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Isaiah 50:4- “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…”
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    • From Bitter to Victory

      Posted at 3:08 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 28, 2020

      Exodus 15:25 – “So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet…”

      from-bitter-to-victory_.mp3

      I’ve been writing about bitterness. The bitter water of Marah, and the bitterness of Naomi’s soul, and today I want to talk a little bit about the path to victory.

      In this chapter in Exodus, we read how the children of Israel were three days in the wilderness looking for water when they came to Marah. It was called Marah because of the bitter waters. After they discovered the bitter water they began to complain against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink”? I’m pretty sure they said more than that!

      In the verse above, Moses cried out to the Lord. That is key to getting the victory. Crying out to the Lord is a form a prayer. ( See Numbers 20:16, 1 Kings 17:21, Psalm 18:6). Getting the victory over bitterness will involve crying out to God! He is the only one who truly understands the circumstances and root of the problem; and He is the only one who can effectively deal with it. He doesn’t need a list of all the things that happened, He doesn’t have to be reminded of all the pain experienced to get to this place, He was there! The place of prayer should never become the place of complaining! This time can be better spent asking Him for forgiveness, acknowledging the need to be made free, and receiving healing!

      I know people just like Naomi. They may not ask to be called Mara, but their actions and attitude certainly make you want to call them that. Men and women alike who feel they have been dealt a bad hand by society, by their family members, by their boss, by the Lord. There seems to be nothing that you can say to help them to see that they have become embittered and they need to let this stuff go. Trust me when I say, I can understand a lot of these feelings. But when we allow bitterness’ roots to take over our life, they choke the life out of us. It’s time to be free!

      After Moses cried out to the Lord, the Lord showed him a tree. And when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. Before Moses cried out, God had already prepared the answer! A tree! God’s purification system for the bitter waters was a tree! Simplistic, yet just what they needed for their miracle! When Moses prayed (cried out) to the Lord, He was able to hear from God and to see the provision.

      As He had provided for the children of Israel, He had done the same thing for Naomi. She was complaining about her situation, and how bitter she was because of it, and God had already provided for her. Ruth! Ruth served Naomi by going out and reaping in the fields in order for them to have food. She catches the eye of the owner, Boaz, who just happens to be a relative of Naomi’s. Naomi decided that Ruth needed to marry Boaz, her kinsman redeemer, and tells Ruth how to make it happen. He marries Ruth, and then they have a son! Look at God, providing a family for Naomi!

      Ruth 4:14-15- “Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter -in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.’”

      These were probably the same women who asked, “Is this Naomi?” They watched, along with everyone else, as Ruth took care of Naomi. When Obed was born, they proclaimed to Naomi that Ruth’s love was better than seven sons. That’s some kind of love! Not only that, they spoke into Naomi’s life in regards to Obed, that he would be to her “a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age”. God placed Ruth in her life, led Ruth to her kinsman redeemer, and blessed them with a son. Look at God!

      Naomi didn’t recognize this when she was filled with bitterness. As a matter of fact, it is as if the women had to point it out to her! In other words, there’s no more reason to be bitter Naomi, look at all that God has provided for you! What a blessing Ruth was to Naomi, but what a blessing to have people around you who can help you see life through a clearer set of lens. Don’t rebuff them, for in doing so you might miss God!

      After God brings healing to the waters of Marah, He establishes a statue with the children of Israel that He is Jehovah Rapha the God that heals. He healed bitter water and He heals bitterness of the soul! He heals physically, emotionally, and mentally; and He evens heals nature when He needs to.

      In verse 27, they arrive at a place called Elim. In this place they discover twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. Just as Naomi’s story ends on a high, the children of Israel’s story ends on a high. God provided them with more than enough! He led them to a place with plenty of water, and plenty of shade; an oasis.

      When we allow God, to “sweeten the water” of our lives, our future will be much brighter than our current situation. The tree of life still cleanses and purifies bitterness. That tree of life is Jesus!

      Don’t wait another day to cry out to the Lord. Then look for His provision in the situation. Whatever He shows you, whatever He asks of you, grab hold to it as your provision, and get the victory over bitterness! Let the rest of your life be the best of your life! Wonderful Jesus!!

      Posted in Attitude, Bitterness, Deliverance, Jesus | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Bitterness, Deliverance, Mara, Naomi, Obed, Prayer, Ruth, victory
    • Proud to Be Bitter!

      Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 27, 2020

      Ruth 1:19-20 – Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “ Is this Naomi?” But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” NKJV

      proud-to-be-bitter_-1.mp3

      In my last post, I wrote about the children of Israel stopping at a place called Marah. Today I want to continue my discussion of the sin of bitterness. I sensed a need to “update” this “series” from my first year of blogging.

      Naomi and her husband went to the land of Moab with their sons to avoid the famine in Bethlehem. After they got to Moab, her husband died. Her two sons had married Moabite women and after a time, her sons died. Around this time, Naomi hears that there is food in Bethlehem, and she decides to return to the land that she had come from. Her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her; but in the end, Ruth was the only one to travel with her to Bethlehem.

      It’s been at least 10 years since Naomi and her family departed from Bethlehem, maybe longer. For some reason, the women of Bethlehem ask “Is this Naomi?” It could have been the shock of seeing her again, or of seeing her alone, or she could have changed in some way. Whatever the reason, they were unsure that it was her.

      Naomi immediately tells the women that they are not to call her Naomi, which means pleasant, but they are to call her Mara which means bitter. She continues to explain why she wants to change her name:

      • The Lord has dealt very bitterly with me, she said!

      • I went out full (with a husband and two sons).

      • And the Lord has brought me home again empty; which wasn’t completely true, because she had a daughter in Ruth!

      I’m not judging Naomi, but it’s pretty obvious here that she is making it plain that she is bitter and has a right to be bitter. She is so bitter, that she believes the Lord has dealt very bitterly with her. I can only imagine the devastating heartache that would accompany the loss of both a husband and your children. So I get that she is hurting! What I don’t understand is why she feels she has a right to be bitter!

      In Naomi telling the women, “Call me Mara” she sounds as if being bitter is a badge of honor. It is not! Then she goes on to list all of her issues as if she has earned the right to be bitter. She has not! God wasn’t responsible for the things that caused her bitterness, and He isn’t responsible for any bitterness that we may harbor in our heart.

      The Bible doesn’t elaborate on how her husband and sons perished, but whatever caused their deaths, she laid the blame at God’s door, and that’s not where it belongs!

      In Jeremiah 4:18, God shares insight into bitterness:

      “It’s the way you’ve lived that’s brought all this on you. The bitter taste is from your evil life. That’s what’s piercing your heart.” Jeremiah 4:18 MSG

      In other words, God is saying that the bitterness isn’t from His hand. He wasn’t piercing Naomi’s heart, life was! He isn’t piercing your heart, life is! Maybe not your life, but maybe the life of a loved one lived without God, and your heart is pierced. It’s not His fault! Things happen to the just and the unjust! When stuff happens to the just, we are not to react like the unjust. The unjust have no hope for they are without God; but we have the promise of deliverance, from the Great Deliverer!

      Peter, in addressing Simon the diviner realized that he was a bitter man and said this:

      For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Acts 8:23 NKJV

      Bitterness is poison to the soul. It is deadly and capable of causing many physical issues in your life. It’s not worth holding on to!

      In the book of Hebrews, it is written:

      “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;” Hebrews 12:15 NKJV

      The writer of Hebrews encourages us to be careful unless we allow a root of bitterness to spring up and bring trouble in our lives and cause many people to be defiled. When we are bitter we have a tendency of defiling ourselves and others. Our bitterness becomes the lens in which life and relationships are processed.

      When I got married, several divorced women told me that all men were dogs. Others told me to watch out for the seven year itch. These things were said by women who had become embittered towards the institution of marriage and men. Probably with great cause! These words could have defiled me and my marriage had I listened to them! But I didn’t! I considered my source!

      James said:

      But if you have bitter, envy, and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. James 3:14 NKJV

      James is letting us know that there is nothing to boast about when we are bitter. As a matter of fact when we boast, we lie against the truth! Our situations, our pain, and eventually our bitterness makes us feel like we have a right to feel the way we feel, and say the things we say, which results in us lying against the truth of God’s word!

      In my opinion, bitterness short-circuits a heart of gratefulness. Naomi was still alive! Ruth had come with her to help provide for her and to take care of her. They had made it back to Bethlehem without any trouble. She had much to be thankful for. But she wasn’t concerned about anything except the fact that she had loss so much! Ruth was also a widow and we don’t get any vibes that she was bitter. Naomi’s bitterness was so deep that she could only see her pain and her losses, and was blind to the goodness of God. Rightly she said that she should be called bitter because she was a very bitter woman.

      But Naomi had a loving Father. One who doesn’t easily offend. One who knows we are imperfect beings. One who understands. And even though she couldn’t see Him working things out to bless her, He was doing exactly that! And thankfully, if you are born again, your Heavenly Father is wanting you free of bitterness because the poison is destroying the blessings He is bringing in your life!

      Life is tough! For some it seems to be down right unbearable. But, it is not an excuse for bitterness, or a need to boast in it! Bitterness says I will never do this, or I will never do that, because of what happened to me! Bitterness says that no one has the right to tell me how to feel until they have walked in my shoes! Bitterness says I will never trust another person as long as I live! All these emotional statements stem from a root of bitterness!

      Stop boasting in your bitterness! Get rid of it! A willing and repentant heart is all God needs to start the process of healing! Instead of blaming Him, try trusting Him! Instead of living with bitterness, try living without it! Let it go! It’s only making you sick! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Attitude, Bitterness, hard times | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, encouragemnt, freedom, hard times, Healing, Naomi, offense, Ruth, trust in God, victory
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