Scripture Referenced: Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 6:14-15
Sunday's Message: Who Are You Rooting For? (Facebook) (YouTube)
Bitterness is actually evidence of deeper issues going on underneath.
FIve Digs (Scoops) To Beat Bitterness
1 - Take Your Temperature.
Assess how you are reacting to an issue. Are you OVERreacting? Are you UNDERreacting?
Both are evidence of something happening.
The opposite of love is not hatred; it is indifference.
2 - Take A Step Back
Become “self-aware” when you are reacting. Try some of these options:
- Count to ten
- Take ten minutes away from the situation. But MAKE SURE you come back to it and don’t just bury it deeper down.
- Pray and Listen. Talk less and listen more.
Remember that your subconscious mind does not have words… it has feelings. So you need to take “time” to decipher and interpret the feelings.
3 - Get It Out
Write it down or talk to someone without interruption so you can exhaust giving your feelings words.
Research “free writing” or “free talking” as an option for discovering the roots behind the bitterness. (If you free write, don’t journal it… you will want to get rid of it afterward to not “hold onto it” (shred/burn / etc).
Eph 4:31-32 CMV (Craig McKibbon Version) - There needs to be a shift. What you first dig out, fill it back in with things that are better.
4 - Get Out Of The Box
Great resource: Leadership and Self-Deception
We defend what we value (office, family, relationships, etc…)
We need to deal with the data before we are forced to deal with the damage.
5 - Seek To Restore
The origin of the word “restore” is where we also get the word “restaurant”. It is a mutual transaction where we do something that helps someone else out… where both parties actually benefit from it (restoration). THAT is restoration.
Life is about building relationships with God… as well as others.
We cannot receive forgiveness from God when we don’t fully understand what forgiveness actually is. If we are unwilling to give it to others, we are unaware of the power of God’s forgiveness offered to us.
Bitterness is using anger as fuel. As it burns, it may keep “them” away, but “you” are the one being consumed by it.
FIRST STEP:
The next time something happens that concerns you, (1) check your temperature. Are you too hot or too cold? If so, keep digging. If not, keep a lookout for future issues.
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MUSIC: “Summer Nights” by LiQWYD - www.soundcloud.com/liqwyd