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I feel strongly led to share this. Some of us harbor bitterness towards God without realizing it. I encourage you to read this and reflect deeply, allowing God to reveal any hidden pockets of darkness that can significantly impact your life.

We all understand what bitterness is—not the bitterness sensed by our taste buds, but that which resides in the heart. This destructive human emotion can corrupt your spirit in the same way that pride can. Let me explain further to ensure everyone understands.

Bitterness is the deep-seated feeling of hurt, hate, anger, or resentment harbored in one’s heart towards another due to their actions or inactions. It resides deep within the human soul, making it easy to convince yourself it isn’t there. The problem with bitterness is that it’s a destination you arrive at without realizing how you got there, unless you carefully review your journey from the beginning.

Hebrews 12:15 states, “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.” The Bible refers to bitterness as a root.

The challenge here is that roots don’t form by themselves; they stem from something planted—a seed, perhaps. Bitterness is evidence of something else that was allowed to grow into a root. Roots are often hidden below the surface, making them difficult to uproot. This is the picture of bitterness I want you to clearly understand. Many people who harbor bitterness are unaware of when the seed was planted or when the root formed, until they begin to see its manifest fruits.

Having established this, I want to emphasize that bitterness in any form, against any person, is very poisonous to you. If you harbor it and do not quickly deal with it, it will gradually destroy your life. What happens when the object of this bitterness is God? Don’t believe me?

One morning, while reflecting deeply and allowing God to search my soul, I suddenly heard Him say, “Reginald, you are bitter against me.” When I hear my Father speak this way, I understand immediately. The pictures explaining His position quickly form in my spirit, leaving no room for doubt.

There were many things I hoped He would have done for me, or that I expected to have accomplished by now but haven’t. This led to silent resentment due to unanswered prayers, which I buried beneath all my spiritual activities—church and other spiritual endeavors. Meanwhile, the root of bitterness formed beneath the soil of my heart. I had to unearth these issues and uproot the bitterness from my heart. It felt as though my soul became ventilated.

Many of us are silently harboring bitterness against God due to unanswered prayers or situations we find ourselves in, believing we shouldn’t be in such predicaments because we are children of God. These unanswered prayers or unfulfilled expectations are the seeds we have allowed to grow into roots in our hearts.

If this resonates with you, you need to deal with it promptly. God remains your only hope, and you cannot curse your source of help and hope. Above all, God is sovereign. You must face Him with this reality and a broken spirit, so your healing can come, and you can gain clarity for your life and condition.

Friends, bitterness will open the door of your life to a battered spirit, persistent anger, physical afflictions like disease, and ultimately an unfulfilled destiny. The real challenge is that you have to deal with it yourself.

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