What words come out of your mouth? In James 3, we are challenged to consider our speech, because it is a reflection of our heart. Careful examination of the passage shows that bitterness comes up in this passage. This leads us to a question, are we incensed at the thought that we could be poisoning our family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors with our words? The good news is that the gospel is powerful enough to impact even the way we speak. The challenge of bitter speech is that it is a universal problem. All of us struggle with this issue. James 3:2 reminds us that “we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” Yet we are reminded in James 3:8 “no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison.” We need to evaluate how much time we put on discerning whether our words are pleasing to God and free of sinful bitterness. The power to overcome comes through the transformation that comes to anyone who puts their faith in the Word of God, and the indwelling Spirit … READ MORE

We need to understand that we want what we want because we believe what we believe. In the Esau narrative, found in Genesis 25:29-34, we see that it was because of his wrong core beliefs, that he wanted the immediate gratification of the stew from Jacob. We would do well to carefully examine what we typically want during times that lead to bitterness. The challenge is that we are often so focused on the sins of others, we fail to examine the sin that resides in our own heart. We can rarely change the choices of those around us, but in the power of Christ we can definitely change the nature of what we want in any given situation. We often become bitter because our own heart wants things that are idolatrous replacements for right desires that would point us to satisfaction and joy in our Savior.… READ MORE

Our hearts contain key ideas about God, ourselves, those around us, and our circumstances. If our core beliefs are skewed, we are well on our way to sinful bitterness of heart and life. We can never change until we give careful attention to what we believe. Proverbs 23:7 reminds us that, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” In the area where we struggle with bitterness, we need to evaluate what wrong beliefs need to be discarded and what correct beliefs need to be developed. As we rebuild our core beliefs, through the principles and precepts of the Word of God, we can find the joy we long for in the midst of the circumstances of life. It is not always easy to change the way we think and react to our circumstances, but it is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in the heart of every true follower of Jesus Christ.… READ MORE