Spirit of Bitterness

DeAnna Willman photo magdalena-raczka@unsplash

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31

Some lying spirits are similar to a plant. Every plant has a root that feeds and supports the plant. The plant and fruit look nothing like the root. Yet, without the root, the plant cannot thrive. It is the same with some of the lying spirits. With the spirit of Bitterness, I believe the seed is low self-esteem, self-hatred, and envy. But the root that takes hold within the soil is Bitterness. The plant doesn’t necessarily look like bitterness, certainly not at first. But without bitterness, the plant cannot thrive.

The seedling is usually in the form of resentment. One chooses to take offense at things said/not said, or things done/not done. There are usually unspoken and unrealistic expectations within the person and when they are not fulfilled, the person chooses to take offense. Biblically, to offend someone is to sin against them according to what God has determined is sin. Most people who feel offended chose to take offense. They have a resentment. They hold a grudge. And they will not let it go. They have established a stalk of unforgiveness. They start thinking very poorly of the other person and slander is often the resulting behavior. (Leviticus 19:16,18)

The next stage in the growth of the plant is often the leaves of retaliation. The one with the grudge who will not let it go, has been keeping record of “wrongs” and seeks to retaliate, to “get even”. They harbor the desire to see the other person pay. They will do this through words or actions. There is pleasure in seeing the other person hurt. They will look for times the other person may be hurt by others even and take pleasure in that event. They believe the other person deserves to be hurt.

As the plant matures and grows stronger, it produces flowers of Anger. The person becomes enraged at the very thought or mention of the other person. There is a boiling in the stomach and clenching of the jaw when the other person is seen or mentioned. The person who has nourished this plant thus far will spend much of his/her time with thoughts consumed by this anger. The more the person rehashes his/her resentments of the other person, the “wrongs” they have committed, and the inability to make the other person “pay”, the more the proteins in the brain (neurons) look like thorn bushes within a dark hole. Their brain is responding and continually sending toxic signals to the rest of the body which fails to exit the fight or flight mode. The heart takes the brunt of this, but every cell in the body is affected, including one’s DNA.

The flower of anger opens up to be pollinated by Hatred. In this stage of the plant’s growth, in the mind of the person growing this plant, the other person no longer deserves to exist. In his/her mind, there is no redeeming value in the other person. They are no longer seen as a person, but as an enemy. An enemy that MUST be eliminated.

The fruit of this pollination is Violence and Murder. At this point, all thought and all action is directed at eliminating the other person. The thoughts are continually of HOW to eliminate the other person. And murder follows, whether physically or with the tongue. They may destroy the other person’s reputation, social standing, relationships, or simply run them down with murderous words. The person feels they are justified in these thoughts and actions.

They perform the very things our enemy desires to do to others. He hates people, especially those who follow God. How much greater the pleasure he receives if he can convince a person to harm or eliminate another! He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He does it with lies and rejoices while watching people who are operating out of those lies harm and destroy others. Bitterness is a root guaranteed to separate us from God, from ourselves (how we are meant to be), and from others.

As I said, the root does not look like the rest of the plant. But the end result is horrific. Both for the one with the root and for those around that person. It must not be simply nipped in the bud; it must be pulled completely out of the soil. I pray that if you are convicted of having root of bitterness within your life, you will act immediately to rip it out of the soil and replace it with truth. Replace the seeds that harbored the root with truth. If you have a resentment/grudge, let it go! If someone has sinned against you, go to them and work it out with love and forgiveness. Even if they do not repent, FORGIVE! And ask them to forgive you for harboring resentment, unforgiveness, and any other part of the root of bitterness you harbored within you. (Matthew 18:15-17; James 5:16; Matthew 6:14-15, 7:1-5; John 13:34-35)

If it is not possible to seek and express forgiveness from someone for whatever reason (toxic person, death, whereabout of person unknown, etc.) at least speak both out loud to God as you also seek His forgiveness. Let Him know you are leaving all justice up to Him. Ask Him to change your heart toward that person. And each time the person comes to mind, replace the bitter thoughts with thoughts that are true and are the fruit of repentance. You will sleep better, feel better, and begin to heal. HalleluYah! So be it!

Until next time....

“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..” Hebrews 12:15