"Our Struggles Within" now on MP3

Our February series has come to an end. And now we're gearing up for our March series, "What if there is no god?" But you can still hear past messages on our Fuelcast. The entire February series, "Our Struggles Within," is now online.

Series titles include...
"The Reality of Depression" by Mark Cox, marriage and family therapist
"Growing Confidence," "The Root of Bitterness," and "Just Anger" by Pastor Shawn

Unfortunately, due to privacy issues, we are unable to podcast the autism presentation.

Get rid of it!

Ephesians 4:31 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

The fact that the Apostle Paul can say get rid of it means that bitterness is a choice. It may be your character right now, your habit, your default way of dealing with things. And if it is, you didn’t become bitter overnight. And if it’s not your habit, when you struggle with bitterness don’t let it become a part of who you are.

You might say, “But you don’t know how hard life is, how many bad things have happened to me, how many people have hurt me.” You’re right. Proverbs 14:10 says, “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.” I only know the bitterness that I have had to struggle with. No one else can feel what’s in my heart; that’s why no one else can choose joy for me! We all have to choose joy for ourselves.

Bitterness doesn’t just happen to us. Bad things happen to us. Bitterness is an optional response to those bad things.

It’s like if it starts to smell in our house, I know I better throw the trash out. I don’t want the smell of rotten food or mold, or the sight of an overflowing trash can festering with maggots. But just because I threw the trash out yesterday, doesn’t mean I won’t have to do it tomorrow. In even the cleanest household there will be trash, and you can choose to let it sit there until you go crazy or pass out from the stink, or you can decide to get rid of it.

The word for malice is kakia (kak-ee'-ah), which, to me, sounds a lot like caca. So you could say that Ephesians is telling us to get rid of our crap! And it’s not a one-time thing. Every time that trash can fills up I need to get rid of it. Every time bitterness wells up in me I need to get rid of it. Every time rage or anger starts to rise, I need to get rid of it. Every time I feel like brawling, shouting, or telling someone off, I need to pull it up by the root and get rid of my bitterness.

*from my message, "The Root of Bitterness," given at Fuel last Friday. Tomorrow, I will be speaking about anger.

Last Night's Fuel Gathering

It was great. Pastor Shawn spoke about bitterness, and how it can truly affect your life. I never thought of it in the way that God revealed it through Shawn. I began to see the uselessness of being bitter. Here are some of my notes from his message (paraphrased):

Bitterness is keeping a record of wrongs, it boils up into Rage, which is uncontrolled passion. If you lose control, it can turn into Anger, which is a violent emotion. Anger can escalate into Brawling (fighting, punching), and become Slander (speaking ill about someone else). Any type of Malice, which is wanting to do harm someone or see them suffer, is wrong. Don't let Bitterness become part of who you are! Bitterness is an OPTIONAL response to bad things that happen. We deserve God's wrath, but He gives us grace.
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." -Ephesians 4:31-32

When I heard these words, they truly hit home for me. How can I expect God to forgive me for my wrongdoings, if I can't forgive someone else? Who am I to judge the actions of someone else? I need to let go of all the wrongs that have been done against me, and forgive those who committed them. I am the one who is choosing to let these things continue to bother me. I am the one who chooses to be angry. I need to ask God to help me forgive them. I need to give my anger and frustration up to Him. I need to stop being bitter, because all it's doing, is eating away at me. It's tearing me up inside, and will eventually affect my entire life. As I sit here, typing this, I offer up my bitterness and resentment to God. I pray that He helps me to become a more forgiving person.

If you would like to hear Pastor Shawn's message, go to www.towardtruth.com, and click on The Journey's Podcast.