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PROGRAM D-8280
I have focused on eight signs of bitter roots—eight things that could indicate you’re allowing some bitterness to start growing in your mind and heart. Bitterness is deadly—once it becomes ingrained, it’s not easy to get rid of it. Hebrews 12:15 tells us to “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
The eight signs of bitter roots I’ve shared are as follows:
- A negative spirit
- Holding grudges
- An ungrateful heart
- Judgmentalism
- Struggling to accept advice
- Jealousy
- Avoiding cheerful people
- Gossip and slander
It’s an ugly list, is it not? Certainly not the characteristics of Jesus, nor should it be true for those of us who are his disciples. Yet sadly, many Christians are allowing bitter roots to grow—maybe not recognizing just how fast and deep that bitter root is—which then allows Satan, our enemy, to defeat them and hinder their service for the Lord.
I hope that you are not allowing roots of bitterness to get started in you, and that you’ve come to understand how it ruins everything—seeps into every part of you. If so, you and I need to help our fellow believers who are becoming bitter. We should offer them hope, not criticism and judgment, recognizing that somewhere something happened to them which created a fertile ground for bitterness and they have been defeated by it.
If someone close to you is ensnared in bitterness, ask God to give you the courage to have a discussion with them about it and how they can move forward. If you approach them with love and tact—and after much prayer—you could be used by God to show them the pathway from bitterness to freedom. Make it clear that you understand their pain—and assure them that you will always be there for them—but you simply long to see them live in the peace and joy that is theirs through Jesus.
Colossians 3:13 is appropriate here: “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Forgiveness is the only way to freedom from bitterness. It’s not easy, I know, but it’s so much better than the harm that comes to anyone who harbors a bitter spirit. That causes more harm than any other attitude—no, let’s call it what it is—than any other sin. Recognizing and pulling up the bitter roots as soon as they start to grow is the way to joy—and the joy of the Lord is your strength.