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BITTER
ROOTS
The law applies not only to our conscious actions, known
and performed outwardly, but also to what is lodged in
our heart, repressed, unknown and unexpressed. Once
formed, judgments must bring results. Bitter roots, not
brought to the cross, must defile. Bitter roots are
perhaps the most powerful negative forces in our lives,
bringing destruction not only to us but also to those
around us.
See to it that no root of bitterness springing up causes
trouble, and by it many be defiled Hebrews 12:15
This lesson reveals the depth and power of bitter root
judgments-the driving force behind the recurring
patterns of trouble and/or destruction in our lives. The
power of bitter roots comes from the unchangeable laws of
God, which cause us to reap in kind what we have sown.
Bitter root judgments are far more powerful than bitter
root expectancies. Judgments operate by God's Laws;
whereas repeated incidents form patterns of expectancy
which operate only on the psychological level.
But judgments and expectancies
both rob us of the abundant life Jesus came to give us.
The root of a tree gives life
In a tree or plant, a root is an underground, hidden
structure, which is a conduit for nourishment. For us
"roots" are habitual ways we drink nurture from
God, others, nature and ourselves. Our roots also lie
beneath the surface, usually hidden to the adult mind. If
we have bitter roots, we drink harm to our selves.
What are bitter roots, or bitter root judgments?
o They are our sinful reactions to circumstances that
occur in our lives.
o They are condemning judgments of other people.
o They are the inability or refusal to forgive someone.
o They are the operations of the unchangeable Laws of
God, which cause us to reap in kind what we have sown.
Bitter
roots are not:
o Hurtful or terrible things that happen to us, nor are
they the sins of those who have wronged us. They are our
sinful responses to those things that have happened to
us, planted deeply within us due to our refusal or
inability to forgive.
Bitter roots infect the mind with expectancies.
Bitter root expectancy is a psychological practice in our
lives. It is a habit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, by
which we "push" people to fulfill our picture
of the way things will go.
o "Women will always be controlling."
o "Men can't be depended upon."
o "No one ever listens to me."
The following is an example of bitter root expectancy
A man is brought up by a critical mother, he feeling
wounded and rejected, learns to protect his heart by
withdrawing from her. His experiences with mother form a
picture of "women." When he marries, he fears
pain and of vulnerability and consciously (or
unconsciously) projects his expectations onto his wife,
holding her at a distance. She is lonely and appeals to
him to share with her. He interprets this as criticism
(whether it is or not), and pulls farther away. He
criticizes her attempts to break through the walls of his
heart.
Judgments and expectancies:
The judgment is the seed planted in childhood and it may
be forgotten by the one whom has made the judgment. It
is after the child has grown, that the bitter root
expectation comes into play. The example of the critical
mother and the boy who judged her, there by judging all
women that they will all be critical and that the boy
will have to protect his heart. He will reap through his
wife and other women,
what he experienced with his mother.
The
origin of bitter root judgments and bitter root
expectations normally start with parents:
They can also start with other persons in our youth such
as grandparents and teachers. The judgments are the
seeds sown and the bitter root expectation is the vehicle
that brings the judgments to fruition. Sown in childhood
and brought to fruition in our relationships with spouse,
authority, society, and even with Father God. We
ultimately get what we expect from all of the above. If
they are not eager to play, we find a way to push enough
buttons to get them to give us what we expect.
Who is responsible and accountable?
WE ARE! God holds us accountable for our sinful reactions
to what has taken place in our life. We are guilty but
not condemned. Guilt is the friend that brings us to the
cross, and thus to healing and transformation.
Prayer Deliverance Ministers must be aware:
That bitter root judgments and expectations are so
common that they must be checked for as routinely as a
doctor checks blood pressure and temperature.
IF THERE IS THE FRUIT, THEN THERE IS A ROOT!
Luke 6:43; Matthew 7:20
Treatment of "Bitter Roots"
We must first recognize those roots and how they affected
our lives and the lives of those around us.
We have to choose to repent, by determining to stop
patterns by hauling judgments and expectations to the
cross in prayer.
The prayers must be specific, focused, Spirit-led,
prayers of forgiveness.
A
person must speak forgiveness at the age of the
judgment. Praying out loud his/her forgiveness for mom
or dad for judging, resentment, hating. Forgive me for
perpetuating those attitudes in my present relationships.
Prayer Deliverance Ministers pronounce forgiveness by the
Word of God. John 20: 23
Prayers of death Luke 9: 23, 24
Dying to self on the cross. Less of me Lord and all of
you, by demolishing the structures of judgment and
bitter root expectations, habits, attitudes and reflexes
by taking them to the cross of Christ -Galatians 2:20,
5:24
"Lord bring those practices to death by the power of
your cross
Prayers of resurrection:
"Lord restore... (Be as specific as you can)
"Lord reverse the old pattern and cause its glorious
opposite to happen; restore to new life." This
imparts a new expectancy.
The healing continues as we continue to pray and there is
an ongoing discipline to bring to death habitual
practices of thoughts, feelings and actions, and to bring
to life the
nature of Christ in him/her.
Hosea
8:7a - "They sow the wind, and they reap the
whirlwind."
NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew 3:10 - The axe is already at the root of the
trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit
will he cut down and thrown into the fire."
Matthew 5:17 - 'Do not think that I came to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to
fulfill.
Matthew 7:16-20 -'By their fruit you will recognize them.
Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but
a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad
fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.'
Matthew 15:13 - He replied, "Every plant that my
heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the
roots.'
Luke 6:43-45 - 'No good tree does not bears bad fruit,
nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is
recognized by its own fruit. The good man brings good
things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in
his heart."
Hebrews
4:12 The word of God is living and active. Sharper than
any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges [discerns
the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 12:15 (NAS) - See to it that no one comes short
of the grace of God; and that no root of bitterness
springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.
James 1:15 - Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth
to death.
James 5:16 - Therefore, confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
I John 1:9 (NAS) - If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
Galatians
2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer
live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me.
Galatians 5:24 -Those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the sinful nature with its passions and
desires.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NAS) - Do not be deceived, God is not
mocked; for whatever a man sows this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the
flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit
shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Ephesians 5:21 - Submit to one another out of reverence
for Christ.
Philippians 3:10-15 1 want to know Christ and the power
of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so,
somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead! Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already
been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do
not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one
thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus! All of us who are mature should take such
a view of things. And if on some point you think
differently, that too God will make clear
to you.
Sowing
and Reaping
Young Joe~
Mankind's sinning is like a man who throws a ball against
a wall. At some point it will return to him: 'do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows this
he will also reap. Gal. 6:7
The longer our sin goes unrepented, the larger it grows:
'They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Heb.8:7
By the time our sin returns to be reaped it has grown to
overwhelming proportions:
"Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to
sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.
James 1:15
Same Joe 25 years later~
God, unwilling that any should perish, sent Jesus to
identify with us in all our sinfulness. Jesus took our
sin upon Himself and died with it for us. Our sin was
cancelled and the law of sowing and reaping fulfilled in
Him:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to
fulfill." Matthew 5:17 NAS
Repentant Joe~
We are called to take hold of the life that Jesus won for
us by His death and resurrection
Phillipians 3:10-15
and to walk in a daily discipline described
for us in Scripture
Romans6:6-14
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Last Updated: October 19, 2023
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