Hebrews 12:15, "See to it [be alert; take personal responsibility for your own soul] that no one comes short of [falls back from] the grace of God [relapse into reversionism], that not one root of bitterness sprouting up distract you [cause trouble: remembering past sins and so bringing on new sins], and by it many are contaminated."

 

1. Bitterness is the number one system of self-deception. It is also the fastest way to destroy your spiritual life. (What you really are is what you think). It is generally centered on people and is a reaction sin.  Bitterness can destroy everyone in the periphery.  It is failure to take responsibility for your own decisions in life.  You consider yourself to be right and therefore, you are going to blame someone else. 

        

2. The contents of the chamber pot does not belong to the person below in the street.  Bitterness is described as excrement.      

 

3. James 3:14, "But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your right lobe." Bitterness is being described in terms of jealousy and strife. 

        

4. Now if you have doctrine circulation in your soul, you will establish a mirror in your soul by which you can see yourself as you really are. 

        

5. Bitterness is complete self-absorption.  Bitterness goes both directions in the arrogance skills. After it reverses itself, the person is less perceptible to his self-deception. You spend your life being right when you are wrong.  You become locked in.  Bitterness develops the habit of self-justification. 

        

6. At this point, certain other defense mechanisms kick in like repression followed by projection in this way you avoid taking responsibility for your own decisions.  You never see yourself objectively from the viewpoint of Bible doctrine.  Rationalization on the reverse trend is a mechanism of self-deception. It will feed strength into the first arrogance skill. It becomes a self-serving function by giving wrong and false explanations of his motives and behavior. Dissociation covers or alters his integrity functions of his integrating functions of self-awareness.  In other words, you make your self-awareness fit your self-deception, not the word of God. The fourth is Denial in which the believer fails to acknowledge his failures, flaws and sins which are apparent to others in his periphery.  All these defense mechanism support your view that you are always right. 

        

7. This self-justification includes Projection in which you have developed such callousness with the result that you take your failures and project.  You see in others the cause of all problems.  Every failure in life is related to some form of distorted thinking. Hatred and implacability, jealousy has the normal meanings but it also means `how dare they do such a thing, how dare they seek other company,' Bitterness, reaction and anger, vindictiveness, malice, revenge, vituperation: to present your side to anyone who will listen and as a result vilification, violence and abuse.

        

8. Be not deceived. God is not mocked whatever a person sews, that he will also reap.

        

9. Arrogance has power, it is the power of Satan. 

 

10. In 1 Samuel 1:10, Hanna became bitter because she did not have what other women had namely a child.

 

11. A mother becomes bitter when her son turns out to be fool. Proverbs 17:25, "A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who gave birth to him." [The woman has a predilection toward bitterness because she was created as a responder and as such can easily become a reactor.]

 

12. Isaiah 33:7,"Behold the brave men [they are the objects of lack of training and equipment] cry on the roads [because they loved their country and have not been given the opportunity to exercise their military functions in such a way as to deliver their love ones and their nation], but the ambassadors for peace [the politicians who start wars through their irrational policies and treaties] weep bitterly." [The reason that politicians wept bitterly was because they thought they could negotiate peace with their national enemy without having to maintain a strong military: peace at any price. Even so, politicians will never admit that they were wrong for if they did, they would not become bitter.]

 

13. Job 7:11, "I will complain in bitterness of soul." Job 10:1, "I will speak in bitterness of soul." [Bitterness runs around and complains to others for bitterness is self-serving and self- justifying]. 

 

14. If you are bitter, you will be vindictive.  If you are vindictive, you are going to be implacable. Bitterness produces a harshness and unforgiveness totally divorced from reality. Bitterness always motivates revenge.

 

15. The result of bitterness and vindictiveness is arrogant malicious resentment, unforgiving mental attitude, a status of irreconcilable enmity.  

 

16. Job 10:1, "I loathe my own life [self-deception and self-absorption makes you loathe yourself]; I will give vent to my complaint; I will speak in bitterness of my soul."

 

17. Bitterness motivates lying about others. Psalm 64:3, "Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword; they aim their bitter speech like an arrow."