifestyle. A gracious person will not be bitter. Jesus was never bitter even when He was dragged to the cross to be crucified. His cry was, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ He forgave even when He was in pain. In order to overcome bitterness we have to forgive as soon as offense shows up in our space. Forgive promptly. Forgiveness should not be for sale, meaning forgiveness will only depend on the other person’s apology. Decide to forgive.