THE ROOT OF BITTERNESS

 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;" -Hebrews 12:14‭-‬15 (KJV)

In his book "None of these diseases", S.I. McMillen wrote:- "The moment I start hating a man, I become his slave. The man I hate bounds me wherever I go. I can't escape his tyranical grasp on my mind. The man I hate may be many miles from my bedroom, but, more cruel than any slave driver, he whips my thoughts into such a frenzy that my innerspring mattress becomes a rack of torture. The lowliest of the serfs can sleep, but not I. I really must acknowledge the fact that I am a slave to every man whom I pour the vials of my wrath".

"For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."-Acts 8:23

Bitterness is a plantation of trouble and a orchard of defilement (Hebrews 12:15). The gardener of that farmland is a terrible slave driver that must be avoided like a plague (Acts 8:23). He is a latent murderer with proven track record (1 John 3:15). This slave driver sponsored the first murder case in the world. The callous gardener drove Cain to kill his only brother - Abel when the floor light of the field had been switched off (Genesis 4:5-8). That callous act made God to pronounce irreversible curse on the fugitive and vagabond called Cain immediately (Genesis 4:11-13).

"Those who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life in them".- 1 John 3:15 (GNT)

Friends, it is unfortunate that the plantation of bitterness is still being inhabited by many people in this generation. They are locked up and tortured like murderers by their wicked slave driver. I hope you are not among those prisoners of bitterness in our world today? If you are, then, please set yourself free today. No matter the gravity of the offence, please forgive and never let the sun go down upon your wrath again (Ephesians 4:26, 32). Always strive to make peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14). However, it is impossible to make peace, if you don't know the Prince of Peace. Therefore, I urge you to please surrender or rededicate your life to Jesus Christ today. If you do, you will graciously walk you out of the terrible prison of bitterness and resentment.  

"Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ"- Ephesians 4:31‭-‬32 (ERV)

A very powerful poem that summarises the root of bitterness is titled "Anger and Bitterness". As you meditate on this poem below, I trust God to depopulate the prison of bitterness and hatred today. 

ANGER AND BITTERNESS By Dan Thompson

Anger and Bitterness is a sin

That destroys a person from within

It robs a person of life

And delivers nothing but strife

Anger and Bitterness is a cancer that will spread

Until inside that person is spiritually dead

Besides affecting the soul it will affect the body too

There have been studies to prove what I say is true

Now the Lord warns us from this to stay away

So from Him we will not stray

Anger will end a friendship

Even those that have survived many a hardship

Anger and Bitterness can make a person Vindictive be

Blinding them so the truth they cannot see

It really is sad to watch the path

That leads the person to even more wrath

Some in a family try to sow strife

So in others Anger and Bitterness will come to life

These people love to watch and see

Their work destroy a person's glee

Now sometimes the problem stems from within

And not from someone that is kin

They get angry in what they hear

Pride may be what robs them of their cheer

Now no matter what the reason may be

Anger and Bitterness in a life should never be

For it will grow and spread

And you will become a person others dread

It's my prayer that the Holy Spirit will dry up every root of bitterness springing up across our land among ethic and religious groups. Every flourishing orchard of defilement shall be set ablazed and many captives set free. The Prince of Peace shall speak peace to every battle zone in our hearts, homes and nations in Jesus name.  Amen

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

http:// okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo

THE IMPACT OF A WEEPING HAND ON A LOST SOUL

 "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him". - Psalms  126:5-6

“When I was in Boston I used to attend a Sunday school class, and one day I recollect my teacher came around behind the counter of the shop I was at work in, and put his hand upon my shoulder, and talked to me about Christ and my soul. I had not felt that I had a soul till then. I said to myself, ‘This is a very strange thing. Here is a man who never saw me till lately, and he is weeping over my sins, and I never shed a tear about them.’ I don’t remember what he said, but I can still feel the power of that man’s hand on my shoulder tonight.” - (Culled from "History of American Revivals", Frank Grenville Beardsley)

Few days ago, while reading the above conversion story of the renowned Evangelist L.D.Moody, two powerful scriptures in Jude 1:23 and Psalms 126:5-6 flashed through my mind. These scriptures reechoes some of the salient kingdom principles for reaching and winning lost souls. i.e  the weeping and pulling principles. As a woman cannot give birth without travailing, so a Christian cannot win souls without intense prayer (weeping). It is only the weeping hands that can pull hell bound souls into the path of life. The depth of our prayer for lost soul determines the genuineness and magnitude of our harvest (Mark 3:27). There is no doubt that a prayerless and unburdened Christian / Sunday School Teacher/Minister/Pastor/Evangelist will be barren in life.

"And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" - Jude  1:23 

Friends, God is still in the business of pulling souls out of the fire. He is still putting His hands on the shoulders of lost souls in this generation. Will you allow Him to empower you and use your hands to save another L.D. Moody in your generation? Unfortunately, many hands that God wants to use today are polluted or defiled. Many of those hands are still busy fiddling with sins while some are folded like a statue in the church. They have refused to join the workforce. Some of the working hands only want to be counting offerings and singing chorus in church while multitudes out there are in danger of hell fire every day. They never pray, follow up or reach out to lost souls. Please be sincere with yourself. Which category do you belong to? Are your hands and knees available for the end-time harvest of souls or are you too busy for the kingdom business?

One short but very powerful song that summarises the kingdom principles for the end-time harvest  highlighted in Psalms 126:5-6, is titled "Bringing in the Sheaves".

BRINGING IN THE SHEAVES by Knowles Shaw, 1874

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:

       Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

       We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;

       Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

       We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,

Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;

When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

It is my prayer that God will give us genuine burden and passion for lost souls. As we weep (pray) for lost souls and reachout to them, the Holy Spirit will convict sinners of their sins and bring them in like sheaves into the kingdom. And when the season of weeping and pulling on earth is over, our Commander shall bid us "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23). Thereafter, our season of unending joy and celebration with the Chief Shepherd shall begin in Jesus name .

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

http://okanlawon.webnode.com

http:// okanlawontaiwo.blogspot.com

Twitter: @tammytaiwo