Bitterness

How to Tear Down The strongholds of bitterness.
Our Souls
The problem-
-Bitterness defiles our souls
In our pursuit of "peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord," We are to watch diligently that no one resists the grace of God. Otherwise, there can very easily spring up in us roots of bitterness. By this means "many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:14-15)
The Consequence
-Bitterness weakens our souls
If we pursue that which is evil, God may allow us to have the evil desires of our hearts but send "leanness into our souls." (Psalm 106:15) Leanness decreases the capacity of our souls to respond to God and to follow his ways.
The Solution-
-Lost ground can be regained
The promise of Psalm 23:3 is especially significant: "He restoreth my soul." As our shepherd, the Lord leads us in the "paths of righteousness" and "prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies." (Psalm 23:3,5)
"Ground"
The definition-
A jurisdictional area of our souls-
We are warned that bitterness will "Give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27). The word place in the Greek means "an area of legal control." In a kingdom, the jurisdiction is determined by the ground under the authority of the king.
The Problem-
-Surrendered ground brings torment
When the devil is given ground in a person's soul, he has the legal right to build strongholds on that ground and use it as a base of operations to torment other areas of the soul.
The Solution-
-Ground is regained one step at a time
Every time we allow the sun to go down upon our wrath, we give more ground to Satan, according to Ephesians 4:26-32. There may be many individuals toward whom we are bitter. In warfare, ground that is surrendured to the enemy must be regained a foot at a time.
Strongholds
The Definition-
-A false patterb of thinking
God warns us not to be deceived by vain philosophies which are "after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Believing these philosophies will allow Satan to "spoil" (plunder) our souls. (Colossians 2:8)
The Consequence-
-Decisions contrary to God's Will
When Satan constructs a line of reasoning in our minds that is contrary to scripture, he then influences our wills to make wrong decisions. Wrong decisions produce distructive emotions such as fear, anger, depression, and worry.
The Solution-
-Strongholds can be pulled down
We have been given weapons that are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). These weapons of truth are designed to cast down every false philosophy and every deceptive imagination and bring every thought into line with the truth of Christ's teaching.
Examples of Strongholds
-My offender will never change
Jeremiah 32:27
1 Peter 3:1-2
Ephesians 5;25-33
-I must punish my offender
Romans 12:19
Tormentors
The definition-
-powers of evil that afflict our souls
When the servant who had been forgiven the huge debt refuse to forgive one who owed him a little debt, he was rebuked by his lord and delivered over "to the tormentors" (Matthew 18:23-34)
The Problem-
-God sends tormentors to bitter people
In the parable of the unjust steward, the lord rebuked the servant who refuse to forgive an offender: "I forgive thee all that debt. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on they fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delievered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him" (Matthew 18:32-34)A bitter person becomes a prisoner of his own making.
The Solution-
-Understand the meaning of mercy.
In the parable of the unjust steward, the debtor did not plead for mercy he simply asked for an extension of time. (Matthew 18:26). The lord delivered him to the tormentors so he could come to the realization that he would never be able to pay back his debt.
Steps of Action
1. Confess the sin of bitterness
2. Ask God to regain surrendured ground
3. Tear down strongholds with truth
4. Show mercy by forgiving your offender

A Missionary Story We can All Learn from!

~This isn't a very well known name but this woman was truly incredible! She many not be the one we think of when someone says a great Christian woman from the past, but she was just as important as Mary Slessor, Amy Carmichael, or Susanna Wesley! This is a little bit from the life of Sabina Wurmbrand.
~Sabina grew up as a jew in the 1920's. As Jews they didn'tbelieve in saying the word Christ, so therefore, they didn't have a CHRISTmas. They didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah either. In 1936 Sabina married Richard Wurmbrand. Richard was a Jew also and he grew up with the same beliefs as Sabina. Not long after they had been ,married Richard became a Christian and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour! When Sabina found out she was so mad. Soon after their marriage became dead. Finally Richard was able to lead Sabina to Christ.
By 1943 World War 2 had broken out and was raging. Sabina had already lost both her parents, her sisters, and her brother to death in the Nazi concentration camps. "May God forgive them" she prayed. "I'll pray that prayer until I really mean it". And that is exactly what she did. Each week for Sabina was packed full of ministry. One week she might be helping in the soup kitchen. The next she might be smuggling food to refugees. She might be trying to get salt into Buddapest. She was a busy woman serving the Lord.
In 1948 her hardest trial yet came. Richard had disappeared!! Even though she went through many trials through the next 21 years that Richard was gone she kept helping other people and serving the Lord!
~Think about it. Sabina went through so much persecution but she never strayed from God. She continyed to serve Him. She forgave the people that had caused her these hard trials and she suffered much more than many of us. God teaches us to to forgive our enemies and to love those that hurt us!
Dear God, make me like Sabina Wurmbrand.

~God Bless!

Self Image

~When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Many kids, teens, and adults see only an ugly face in their reflection. They just see their flaws and that makes them feel ugly. Maybe they have no flaws at all but something somebody might have said has made them feel inferior. That's not what God sees when He looks at you.
When you look at your body, what do you see? Many see imperfections. But, God sees his image. And the way he made you is perfect! There may be something "wrong" with the way you look, talk, or feel but God designed us to have these flaws to glorify Him.
-Height doesn't matter. Kick weight our the door. Scars, in the trash. Any "imperfection" you can find are just imperfections to you. God sees a perfect work of art. He knows what purpose you will serve and that's why He made you the way you are. We might not be the prettiest girl in our school,church, or friends. We might not have the biggest muscles in our school, church, or friends. But when God sees us He sees His creation. He sees a miracle.
~Think of all the things, that if you could, you would change about yourself.
Now look at this-
10 Unchangeable Things About Me
1. Parents 6. Birth order in your family
2. Time we live in 7. brothers and sisters
3. people groups 8. Physical features
4. Nationality 9. Mental capacities
5. Gender 10. Aging & Death

Were any of these thing on your list?
-Isaiah 53:2 talks about how outward beauty is not related to inward happiness. You don't have to be pretty or handsome to be happy. Some of the most miserable people are who most people thing are the best looking. True beauty comes from the heart. If you don't have love, then wheres your beauty?
True happiness comes from God. A life of total dependence on God will bring you true happiness.
~ Any "defect" you may have shows ownership. Who do you think allowed you to have that special "Flaw"? God did. Now thank God for that flaw and for showing His ownership on you by giving you this "defect".

~God Bless

Devotional from Amy Charmichael

Colossians 1:11- Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfullness.
- Sometimes nothing help us more than to read and re-read some great word of our God's. We can renew our strength by reading it not just in one version, but in many. Each yields some new emphasis, some fresh light.
Colossians 1:11 is a fathomless word. Ponder these different translations.
Moffat: "May His glorious might nerver you with full power to endure and too be patient cheerfully, whatever comes."
Weymouth: "Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully enduring all things with patience and longsuffering."
Way: "I ask Him that with all His strength you may be strengthened, even to the measure of the might of His divine majesty, till you attain to all-enduring patience and forbearance, which exults under suffering."
The devil will see to it that there is something to try the spirit today. He always sharpes his fiery darts. But he can do nothing against this shield.

~God Bless

A few thoughts from some of the early years of Amy Carmichaels life.

For over a hundred years the flour mill in the seaside village of Millisle in Northern Ireland was wehre many of the villagers worked. Others farmed and fished, but they too were involved with the flour mill because the farmers took their grain there to be made into flour, and the fishermen's wives bought their bread flour at the mill. For all of that time the mill belonged to the Carmichael family.

1867 was an exciting year for the young Carmichael couple because they were expecting their first child. She was born just nine dayse before Christmas, and they called the little girl Amy Beatrice.

Amy ws not to be the only child of the mill owners; six others were born over the years that followed.

It was a very busy household. There were probably only three times in the day when the house was quiet. One was when the children were all tucked up in bed and asleep and the other two were when the family met round the table to have morning and evening prayers.



Amy had a special time each night. "After the nursery light was turned low and i was quite alone," she told a friend once, "I used to smooth a little place on the sheet and say aloud, but softly, to our Father, "Please come and sit with me". Amy was not talking about her dad, she was talking about her heavenly Father.



One day Amy and Mrs. Carmichael had gone out shopping in Belfast where they also had tea. That night Amy sat down by the fire with her family to tell of her day in Belfast. "A little girl came and stood near the door and looked through the window of the tea-shop," she told the other children, "delicious cakes and sweets were set out in the window. As we left we saw the little girl with her face pressed close to the glass. She was looking at all the cakes and sweets. She was a poor little girl in a thin ragged dress. It was raining, and her bare feet on the wet pavement looked very cold."

When Father called the family to have worshop, Amy was not the only one who prayed for that poor little girl. And when her brothers and sisters were tucked up in bed that night, Amy sat on by the nursery fire. She couldn't get that poor girl out of her mind, so much so that she wrote a poem about her.

-When I grow up and money have,
I know what I will do,
I'll build a great big lovely place,
For little girls like you.

~It is just amazing to me that she had such a caring heart and a heart willing to work for God at such and early age. This is a precious thing to have. And it is even more special when your reach that at a young age. She cared so deeply for that one little girl, that she wrote a poem about her. She cared enough about the welfare of the other girls like that ONE little girl in the window, to know thats what she wanted to do for her lifes work.

We need to have that willing heart for God. Come on! There are souls burning in Hell right now and we arent doing anything about it! We need to forget about our own personal needs and our many comforts and go out, and teach the Gospel. Show people Christs love! We need to have a Servants Heart to do Gods will.
A song that I learned just this year has become my favorite song. The words are so powerful! The key part of the song is - Lord Send me anywhere. Only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.
This song is just AMAZING and so convicting. Are we really willing for the Lord to send us anywhere? Amy had that heart. She was willing to go where the Lord sent her. Are we?

~God Bless