A Nugget from New Life Network

Scripture for the Day (October 27, 2017)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

Maybe it’s because I spent many years of my life as a federal investigator that I look at things sometimes like a criminal looks at things. You have to do that to be successful in law enforcement. You have to get into the mind of a criminal to solve certain crimes. You have to do the same thing with the enemy of our soul. Satan comes to kill steal and destroy. He is the ultimate criminal and you have to know how he thinks. You have to know that he is very cunning and deceptive.

We have been teaching on bitterness and unforgiveness off and on for weeks and I can just not get away from it. I see it as probably the biggest and most dangerous thing that is negatively affecting people in the church and people in this country. I see it as a slick criminal act. I see it as Satan’s newest way to addict people to the newest gateway drug. It’s like smoking marijuana versus crack cocaine, or watching nude movies on cable versus hard porn, or getting drunk on beer and wine versus liquor, and thinking it’s all okay. I’m not going to be affected. I will never become addicted. It’s a lie! It’s a deception! It’s the bait of Satan to draw you in!

WARNING! Bitterness is a trap! Bitterness is poison! There should be a spiritual warning label on the bottle of bitterness that says something like this:

  1. People with bitterness will not see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)
  2. People with bitterness grieve the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
  3. People with bitterness can infect and defile many others. (Hebrews 12:15)
  4. Bitterness leads to unforgiveness and unforgiveness leads to prison. (Matthew 5:22-25)

Satan is not stupid! He knows that most Christians know that the scripture tells them that if they don’t forgive others then God will not forgive them (Mark 1:26). However, they also know that the Bible tells them they can be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26) and there is where Satan cracks the door. You do know that Satan knows the Word of God don’t you? Well, if you don’t, you had better wake up. He will use certain verses like that to convince people that bitterness is okay because anger is okay. Now, if he can get you to stay in bitterness long enough, it will become so rooted in your heart that it will become harder and harder to uproot and will turn into full-fledged unforgiveness.

That is why the scripture tells us to deal with these type situations quickly (Matthew 5:25). That is why the last part of that same anger verse in Ephesians 4:26 says to not let the sun go down on your wrath.

The first thing we need to do is identify the drug dealer for this new drug of choice. What is the source? Who is the main distributor of bitterness? Well, it can come wrapped in a lot of different packages but one of the main sources is the present day news media and none of them are innocent. It’s almost like a steady stream of bitterness spewing into our homes. Now, I can hear what most of you are thinking. I have to know what’s going on. I have to stay informed. So, how do I fight that? How do I guard myself from it?

Here is my personal suggestion. Limit your news intake to the amount of time you spend in the Word of God. If you spend one hour watching the news, then spend one hour in God’s Word. His Word is the truth (not fake) and will always guide you to mercy and hope. His Word will always guide you to pray for all those in authority. His Word will always guide you towards forgiveness and guide you away from bitterness. His Word acts as a vaccination against the poisons of the enemy and will keep your heart and mind healthy. You and I need to take bitterness and unforgiveness very seriously because God does! We need to walk by faith and not by sight! We need to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers! We need to give no place to the devil!

 

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