I have frequently observed church members who harbor anger toward others and allow that resentment to persist indefinitely. It is disheartening to see individuals refuse to communicate within the church body, treating silence as if it were a mature or godly response to disagreement. My heart breaks when I witness these reactions because I have seen how the struggle of overcoming bitterness in relationships can consume people for years.
1. The enemy wants you to remain unforgiving so your prayers are hindered. Jesus’ words are clear on this matter: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing” (Mark 11:25). Satan delights in anything that damages your walk with God and halts your prayer life.
2. Your bitterness is sin. When you remain angry and unforgiving, you are living in disobedience. This sin often becomes a foothold and eventually a stronghold, even while you deceive yourself into believing your continual anger is justified.
3. Your stronghold of bitterness can quickly become an idol. If you choose to stay bitter when God demands a change of heart, you are choosing to serve your emotions over God’s command. You may not have a carved idol sitting on a shelf in your living room, but you’re just as much an idolater.
4. You carry the bitterness wherever you go. Even when you separate yourself from the person who’s offended you, the bitterness resides in you—and affects the rest of your life.
5. Your bitterness affects every other relationship you have. Few of us are so intentional and strong that we can compartmentalize every relationship. Your bitterness affects all your relationships, even if only by others seeing your continual anger.
6. Even stifled bitterness is still present in you. You may have pressed it down, but all someone needs to do is “push the right button” in you—and all that anger rises to the surface again. It’s still there, slowly eating a hole into your soul.
7. Our sinful egos naturally protect our “right” perspectives. Few people want to admit their own failures, especially when someone else has clearly been in the wrong. So, we refuse to forgive rather than even suggest that we may have been wrong.
8. Bitterness hinders living in faith. Bitterness usually looks backward, but faith looks forward. It’s hard to look in that latter direction with hope when bitterness has captured you.
9. Bitterness opens the door to other sin. That’s just naturally the case—one unforsaken sin dulls our senses to the work of the Holy Spirit, and other sin begins to invade our lives.
If you are holding on to bitterness today, I encourage you to repent and ask God to change your heart. Holding on to bitterness is not worth the cost. And, if you’re not sure if you need to forgive someone, check out this post.
Read more from Chuck Lawless »
This article originally appeared on ChuckLawless.com and is reposted here by permission.