The Bible speaks in Hebrews 12:15 about a root of bitterness that can cause trouble. You don't have to wait till it becomes fruit. You know what a root is. When a tree has started taking root, it's probably not even come up above the surface of the ground. Nothing is visible. When you plant a seed in the ground, it first of all takes root before it comes up.
And bitterness is like that. You sowed something in your heart; it is beginning to take root. If you don't pull it out, it's taking root and it will cause a lot of trouble and not only that, a lot of trouble to you first of all and many people can be defiled. Many people can get that infection, because the person who's got his bitterness in his heart will go around telling other people. It's like a person who has got chicken pox who goes around spreading it to others or a person who has got tuberculosis who goes around spreading it to others, a person who has got a cold goes around giving it to others or the flu. It's very easy to transmit this sickness. It's highly infectious. And you find people who are bitter everywhere in the world. You'll find Christendom is full of it. When a man comes to you with a complaint against another, a gossiper who is talking evil of others, what does he have in his heart? He's got bitterness against that person.
If you want to save yourself from infection, be careful about whom you listen to. Would you like to get AIDS from somebody? How careful you are! Well, this is more serious. It can destroy you more than AIDS. Would you like to embrace a man with leprosy? Well, this is more serious. Why do you welcome and embrace a gossiper in your home, a backbiter? The Bible speaks in 1 Timothy 5:13 about women who go from house to house, gossiping. There are lots of women like that in many of our churches. I have no hesitation in saying that each of those women are agents of Satan. You not only welcome them, you give them a cup of tea, biscuits and sit and listen to whatever Satan wants to tell you through them and you get defiled yourself. And then she goes to the next house with her tale and you also go to somebody else's house with this tale that you've heard. And Satan is multiplying his agents by the hundreds everyday. Believers are doing his work for him in the church. Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. Revelation 12:10, the accuser of the brethren has been cast down. The one you're listening to, he/she who has come to your house, is an accuser of the brethren. Are you an accuser of the brethren of believers?
The point is not whether what you say is right or wrong. The Bible says here in Revelation 12:10 that "Satan accuses the brothers before God". Now Satan may tell us human beings many, many lies. He is a liar. But he will not dare to go and tell a lie to God. When Satan accuses you before God, what do you think he accuses you about? Do you think he cooks up some story about something you never did and tries to bluff God with it? Satan is not such a fool. What he will tell God about you is what you've actually done, which was wrong. And he's watching your life pretty carefully. And when you've done something wrong, he goes to God and says, "See, that's what this fellow did and it's not a lie. It is 100% true." And the same thing he says about somebody else, "See, what that fellow did over there and it's 100% true." So we see that the accusations that Satan makes before God are all 100% true, not 90% but a 100% truth.
So from that we learn another thing, that when somebody comes in and tells you a tale, even if there is no exaggeration in it and it is 100% true, that person can still be an accuser of the brethren. He is 100% in fellowship with Satan, who is the great accuser of the brethren. And it says here that Satan does this day and night. He's a full-time worker, full-time accusing the brethren. He needs agents on earth. He's got multitude of agents among the unbelievers who are his children and his servants, but he's got a lot of agents among God's children too. People who got some bitterness against somebody, people who haven't forgiven someone, who got a complaint against someone and who go around telling tales about that person. That's why the Bible says in Colossians 3:13, "…If anybody has a complaint against anyone, as the Lord forgave you, you should also forgive him." Anyone! Do you have a complaint against someone? Has someone done something wrong to you? Forgive. If you don't forgive, you'll become an agent of Satan. Very, very easy. You may think, "No, no, no, I have forgiven," but deep down, the very fact that you go to someone and tell your tale of woe and make that person feel sorry for you, is an indication that you haven't really forgiven that person at all. And who are you destroying? You may think you're destroying that person's reputation by spreading stories about him. Do you know that if that person loves God and is whole-hearted, God will make even the evil that you do to him work for his good and sanctify him? The one who will be destroyed will be you. So get rid of that. Jesus prays for his children, for his brothers and sisters who failed. Satan accuses them. You can have a choice. Either fellowship with Jesus and pray for them or fellowship with Satan and accuse them. I hope we'll make the right choice at least from today.
Thank you, for sharing this..It really hit a sore spot for me, but in a good way.
ReplyDeleteA couple months ago I felt a stirring in my heart to go deeper, to draw closer to the Father than where I have been residing lately, so I started to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in my life, for more of Him and less of me. Well, at least that's how it began, but soon I was praying for more of Him, and none of me. For him to begin to rid me of myself, and anything that would try and distort His reflection in me. That He would break up the fallow ground in my heart and restore a heart that beats for Him.
Not long after,I found myself battling with anger, almost daily, instead of displaying the peace, patience, self control, love etc. that I had been hoping and praying to grow in my life. At first I was confused, because the opposite seemed to be happening than what I'd been praying for. Also I'd never considered myself an angry person, so not only the presence of it, but the sheer amount of it suddenly pouring out of me caught me by surprise. Like you said, "I didn't think such thoughts were typical of me, but neither was I aware of all that Satan had place within me. Satan saw me being drawn by the Father and he was pulling out all the stops." The difference was that in my case, it was the spirit of anger that I hadn't been aware of lurking around in my soul, that is, until I started coming closer to the Lord. It actually reminds me of an earlier post you wrote, about the Grand Canyon (God has really used that one as well, to encourage me through this time!) It was like balm to my wounds to read the following encouragement you'd written:
"Don't become frustrated as Good begins to reveal to you the real you in you. This is His mercy and grace so that we will not be condemned. God is showing us these things so that we can repent and be cleansed from them. Simply repent and be changed by the power of God. We should grow concerned once we no longer feel His prodding because such would indicate that He has left us to our own sinful devices. As long as God is revealing our sin to us for purging, then that is a good thing. That is the process of sanctification.
If we want the living water to flow freely, then the blockages must be removed..."
I'm beginning to see that What Satan has been trying to use against me (and the Lord), God in His infinite wisdom, power, and love has been weaving into His perfect plan and purpose for me. He's allowing the fossils and skeletons residing in my heart to come to the surface, and for me to see myself as I really am (as opposed to who I think I am), in order that He may purge and cleanse me completely. As Zac Poonen would say, "We can only slay the giants we see..." and the Lord is certainly revealing them to me. In short, He's answering my prayers!:) And for that, I praise God, and again, I thank you too, for being willing and obedient to share what He has and continues to work in your life. May He continue to bless you and keep you, my friend, in Christ.
Praise God! I know that at times it can seem like the purging is never ending. But, to gain victory over the things which once ensnared us is priceless. All I can tell the Lord is,"Thank you!! Thank you that I am not what I used to be and that you are changing me by your love!"
DeleteThere is nothing like freedom in Christ...absolutely nothing.
Thank you for sharing your testimony. Stay strong in the Lord!
Hello, I hope you don't mind me posting a link to my most recent blog, but I almost thought BillowBreaker's testimony was my own testimony! Also, this post, as well as your previous No Conscience of Sin, apply directly to the Lord's recent purging of me. How Great Is Our God!
Deletehttp://trustingodvoiceoftheturtle.blogspot.com/2014/11/me-me-me-death-to-me.html
Of course not Sister Joy! I appreciate your sharing. Your article was a blessing. It is always amazing to me how the Lord uses your children to minister to you. I thank God for them and pray that they continue to grow strong in the Lord.
DeleteI just realized that I'd accidentally posted my comment on the wrong post! Oops...it was meant to go with the "No Conscience of Sin" one. Sorry if that caused any confusion!
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, thank you, for this one too. And for the encouragement, yet again. You're right, it's absolutely priceless, to gain victory over things that once had us bound! I praise God that He has graced me with that experience in various areas of my life already, and that I get the chance to hear testimonies of fellow believers that continue to overcome giants in their own hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's good to be reminded that there is always hope, in and through Him, even as I find myself again in the middle of yet another battle, facing the latest giant that has finally decided to come out of hiding... That even when there's the temptation to get discouraged when the fight seem's neverending, He whispers to me, "You are strong, you are strong because I AM strong, and I AM stronger than your fears!" ....and the purging is always worth any pain or discomfort I may have to go through. And yes indeed, there is nothing like freedom in Christ. It's the only true freedom there is!
(P.S- I've been reading this blog for about three years now, and while I've praised God many a time for using it as a tool to speak into my life, (to challenge, convict, exhort, encourage, etc.) and I've shared and commented about your posts to my husband and friends plenty of times, I felt it time to actually say thank you to you too, and to encourage you to keep following His lead, as you have and already are doing. May we continue to choose Him, all our days...And not give up the good fight!)
"I AM stronger than your fears!" Amen!! I think if we could just grasp this, we would truly understand what it is to be an Overcomer. Give us grace Lord to know and walk in it.
DeleteI am keeping you in prayer regarding your battle.
Much love in Christ!