Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

God never fails. God shines His favor upon us, yet we fail to accept it. We often reject God’s grace and justify our bitterness. We can allow emotions such as bitterness to completely take over our thought life. To “Fail of the grace of God” is a failure on our part to appropriate that which God has provided for us to overcome ungodly and uncontrolled emotions. One of the graces of God is that of thinking like Jesus thinks. 1 Corinthians 2:16b “… But we have the mind of Christ.” Meditate on that! We, right now, have available to us “the mind of Christ!” We can respond to the adversities of life in the same way that Jesus would. We can see life from an eternal perspective.

Ephesians 4:23-24 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:30-32 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

As I read through the bible, I come across many individuals who were bitter. Their bitterness caused them much pain and suffering. Though there are many, I think of Cain, Esau, Absolom, and Jonah. I also remember Hannah. I like Hannah. She was one of two wives of Elkanah. His other wife was Peninnah. Peninnah often provoked Hannah, and Hannah become bitter. However, instead of being destroyed by her bitterness, Hannah appropriated the grace of God. She prayed to God regarding her bitterness. God showed her grace and gave her a son, Samuel. God turned Hannah’s bitterness into a blessing!

If you are being enslaved by bitterness or some other sin, then refocus. Focus on Christ. His grace can be at work in your life. People who focus on their problems will always have problems to focus on. Be like Hannah who humbled herself in prayer before God.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Ron Cox – Director of HOPE Ministry