Following Christ English

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32   Sometimes, the best in you can only be brought out by the worst done to you. This usually happens by the people you have loved, helped, and trusted the most. There’s an old saying that “time heals all things.” Well, that is not true regarding offenses. Unforgiveness does not get better if you leave it alone or try to push it down. You either fester unforgiveness or you foster healing but you have to be doing one or the other. And if you choose to ignore the unforgiveness in your heart, it will get worse.    Paul’s letter in Ephesians gives a beautiful plan of action of how to release forgiveness. He says to first “put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, and harsh words.” Start by draining all the damaging emotions of unforgiveness out of your life. He goes on to say, “Be

It’s natural to feel bitter or develop a grudge when you are hurt by someone. As bitterness builds inside of you, it’s usually followed by a swarm of other emotions—feelings of anger, resentment and rejection accompanied by a desire for revenge. Toxic emotions don’t change your situation or the person that hurt you. As you let them take over, they do change you, hurting you far more than the other person. And it doesn’t stop there. When bitterness and resentment take control, they can spill over and infect others who aren’t even involved. This is why the Bible refers to bitterness as poison. “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15). If you aren’t careful, it can hurt you and those close to you. Ask yourself: Do you like being around someone who is bitter or angry? The Bible goes a step further and explains why it’s important to forgive, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as we