WHEN BITTERNESS BLOCKS BLESSING

On August 21 I started unpacking Hebrews 12:8-18 through a series of blog posts. So far there have been four posts: LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES, August 21; GOD ISN’T PUNISHING YOU, HE’S PREPARING YOU!, August 22; WHEN EVERYTHING BLOWS UP IN OUR FACE, August 24; YOUR STRUGGLE IS BECOMING YOUR STORY, August 27; and ESCAPING PEOPLE, PAIN AND PRESSURE, August 29. Today I want to look at V15 (NLT): “Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favor of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison.” One of the things in this verse which jumps off the page of my Bible is the mention of missing out on the special favor or grace of God (another word for favor is blessing). I wonder what would happen in our lives, and in our church, if the possibility people could “miss out” was always in the forefront of our planning and prioritizing.

It’s always so hard to watch someone who is struggling spiritually because of their own choices. They usually try to blame others for the place where they are in life and this is where the BITTERNESS enters the picture. Instead of accepting responsibility for where we are, we often blame others. Instead of taking steps of obedience in a positive direction, we get bogged down in the negativity of anger and resentment. The writer of Hebrews specifically mentions the “bitter root of unbelief” in V15. 

When I consider this word, UNBELIEF, the context leads us to the conclusion it’s a reference to how we think about God. The suggestion being made in V15 is bitterness can lead a person to questions and doubts about God. I don’t think this verse is necessarily suggesting that bitterness can cause a person to question the existence of God. There are other types of unbelief, all of which can be very damaging in our lives. Given the earlier reference in this chapter to a father’s discipline, it raises the possibility that bitterness would develop in a person’s life, especially if the discipline (punishment and preparation) is for an extended period of time. Mired in the depths of bitterness this person may begin to question the love of the Father for them, the goodness of God’s plans, and the dependability of God’s promises. I’ve experienced enough of the discipline of the Father in my life, and some of it over an extended period of time, my generally rock-solid faith was shaken. The seeds of bitterness tried to take root in my soul, as the questions and doubts tried to dominant my thoughts of God. 

The battle with unbelief is a difficult fight, and it is often made more difficult than it needs to be because we try to fight it on our own. We don’t want to admit or acknowledge to our Christians friends we’re struggling with how we think about God’s love, his good plans and promises. Many times we just act like everything is fine, even when it’s really not. 

One of the main points of V15 is: “look out for each other.” A great question is: What are we to look for in our friends? What are the warning signs someone is allowing bitterness to take root in their life and they’re moving towards unbelief? I’ve already referenced what I think is the answer to this question, at least part of the answer: LISTEN to their doubts and questions. I don’t mean just their doubts and questions about God. The root of bitterness will surface when your friends are talking about other people, especially other Christians.  You will notice a negativity and edge to how they talk about others and a sharpness to how they speak. If you’re listening, with your ears and eyes, it won’t be difficult to discern there’s a problem, even if your friend is trying to act like everything is fine. If it’s someone you’ve known for awhile, you witnessed the changes in their attitude and personality. DON’T IGNORE THE SIGNS!!! Don’t blow off the changes you see in your friend. God has placed you in their life to be of help to them. Did you catch that? God wants to use you to help your friend. 

What happens next is the difficult part. I don’t think there’s a formula to follow, or even step-by-step instructions in the Bible, for what we need to do to help a friend stuck in a bitter place. This is where you and I need to seek God for direction. We need the Holy Spirit to give us words of encouragement to share and to guide in how and when we speak to our friend. And I believe God, by his Spirt, will help you help your friend. There is too much at risk. V15 suggests two devastating things which happen when bitterness is not dealt with: One, a person “(MISSES) out on the special favor of God.” All the good God desires to pour into someone’s life goes undone. The grace, gifts, and goodness of God is blocked by the bitterness. The second devastating thing which happens when bitterness is not dealt with is referenced in the last part of V15: “many are corrupted by its poison.” While the individual MISSES out on the favor of God, the damage is much broader, as the bitter root of unbelief makes a MESS in the lives of others. Bitterness is a contagious disease which can be spread to others. You’ve seen this, I am sure, so you know it’s true. 

I think bitterness is so widespread there’s a good chance you’ve already begun thinking about a Christian friend you’re deeply concerned about. You’ve been listening to them, but you haven’t been helping. God wants to use you to help them. Your next move is to make this a matter of serious prayer, and to keep praying until you have instructions from the Holy Spirit how you can help your friend. You don’t want them to continue to miss out on the favor of God and you don’t want them to make a mess in the lives of others.

Look for a part two to this post, hopefully on Monday, September 5. As I have been writing there’s a word the Lord has started developing in my spirit, regarding bitterness specifically directed towards leaders and how Satan uses bitterness to hinder what Christ wants to do in his church. You’ll definitely want to read the next post.