We might as well give Gziz a rest, ok?
Gziz emailed with me and asked that his account be disabled, I have done so. Since it was that he asked kindly and for good reasons, his account does not show "blocked" or "inactive".
Since he removed himself for our continuity, among other reasons, there is no cause to debate him further so far as I know.
Please, let's get back to the thread topic. :)
Hi Jeremy, I haven't talked to you in awhile.
I don't post often these days but check in daily.
I started another thread called "Judgment Swamp" that will help clarify where bitterness comes from so I don't want to take away from this thread.
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/bbpress/topic/3007
As believers we really need to see how poisioning judgments and bitterness can be not only to Christ's life in us but to other relationships too.
Bitterness is a root, NOT a symptom. Bitterness is spiritual poison!
We should always be aware of the root of bitterness. The whole concept of a wicked root system establishing roots in our lives is scary.
A root of bitterness is systemic, it effects our whole being and other relationships. Not until loving friends conforted me about the bitterness they saw in my life was I willing to address the issue.
We're all different. I personally used the bitterness in my life as a protection (or coping mechanism)for not getting close to people even though I lied and said I was seeking genuine relationships.
Dealing with unhealed hurts, unresolved issues and unforgivenss were some of the first steps to finding freedom in Christ for me.
Again here is the link to the thread "Judgment Swamp."
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/bbpress/topic/3007
I can't speak for others and how they've dealt with judgments and bitterness but "judgment Swamp" shows how I've dealt with it in practical terms.
I can not even begin to express how grateful I am to my loving heavenly Father, when I finally got to the place and was ready for Him to deal with the ugly root of bitterness in me, which by then, had sprung up and defiled many.
The writer of Hebrews says it so well, "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."
Let's keep looking after each other!
Blessings,
Lucinda
Hi Mum,
If you have seen something in me which is not pleasing to the Lord please share this with me on this thread...
I want to be pleasing to the Lord...
I will take what you share before the Lord...
Love in the Lord,
Andrew
I don't doubt at all that you want to be pleasing to the Lord, Andrew and I believe also that He already takes pleasure in you just as you are. If there is anything you want to ask the Father about, well we can never go wrong in that. As for me my sincere and loving prayer for you is to know deeply His agape unconditional love for you and to find rest in it, and for all things in your life to spring forth, sprout and blossom and bear fruit from there.
I have had reson to feel bitter many times throughout my adult lkfe. And at times I have succumbed to it. Bitterness leads to hatred, and hatred leads to sin. And usually at the root of the problem there is good reson to feel that way. But that is not the point.
God showed my once while I was preparing tea that my own bitterness was affecting the other person not at all, but had the potential to destroy me. This was a real eyeopener for me, and a lesson I have never forgotten.
I have found through future trials, that the best way to get over bitterness is not to dwell on it. To give it to the lord, and not keep picking it up again. He showed me one day how I could achieve this. As I pray I have a chest of drawers, when something is too hard to deal with I pray it through, sort it as best I can, put it in a drawer and close it. Someitmes something will happen that causes that drawer to be opened, and eveything becomes visible again for awhile, and stirs up all the old feelings, but once again I pray it through and close the drawer. I now have drawers that i can open for a time, look through, thank God for what he has done, see his love, and guidance, and then close it again.
I have a drawer for my mother in laws rejection of us because of our faith, and constant abuse through our marriage. A drawer for my sons disability, and times in prison. A drawer for the loss of our home etc. Someitmes something happens and I pray open it and put something else in.
This may sound strange, but it works for me, and I have managed to get through many hardships without bitterness,....mostly....but to dwell on the issues that cause the pain, is to feed the issues.
God Bless
Hope
Thanks for sharing that Hope...I agree and often find myself doing the same thing not thinking about the hurt, rejection, loss, disappointment. You were so right in saying that but for the grace of God there go I...so true. You also said something that jumped off the page to me and that was this:
Bitterness leads to hatred, and hatred leads to sin. And usually at the root of the problem there is good reson to feel that way.
that is just the point "usually at the root of the problem there is good reason to feel that way" and I thought that is right and that is why we justify ourselves and let the root of bitterness go so deep in us.
Hi Lucinda I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering how you were. Will look in on the thread you linked thanks.
God bless you all!
What a beautiful picture for dealing with difficult things that keep wanting to take over and get us into complaining and being bitter! It restores order and peace, and gives a "place" for those things that we go to only with the Lord. Thank you, Hope, for sharing that.
As I mentioned on another thread, I learned some painful lessons about complaining and being bitter. I actually broke my elbow once when in the middle of a purely bitter and complaining spirit. I straightened up very quickly. Later, while going through years' long difficulty, I got back into deep-seated complaining, was warned in my spirit one day that I needed to repent of my attitude, and I said I would right after I finished mowing the grass. Probably 3-4 minutes later, I broke my ankle (while still mowing the grass), and had to have 2 plates and 7 pins put in it. It is a constant reminder to me. If I begin to get into a complaining spirit, my ankle reminds me to get my attitude right quickly.
Thank God for His chastening!
Wow Jeremy you are right when the Lord chastens it is something we remember for a lifetime. And His timing is always perfect. Once I was going out of town for a meeting and I knew I was going to be late so I asked the Lord to shield my car from the state troopers as I was speeding...the words were not even out of my mouth and I saw the flashing lights in the rearview mirror. I kinda laugh about that now but it indeed was a timely chastening and one I'll never forget.
God bless you!
OH Jeremey and Kathleen I can relate to that kind of story, not as bad as your ankle Jeremey, but it does say he disciplines those whom he loves, but the discilpline is often so....memeorable. I hope your ankle is ok now Jeremey. But it does rather bring home to us all dosn't it that even if we do have cause to feel this way, forgiveness begins with giving the right to feel like that over to God to deal with. Letting him be the one to correct discipline of bring justice.
And he is just, and does bring validation, and its not necessary for us to be there to see it.
God Bless you guys.
Hope
Hi everyone
I was blessed in a couple of bible colleges I attended to have fellowship with and be friends with quite a few believers who had come through the most horrendous persecutions and hardship.
Some had lost their whole families to religious hatred, some had been continually beaten, denied work or food, one spent years in a sewer as a prisoner, cleaning it out as he worshipped the Lord, transforming it into a church.
One friend of mine began a church in a UN camp in Africa, he had nothing left, yet served thousands, and actually came and lead a church here for years while struggling with HIV that he contracted through his mistreatment.
All of these people had a sweetness, a humility and reality of relationship that would fill the room with God's glory when they prayed and preached, their facing shining, and no hint of bitterness or complaining. Before my friend died of aids I honestly cannot remember a single complaint or bitter word from him... some of us have a way to go yet I guess.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. (Revelation 20:11 NASB)
and no place was found for them...
and there was no place found for them...
Wow!
As we come into the Presence of Jesus there is no place found for any demonic entity in our lives...
If heaven and earth fled away from Him then how much more all the darkness which remains in the deep recesses of our lives...
God is Light in Him is No Darkness At All...
No Darkness At All...
He is Light...
He illuminates my darkness...
In Him I have Light in my Soul in my Spirit in my Heart and in my Mind...
I am filled with Light - when He is the focus of my attention...
When He is filling me then I am filled with Light and the darkness must flee away...
Jesus!!!
Jesus!!!
Jesus!!!
You are my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear?
You are the Defence of my Life of whom shall I be afraid?
Hallelujah!!!
Hallelujah!!!
Hallelujah!!!
You are the Light of the World - You Shine so that all can see Your Brightness - You are the Bright Morning Star, You are the Root of David and You have Triumphed over the enemy - the enemy of our souls...
You are Victorious...
No place was found for them...
Let Your Light Shine Forth Lord...
In a dark world - let Your Light Shine Forth...
Hallelujah!!!
Hallelujah!!!
Hallelujah!!!
For the Lord our God the Almighty Reigns...
Let us Rejoice and Be Glad and Give the Glory Unto Him...
Hallelujah!!! For the Lord our God the Almighty Reigns!!!
In that day the LORD will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1 NASB)
In that day - the day when we focus fully on the Lord Jesus Christ - every enemy will lose control of our lives and the full light of God will shine through us and out to a dying and darkened world...
No demon can stand in the Presence of Almighty God...
No demon no matter how insidious can stand in the Presence of a Saint of God inbibing the very Presence of God as we focus on Him and on His Person...
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11 NASB)
We know in part and we prophesy in part but as we the Church of the Living God come into the Presence of God we will together see His Glory - the parts will come together and they will form a whole as with "One Voice" we Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Amen Lord, so let it be...
So let the Glory of the Collective Experience of the Church of the Living God in Your Presence give great Glory to Your Name and great shared understanding to Your Church - You are Worthy Lord of every bit of attention which we can give You - let us give You lots more attention than we ever have before and let us be amazed at what You will do when our hearts are "completely Yours" in unity with our brothers and sisters - although this will be painful (coming together with our brothers and sisters) - let Your Perfect Love shed abroad in our hearts cover a multitude of sins - I surrender to this Lord (help all my brothers and sister to forgive me for all the ways in which I have hurt them and help me to forgive them for all the ways in which I have been hurt through them - or through my expectations on them - my false expectations cos all my expectations are meant to be in You) - to be One with my brothers and sisters...
Bring about this Unity as we gaze upon You...
Let the Glory of God come near... and engulf Your People for Your Glory...
In the Mighty Name of Jesus, Lift up all who are downcast and downtrodden, in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen and Amen...
Andrew, you shared Rev.20:11, the verse which introduces the 'white throne' judgement of Almighty God.
The old Earth and Heaven (our present Earth and Heaven) will flee away from the face of God. There is no place for any one to hide from God - all will be finally revealed before Him.
Then we read of the judgement of the dead, and that all whose names are not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire, along with Death and Hell.
The second death.
*
Then we move onto Rev 21, for the re-creation of a new Heaven and a new Earth, and no more sea.
We read of the New Jerusalem descending, and the declaration that the tabernacle of God is with men, He will now dwell with them.
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
This is the 'relationship' that Almighty God desires with His creation, man.
That He may dwell with man.
In His love,
Roger