Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
Charles Stanley paints a mental picture recently in his devotional magazine of a crazed evil scientist concocting a deadly elixir in his lab. As the wild-haired doctor menacingly mixes the ingredients he cackles at the possibilities of mayhem and pain this potion will inflict.
And once finished, the scientist is seen holding the test tube of poison high in the air gloating over what he has created.
Then inexplicably the scientist brings the tube to his lips and ingests the deadly poison himself.
That is strange twist huh?
Charles was painting this picture to make the point about a very particular poison in our lives that we create and often quickly ingest.
It is the poison of BITTERNESS.
Last night at our little Wednesday worship and WORD service, Pastor Josh articulated the power the promise and purpose of a FORGIVING spirit. He iterated that we are called and commanded to forgive each other unconditionally just as CHRIST has forgiven us for OUR OWN SAKE!
Matthew 6:14-15 (NIRV)
Forgive people when they sin against you. If you do, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Yet many of us STRUGGLE in this area of life. We are often flummoxed by forgiveness.
We say things like,
“If you knew how they hurt me, you wouldn’t forgive them.”
“Until they admit what they did was wrong I am not forgiving them.”
But as Josh pointed out when we don’t embrace FORGIVENESS, we are just a “crazy” as that scientist who concocts a potion designed to hurt someone and ingest it ourselves. For when we fail to forgive we CHOOSE BITTERNESS instead and the only person that hurts is us.
It is true.
Joyce Meyer shares some WONDERFUL insight on this “bitterness poison” in the link below. Give it a read.
The question today is this.
Are you harboring some bitterness this morning?
Is there an OLD hurt that you continue to cling to or a bitter pill you take with your morning vitamins?
I will be honest, in my ministry, I have folks who continue to shoot heroin, drink alcohol to excess, use sex as a crutch etc. all to ease the pain of bitterness.
It is poison. It is deadly.
If that is you then put down the test tube today. FORGIVE those offenses. Grab the blessing of forgiveness.
Bitterness is cancer - it eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the object of its displeasure. - Maya Angelou
Have a blessed and bitterness free day!
I love you all
Freedom Church
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