What the Scriptures REALLY Teach about Health – Part 9
02/06/16 (11/27) Video Broadcast
Continuing our examination of bitterness against others, we see how it can also impact our doctrines and beliefs. We also explore bitterness in the family setting, and finish with 7 practical steps toward permanently resolving bitterness and it’s impact on our health.


What the Scriptures REALLY Teach about Health - Part 9 - Study

Part 9 - Comments and Questions

What the Scriptures REALLY Teach about Health - Part 10 - Study01:33:09

Part 10 - Comments and Questions01:03:32

What the Scriptures REALLY Teach about Health - Part 11 - Study01:14:11

Part 11 - Comments and Questions01:32:00

What the Scriptures REALLY Teach about Health - Part 12 - Study01:44:26

Part 12 - Comments and Questions01:15:32
This archive is from the EliYah.com Live Video Broadcast
Video Transcript
This is a direct transcript of a teaching that was presented via video. Due to the fact that we often speak differently than we write, the written text may not flow and/or sound strange in some places. There may also be grammatical errors and unintended mistakes. It is encouraged that you to watch the video to complement this written transcript.
“What the Scriptures REALLY Teach About Health.” We are into Part 9. And, obviously, we are studying this in depth. We are in our ninth segment on this topic. And everyone is interested in health. I am interested myself in having good health.
And so, if we want good health, we have to look at the Author of who made our bodies, who is our Creator, and what the Author happened to say about how to live a healthy life.
You know, there are doctors. There are nutritionists. There are herbalists. And then, there is Yahweh and what He has to say. And we need to know. We need to know what He has to say. We need to recognize what He has to say– and believe what He has to say– about health. And when we do that, wonderful things come to light.
And so, we are going to examine this in great detail. We talked last week, obviously, about bitterness. If you missed last week’s broadcast, I hope to have it posted up there soon. Sorry, we are a little bit late on those things.
But I do intend to post those, and then we will be able to, hopefully, have all those up there, and actually have a special section on the website where we will have written topics and video topics and audible and downloadable where you can make a DVD out of it, and things like that.
So I am fully intending on doing all of those things here as we move forward and through this topic. And so, it should all be available on a special segment and section on the website, which is not yet live, but it is something that we are going to be working on putting together.
So I shared last week, in our previous segment, the importance of elders praying over people and the actual explanation there in the book of James: “If any among you are sick, let him call for the elders and have them pray and anoint with oil in the name of Yahweh.”
But some had the impression that only elders can pray a prayer of healing and that is not true. It’s not that I’m against miraculous healings. I’m not against people who are not elders going out and doing miracle healings. I am all for that. I am one-hundred-percent for that.
But when you involve elders, I really think you are going to a deeper level where discussion, where counseling, where getting to the root of the disease or the sickness, if the root is a spiritual root… and finding out whether it is.
And I am not suggesting that is the only method to receive healing. But it is, I believe, a lot of times the best method.
And, in fact, there are people, if you would practice the principles that I have shared in these study portions, you can pray to Yahweh directly, and in many cases receive healing for whatever disease or sickness you might be dealing with. But there are certain blocks to that and one of them is bitterness.
But I find it would be better to have the sinful root dealt with and then get the healing rather than just someone walking up to you, and saying, “Rise and walk,” or, “You’re healed,” or whatever.
So I spent a lot of time in the previous segment on bitterness and how bitterness and unforgiveness can produce disease and actually keep your body from being able to effectively fight cancer.
Now, to review, what we are looking at here is three relationships and their impact on our health. The first one is our relationship with Yahweh. If it lacks love, if it lacks security, if it lacks trust– that can impact our health.
Secondly, our relationship with others. If there is bitterness, if there is unforgiveness, this can have an impact on our health.
And the third one is our relationship with ourselves lacking love and a sense of worth. That can have an impact on our health. And that is what we are going into in our next segment.
But each of these can have an impact on our health and we need to be aware of that and remember that, because if we are faced with some kind of a disease, look at the possible spiritual root. Any one of these areas can have an impact on how healthy we are. And we are looking right now at the issue of bitterness.
1. Relationship with Yahweh lacks love, security and trust.
2. Relationship with others have bitterness/unforgiveness.
3. Relationship with ourselves lacks love and sense of worth.
The problem that arises is we have something in our body, a steroid hormone, called cortisol. And even according to Wikipedia, this cortisol when it is released is normally good in a fight or flight situation, a temporary situation. But when it is released, it will have the capability of suppressing the immune system.
And so, because of that, if we have the cortisol flowing all the time, because we are constantly stressed or constantly dealing with anger and bitterness and rage, and things like that, it can have a negative impact on our bodies.
“Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones, and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland, It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration.
“It functions to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.” Wikipedia
And we shared this last week, but I just want to review for any who have missed it. I shared a whole lot more quotes, but here is one of them. It says:
“Unforgiveness is classified in medical books as a disease. According to Dr. Steven Standiford, chief of surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, refusing to forgive makes people sick and keeps them that way. With that in mind, forgiveness therapy is now being used to help treat diseases, such as cancer.
” ‘It’s important to treat emotional wounds or disorders because they really can hinder someone’s reactions to the treatments, even someone’s willingness to pursue treatment,’ Standiford explained.”
And, also, Dr. Paul Haider says: “At Yale University, Dr. Bernie Siegel collected 57 very well documented cases of angry people who came down with cancer. And when they decided that anger and depression were not helping anything, they became loving, kind, caring and let go of all anger… thus their cancer started to shrink.”
Source: “The Connection between Anger and Cancer” – Dr. Paul Haider.
And listen, cancer is not the only disease out there. It could be any disease, almost any disease, that could be rooted in bitterness because it impacts our immune system, and our immune system is there fighting all these different diseases, right? And so, it can have an impact on our immune system and we have to be aware of that.
Scripture says:
Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart does good, [like] medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
And the bone marrow is the location where our body produces the white blood cells and the natural killer cells and the T-cells that fight cancer and all kinds of other diseases in the body. So we are encouraged to have this merry heart.
But if we have bitterness, we are not going to have the merry heart. If we have fear and anxiety, we are not going to have the merry heart. If we have a broken spirit, which, as we shared in previous segments, comes out of a wounded heart, it affects our bones literally. He is not just making this thing up.
But the merry heart is the best medicine. And it is the joy of Yahweh. Yahweh can give that joy through thanksgiving, through faith.
So we are encouraged in the Scriptures to walk in a way that promotes a healthy body.
Proverbs 18:14 – The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?
If you have the broken spirit, the bones are affected.
Proverbs 15:13 – A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
By wounds. So if the heart is wounded, the spirit can be broken. And that is what we are talking about here.
Hebrews 12:12 – Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,
13 – and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Talking about a weakness in the body here. Probably spiritually speaking, but I think physically we can look and see the same things as well.
Hebrews 12:14 – Pursue peace with all [people], and holiness, without which no one will see YAHWEH:
Pursue shalom with all. So we want shalom with everyone, and we want holiness… looking carefully… VERY carefully…
Hebrews 12:15 – looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of Elohim; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
Many lose their holiness. They become defiled. So defiled has no place in holiness, does it? So we want holiness. We want to be at peace with everyone.
And, actually, this word translated “pursue” is in the present tense in the Greek. So here is how you strengthen your weak and sick body: Pursue peace with all. Pursue holiness. Look carefully to insure you have not fallen short of Yahweh’s grace by allowing any root of bitterness to spring up and defile you. We are called to holiness, to holy conduct.
And here are the works of the flesh, a total of seventeen here. There is the “pleasure-seeking” side of the works of the flesh:
1. Adultery
2. Fornication
3. Uncleanness
4. Lewdness
5. Idolatry
6. Sorcery
7. Drunkenness
8. Revelries
And then there are the “bitter root” works of the flesh:
1. Hatred
2. Contentions
3. Jealousies
4. Outbursts of Wrath
5. Selfish Ambitions
6. Dissensions
7. Heresies
8. Envy
9. Murders
That is the bitter fruits coming out of bitter roots. If you are bitter, you are going to have a problem with hatred. You are going to have a problem with arguing. You are going to have a problem with being jealous. You are going to have outbursts of wrath. You are going to be seeking your self-preservation, because you are bitter.
Dissensions has to do with sectarianism, which we are going to get into in the next segment. This, also (heresies). And envy and murders. And these three here (selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies) typically are rooted in self-hatred. All of them, actually, are in some degree rooted in self-hatred as well. But we are looking at bitter roots here.
Now consider the contrast in the Torah, the works of the flesh versus love. Scripture says:
Leviticus 19:15 – `You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
So when you are looking at someone in judgment, do not be partial based on their social status or some other areas where injustices and judgment take place.
Leviticus 19:16 – `You shall not go about [as] a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I [am] YAHWEH.
17 – `You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18 – `You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I [am] YAHWEH.
So unjust judgment, talebearing, hating in the heart, refusing to rebuke someone for a sin they have committed, instead taking vengeance and bearing a grudge in the heart, bearing bitterness in the heart. These are the opposites of love. These are the works of the flesh versus the fruits of the Spirit.
These are the bitter fruits coming out of bitter roots. They are acts of hatred and they are likened unto murder, standing against the life of your neighbor. Yahushua taught us that hatred in the heart violates the spirit behind the commandment not to murder. So these are acts of spiritual murder.
The works of the flesh are acts of spiritual murder. They are out of hatred, not from Yahweh, the Author of love and life and goodness.
So if we are manifesting these works of the flesh, we are walking in hatred. We may not think of it as hatred. That seems like a strong word. “Well, I don’t hate the person.” Well, if you are acting this way, you are showing fruits of hatred.
Now one thing I have witnessed over the years is that bitterness against another person is not always because of something they have done to you. It could be something they have done to somebody else and you have taken up that person’s cause.
You don’t have to be necessarily hurt personally because of what someone has done to you personally. It can be something that you have seen a person do to someone else.
It could be from how your father treated your mother. It could be from how your mother treated your father. And you have taken up the other person’s cause who has been hurt and you have allowed yourself to become bitter because of how the other person was treated.
Or how your parents treated your brother or your sister, or how a believer treated another believer, and you have taken up offense based on what the other person did to the other person. You had nothing to do with it and you can still have every bit of bitterness in your heart. And you think it is okay because it was not done to you. Wrong!
I think of Absalom. He was angry at his brother Amnon over what he did with his sister Tamar. He held that bitterness in his heart. He held back. He acted like everything was okay. He held his peace, but it bore the fruit of murder toward Amnon, and then bitterness and rebellion ultimately against his father David.
Is there someone in our lives that we are justifying bitterness against because the sin wasn’t actually done to you but to someone else? Think about that and continue to think about it as I share some Scriptures here.
Proverbs 18:8 – The words of a talebearer [are] like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.
You may have heard something that someone did to someone else and you have taken up their cause. You are offended by what they did to someone else, and they are like little trifles, and they go into the inmost body and defile you.
And the truth may not have even been told you. It may be a complete lie. It may have been misconstrued or the context of what happened may be missing and it is causing you to be offended and you don’t really know the full situation.
You heard about what so-and-so did to so-and-so, and it angers you. And perhaps someone hurt a child or perhaps someone hurt somebody else with evil malice. And maybe it is a terrorist you read about and you see on the news.
Maybe it is a relative who hurt their children and you heard about it or you are holding bitterness and unforgiveness toward someone whom you never even met. And it can eat at you like cancer. It can eat at you. And sometimes it literally does eat at you.
Either something has offended you personally or someone has offended someone else and you have taken up that offense. And so, these kinds of talebearing words, beware of them. Beware of them.
And the tendency is to go ahead and believe that– whatever was said about so-and-so– if you already suspect they are someone of ill character. And it just empowers you all the more, and the enemy is spreading this stuff around– and like tasty trifles, you devour it.
We can’t go there. It is just gossip. We have to go to the source. We have to find out what really happened. Don’t go by someone else’s words. It is simply not reliable.
Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Are we going to take in words of life or words that may lead to our death, spiritually or physically? The talebearing words, you heard them. It affected you. You may not even have the whole story, but you have judged the person already. Danger, danger in justice and judgment.
The fruit of bitterness is now sown in the heart, not because they sin against you, but because you hate their sin with a passion. And even that can reveal to us something about ourselves. We may be more prone to taking up offenses toward another person when we have experienced similar sins in our past and we are holding some of that within ourselves.
We know what that feels like to be treated in such-and-such a way. And so, we are more prone if we have been hurt in certain ways to, when we see others hurt in certain ways, or we perceive them to be hurt in certain ways, that we take up their offense.
My suggestion, and the Scriptures suggestion, is instead of taking up bitterness toward another person, let Yahweh’s gift of mercy and compassion flow through you, toward the person that was hurt and, yes, even toward the perpetrator, because in all likelihood they are also hurting. Why? Because hurting people hurt people. That is just how it is.
Hurting people hurt people, and if you begin to take in all that hurt, you yourselves are more prone to hurting another person. So pray for them and pray for all the people that commit that particular kind of sin. Because the truth is all have sinned and all of us have fallen short of the glory of Elohim. Every single one of us.
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim,
From Yahweh’s perspective, bitterness is nothing more than hypocrisy. Bitterness rises out of an unwillingness to give the very thing we have received from Yahweh or hope to receive from Yahweh.
From Yahweh, we expect to receive love in response to our wrongs toward Him. But us! What do we do when someone wrongs us? Do we choose love? That is the important question.
And I shared this last week, how there can be a false comfort in thinking you have forgiven someone when Yahweh in heaven is looking at your heart– at something you are not listening to because you just can’t go there– and sees the unforgiveness dwelling right there in your heart. And you may have forgiven them with your mind, but not down deep.
And so, I asked everyone, “Think back to anyone who has ever hurt you. Ask Yahweh to reveal whether or not there is any root of bitterness taking place in the heart.”
Psalms 139:23 – Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 – And see if [there is any] wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
Beautiful Scripture. He actually said that right after he said he hated Yahweh’s enemies with a perfect hatred. So we want to pray: “Yahweh, bring back to our memory, from the time we were babies until now, anything that may have caused us to be bitter without even knowing it.”
Moments of being mocked or even ridiculed by childhood friends or people at school. Just think about anyone you dislike. If you can justify why you are angry or bitter toward them, you probably have a root of bitterness if you are trying to justify it.
If you have anger rising up in your heart, it is a sign, a little flag popping up saying, “Look, there could be bitterness here.” And just pray to Yahweh to show you who you really are rather than who you think you are.
May Yahweh show me who I am rather than who I think I am. There is who I am and there is who I think I am. And they may not be the same. And be prepared to deal with harsh realities, because there is a false comfort in thinking you have forgiven when really you have not.
And write those down. And I had asked you do to that and at the conclusion of today’s study we are going to deal with them head on.
But bitter root judgments destroy people and destroy their lives. Sometimes we can forgive someone, but we still have this kind of judgmental way about us– “Oh, yeah, that person over there. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” And we are all prideful. Pride, pride, pride.
But Scripture says look carefully. We don’t want to fall short of grace.
You know, Scripture says we can’t see Him unless we are pursuing peace and holiness. Holiness is not something on the outside in terms of our flesh only, but also something in our spirit. Scripture says:
2Corinthians 6:17 – Therefore Come out from among them And be separate, says YAHWEH. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.
18 – I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says YAHWEH Almighty.
2Corinthians 7:1 – Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of Elohim.
Talking about eating pork. Talking about uncleanness of the flesh leading to unholiness. But, also, uncleanness of the spirit. Defiling works of bitterness can defile our spirit. So we cleanse ourselves of these things and that is how we perfect holiness– both the flesh and spirit.
You know, bitterness can not only defile us and our spirit, bitterness can defile an entire congregation. Bitterness can defile an entire movement. Scripture tells us:
Proverbs 26:24 – He who hates, disguises [it] with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself;
He deceives himself.
Proverbs 26:25 – When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For [there are] seven abominations in his heart;
26 – [Though his] hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
It is just a matter of time… the congregation… it is going to happen. The bitterness, the hatred, is going to show itself. And I have seen it quite a lot.
You know, believe it or not, the Hebrew Roots movement, I hate to say it, but it does attract people who have bitterness issues. Actually, any movement that is different from the mainstream can be attractive to bitter people.
And I have noticed it quite a bit over the years. I have meditated on, “Why is this?” I have prayed about it. What is going on? Why is this? What is it about this movement that tends to attract people who are so often spiritually or emotionally immature?
I have heard innumerable stories of bad experiences of Torah observant brethren and I have had a few myself over the years. And I believe I have found at least a part of what is going on.
There are some of you who are watching and listening to the broadcast right now. You are here and you have embraced the truths we have embraced partly because you were angry and offended at Christianity before you ever even heard of this.
Maybe you had parents who had a form of Christianity and they offended you. Maybe in your upbringing a Christian person, a parent– a father, a mother, or both– mistreated you. Maybe they were hypocrites.
And so, when you heard of some of these truths, which I do believe they are truths that we have come to understand– the blessing of the Sabbath Day and the Feast Days and eating clean and really trying to live like Messiah did– it was very attractive.
Because you saw it as an alternative lifestyle, completely Biblical, but very different than traditional Christianity. And so, in your mind, you could disconnect yourself from that hurt by disconnecting from their form of following the Bible. And so, it was very attractive to you.
And maybe you now believe it was because, “Oh, traditional Christianity, they didn’t embrace these truths. That explains a lot.” And maybe you feel that is a good reason to believe those in traditional Christianity are not even true believers to begin with or they are certainly on the edge of not being believers.
And it is very comforting in your heart. Somewhere deep in your heart, you may not realize it on the surface with your mind, but there is a comfort there knowing, “I am so different than my parents and I like this new stuff, this different stuff.”
And you say in your mind, “Well, that explains why that church was, you know… those church people were not even following the Bible.” And it is almost like a relief in some degrees. And some of you are going, “Where are you coming from, Tom?” I am telling you, I know I am talking to someone, because I have seen it so often.
But we have to be careful about a bitter heart talking. It is not Yahweh’s Word talking.
Maybe you sensed a bit of excitement when you came into this walk because now you could go back to those Christians and friends and relatives and show them how wrong they were and how wrong they have been and kind of get a little satisfaction there, you know… you are kind of in a better place than they are.
But, you know, we never start with what we are against. If we are just starting our faith with what we are against, our foundation is going to be totally messed up. We don’t start with what we are against and work from there. We start with who we are for.
We are for Yahweh. We are for His Messiah, Yahushua Ha Mashiach. That is who we are for. We love them. They first loved us.
And you go to different Sabbath gatherings, and people all gather around, and… “Oh, yeah, the Catholic Church this and the Christian that. And they did this and they did that.” And, “Ha-ha-ha-ha.” And it is almost like their faith is defined by what they are against.
Almost like a political system, what you are against rather than who you are for, or rather than having this relationship with Yahweh and how much we love Him.
But maybe that is not you at all. Maybe you were already a part of traditional Christianity and when you discovered these truths you were very excited. You embraced it. You were not bitter. And you just couldn’t wait to go tell your Christian friends and relatives because you were sure they would just have to see the things you were talking about.
And you were going to see them be so excited just like you are excited. And then, you get smacked in the face with a huge dose of reality. And it hurts. It really hurts. Because they did not receive what you received.
At first there was an interest. And then it was sort of like, oh, you know… the cold shoulder. And maybe just downright rejection. And you struggle to this day, the rejection from people you loved– dear friends, wonderful friends, people you trusted and believed in.
Maybe even parents. Maybe a brother, a sister, or an aunt or an uncle, or a relative or a friend. And I am sure some of you are going through it right now as I speak. I know. I have been ministering and talking to people in this condition for twenty-some years. I have seen it enough.
And I know it hurts. But we can’t let our heart go to bitterness. We cannot take that hurt and let a bitter root develop in our hearts. We can’t. If you have, we have to take it to Yahweh. And at the conclusion of the broadcast today I am going to share with you some things. We are going to take it to Yahweh.
And I know some of you, probably a lot of you, when you came out of maybe a traditional Christianity, you couldn’t wait to meet some of Yahweh’s people– like-minded people, you know. “I am sure they are going to be so different than what you experienced in the past.”
“We had a really bad experience in this church and that church. And, oh, we found this new truth and we can’t wait to find like-minded people.” And maybe some of you found that to be the case. You go to the Feast, or something, and you are just excited and you are glad and you are happy being around Yahweh’s people.
It is like you are freezing cold and you take a jump in a warm bath. It just feels great. But others, you find fellowship and you find other people in this walk, and after the initial excitement, you begin to see, uh… things don’t look like you expected.
You see division. You see arrogance. You see pride. You see people arguing over stuff that doesn’t really matter. You see all kinds of “flesh,” fleshly things, things you never even saw in the church. You see people mistreating each other over nothing and putting down each other and rejecting each other over the silliest things.
Look, I have seen it, too. And so, you wonder where are Yahweh’s true people who walk in love and grace? Where are they?
I have met a lot of true people that do walk in Yahweh’s love and grace at the Feast gatherings we host, but not everyone I meet acts the way they should. And some people are just downright mean and bitter and unloving. They give you the cold shoulder or they look down on you in order to intimidate you into believing what they do.
Look, I have seen these things so often. They are just poisoned by bitterness, the root of bitterness that many are defiled by. People get poisoned by the root of bitterness. And people like that, who are hurt themselves, are more prone to hurting others.
They have been mistreated, too, and they can’t seem to figure out how someone, in whatever, who claims to be a believer, how could they act a certain way? And they find themselves acting the same way out of bitter judgments.
“Oh, I’m never going to be like that person.” And the next thing you know, they are acting the same way. They get tempted because of a bitter root, bitter judgments.
And maybe you are wondering. Some of you have come out of healthy traditional churches where people did treat each other with kindness, with love, with grace and compassion. You know, they got it kind of easy. They have all this stuff all worked out, you know. They are kind of settled in their position.
Cults are that way, too, you know. Everyone treats each other real nice. They don’t have any differences. Then you come into the Hebrew Roots and you find out some very troubling examples.
You see people not walking in love and you are starting to wonder, “Am I embracing some kind of heresy here? Where is the love? Where is it? I mean, I see in the Scriptures this is true, but I am not seeing the love here. Where is it?”
Well, the truth is: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1b). And what happens is people get a little bit of extra knowledge that most of the world doesn’t have and they get all puffed up about it because, possibly, bitter roots. But love edifies.
1Corinthians 8:2 – And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
We don’t know anything, yet! We just know a little tiny bit of knowledge that Yahweh has happened to give us. In eternity there is a billion times percent of knowledge that we know nothing about right now. We don’t know anything.
1Corinthians 8:3 – But if anyone loves Elohim, this one is known by Him.
The goal isn’t that we know everything. The goal is that we are known by Him. That is the goal.
Increased knowledge of something, especially hidden knowledge, knowledge that is not well known, pride can come in, and combined with the bitter root, creates a toxic person who is more prone to following doctrines that are quite wayward and strange and are not biblical at all, and more prone to causing others to stumble…
And more prone to being on an island unwilling to meet with other people because they are not up to par.
I want to share with you how bitterness can impact our doctrines. Our bitternesses can affect the kind of doctrines we embrace. This may seem strange to some of you, but it is true. It really is.
I have learned that the same people who found our faith attractive, partly because it was different than traditional Christianity and it kind of resolved in their minds why they were mistreated– because those people didn’t have this truth or that truth…
And they will come into the Hebrew Roots movement (I didn’t say if, I said when) when they are also mistreated (because we are all going to get mistreated, we are all prone to doing things we shouldn’t)…
So they come into this Hebrews root movement and they get mistreated again. But then they come across some new unusual doctrine that is very different than what is commonly taught, even in the Hebrew Roots movement, and they find attractive to their heart, because it is different.
And they may feel that since it is a new thing, not commonly taught anywhere else, they are more likely to believe it simply because it is different, not because it is biblical, not because it is correct.
They don’t need much evidence to prove it correct in their minds because they are looking for something different so they can now disassociate themselves once more from “those people” over there and resolve in their minds why they are mistreated yet again. Bitter roots.
And so, these kinds of persons would tend to believe all kinds of variant doctrines, things that another person, whose heart and mind is not clouded with bitterness, would say, “There is not enough evidence for that,” and then are less likely to embrace it and see it as being true.
But there is a pull in the other direction. We can’t let the desire to remain in a healthy fellowship, or to remain in unity and to have the camaraderie, we can’t let that impact our doctrines either.
We can’t let the fear of loss of fellowship, because of something so radically different, impact our doctrines any more than we can allow, “Oh, well, if I do this, I will be even more set apart,” impact our doctrines.
So our character flaws do have an impact on what we believe. I have seen it. I know. I am not judging. I am not even thinking of anyone in particular right now. I just know it is there… spiritual discernment.
Now, in light of this, when we are studying a biblical topic, here are some things to remember:
1. First of all, how any human being on the earth treats another has nothing to do with what the truth is or truth isn’t. Nothing! A person could be following 99% truth, but still fall short in how they treat people who believe differently. We cannot let that have any impact on anything. It has nothing to do with Yahweh.
How one person treats another, how someone who believes like I do, perhaps, treated you or mistreated you, that doesn’t have anything to do with whether what I am sharing is true or not true. Nothing!
2. Secondly, don’t let a desire for camaraderie or fellowship impact your conclusions. There are some really kind people out there who know how to treat each other nice and respectful, but they are following Buddha or Hare Krishna!
Or even atheists can raise emotionally stable children and treat another person with kindness and respect by the world’s standards. I am not looking for a group of nice people necessarily. I mean, I am looking for more than that. I am looking for people who not only love their fellow man but also have a humble zeal and love for Yahweh.
Because the truth is, no matter how many religions teach “love your neighbor,” no one can love their neighbor unless they first love Yahweh.
1John 5:2 – By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and keep His commandments.
3. Thirdly, when you are studying something out, empty yourself of your own will… completely. Your will doesn’t exists. What you think doesn’t really matter. It is what Yahweh says that matters. Let your heart be in total and complete submission to Yahweh and His Word.
If you ever want to find the truth, empty yourself of your own will. Otherwise, we come into a smorgasbord religion. Pick what you want. Have it your way.
4. Next, pray diligently for mercy and that you are not deceived, that Yahweh would have mercy on you.
5. And here is an important one right here: Repent of any judgments you have placed on others, especially if those others believe differently than you. If you mock them, if you ridicule them, if you thought they were stupid, if you judge them– look out!
Bitter root judgments are dangerous. Arrogance is dangerous. These are very dangerous things. We have to be aware of them. Scripture says, in Galatians 6:1:
Galatians 6:1 – Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who [are] spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Right? Remember that… Galatians 6:1.
6. Recognize that you, no matter how far you come, are always subject to spiritual blindness in one area or another. You may not realize it, but you could be completely wrong in anything. I can be wrong in anything. I could be blind to something. Not intentionally wrong, just blind.
So these are the areas to remember when you are studying anything. I don’t care what it is. Remember these things, because I really want to see the body of Messiah come to unity. But I think a lot of times our bitternesses that we carry are judgments that we place on others. Our arrogance and our pride is what is really keeping us from unity.
So if we have been prideful and arrogant and we laugh at or mock people that believe different, we characterize them as blind fools, look, we may get tempted in a similar manner with a different doctrine and we find ourselves in a place of spiritual blindness just as they were. With what judgment we have judged, we are judged.
So I have some advice for those of you looking for Yahweh’s people. Where is that true congregation where people come together and just love on each other and care about each other and they never fight and they are just merciful and accepting?
Look, I try to foster that as much as possible during our Feast gatherings. I think Yahweh has worked quite a bit to bring that kind of atmosphere and I appreciate that. But no group is perfect and if you are looking for the perfect group, you won’t find it, because even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to attend because you are not worthy.
You are not perfect, right? So the group would no longer be perfect.
And the truth is no group is perfect. So don’t judge people for their imperfections. Pray for them. What we really need to do is just humble ourselves. We need to realize that we all, in spite of our best efforts, have this sin problem.
Even if we overcome everything we can think of, it is highly probable that you are not looking at the Scriptures hard enough or looking at the mirror hard enough and realizing your own failures. That is the most dangerous place to be in of anywhere, is thinking you have it now.
It is good to be in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction with your level of righteousness. It is actually a healthy thing as long as you realize your worth is not based on your performance and the level of righteousness to which you have obtained does not determine whether Yahweh accepts you or receives you as His people.
It is not about how far we have come as much as it is: Where is the arrow pointed? Are we growing? Is our light shining ever brighter? Because…
Proverbs 4:18 – But the path of the just [is] like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
Maybe you started off with a really tiny light bulb, but it is getting brighter and brighter as time goes on. Some people start with a brighter light bulb than others. So what? It is not where you are. It is where you want to be, what you are pursuing, what you are after.
It is much like a father-son relationship. I can accept children messing up if they are really making a sincere effort to change. And that is how Yahweh is. It is exactly how He is. He can accept that we mess up from time to time. But your heart is committed to change, right? That is the main thing.
And someone may not have the knowledge you have and yet you are looking down at them and laughing at them at their ignorance. And Yahweh in heaven could do the very same thing with you real quickly because there are areas where you yourself are also ignorant.
And some of you may feel like, “Oh, I’m on a treadmill, man. I just can’t seem to get ahead. I am just two steps forward and one step back… or two steps back and one step forward.”
But look, as long as the steps are, you know, you are moving– those little legs are going and you haven’t fallen off the treadmill and content just to lay there and give up the fight– He loves you. He likes the effort. And we will talk more about that next segment.
But I am just trying to get us to realize that both you and any person that you might be bitter against are both dealing with the sin problem. You are in the same boat. And the other person may just be spiritually blind to how their sins are impacting another person.
But in truth, there are areas in which you may also be blind and don’t realize how it impacts another person. Either you are blind to your own failures or blind to what Yahweh really expects of you.
So listen, if you are new to this understanding of the Hebrew Roots, I hope I have not discouraged you, but please, bear with me a second. Don’t let this alarm you too much. It is likely you are eventually going to find the kind of people I am talking about.
The truths that we are seeing within the pages of Scripture is certainly not a view held by the majority. The majority of people believe the Messiah does not want us to observe the Sabbath or the Feast Days or He is ambivalent to it. He doesn’t really care.
And most people don’t call on the name of Yahweh and see no problem with calling the Messiah “Jesus” and don’t consider it wrong to observe Christmas and Easter. But now that we have come to the understandings that are very different than the majority, there is a tendency with any new truth to let the knowledge puff up.
And we have to be careful about that. Yes, very careful. Very careful.
I am reminded of a parable. Someone mentioned this in a previous segment during the questions, answers and comments period… this parable in Luke 14:16. It says:
Luke 14:16 – Then He said to him, A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,
17 – and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, `Come, for all things are now ready.’
18 – But they all with one [accord] began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
Luke 14:19 – And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20 – Still another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21 – So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here [the] poor and [the] maimed and [the] lame and [the] blind.’
Luke 14:22 – And the servant said, `Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’
23 – Then the master said to the servant, `Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 – `For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’
Who did he bring in? The poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind– people who have physical problems. Probably spiritual roots to those physical problems.
And I find this in our movement. People are damaged, the outcasts of society. They are bitter at the world. They tend to be attracted to these things because it is a way of feeling like you are important now. It is a way, maybe, in some cases, of expressing superiority toward the ones who have hurt them.
And a discovery of truth becomes their “aha” moment: “Look what I have learned now! You Christians don’t even know what you are talking about. You are all deceived. I can prove you are deceived. I can’t wait to get in these people’s faces and show them from Scripture how wrong they are and how wrong they have been.”
So their faith is so wrapped up in how wrong everybody else is. And they get together with others on Shabbat and they talk about it. “Oh, yes, we are the winners. Those who are the deceived are the losers. Hahaha.”
So the discovery of truth becomes an outlet for people to get back at society, to win an argument, to feel like they are the super special ones. The outsiders who didn’t have this truth are the losers. “We are the winners. We are the haves. They are the have nots.”
And you hear their bitterness in their conversations and the articles they write on the Web or how they treat other people on Facebook, or wherever. And so, yes, sometimes this faith will attract bitter and immature people. But listen, they are just hurting. They are just hurting people who hurt people.
And just as I am not going to act hateful toward those who don’t yet understand the blessing of Shabbat and Feast observance and stuff, I am not going to allow myself, I hope, to act hateful toward the bitter people in the movement either, because we can be bitter at them, too.
See? We are all so, you know, with what judgments we judge all those bitter people over there… and then we become bitter toward them who are bitter. And it is just a big old pile of, you know, Satan coming in and just stirring everything up into a big mix, into a blender.
Because I don’t want my disdain for those who are bitter to allow myself to be bitter toward them, because works of the flesh provoke works of the flesh. And those kinds of people are just hurting. They are hurting people who hurt people and they have not been healed of their bitterness.
And sadly, they are making the rest of us look bad, making Yahweh’s name look bad. But He brought them in. He said, “Highways and byways, bring ’em in.” And they are a stumbling block toward others, who otherwise would accept these truths if these truths were presented in a more spiritual manner.
The best thing we can do is share with them a more biblical way of presenting the Word of Yahweh.
James 3:13 – Who [is] wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct [that] his works [are done] in the meekness of wisdom.
14 – But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
15 – This wisdom does not descend from above, but [is] earthly, sensual, demonic.
There are two kinds of wisdoms out there. There is the earthly, sensual and demonic wisdom, based on bitter envy (bitterness), self-seeking.
James 3:16 – For where envy and self-seeking [exist], confusion and every evil thing [are] there.
He had that problem, too. James had the problem in his days– people cursing men, claiming to love Elohim at the same time. It doesn’t work that way. So he says:
James 3:17 – But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
No injustice in judgment, right?
James 3:18 – Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Peaceable fruit of righteousness. Without peace, the pursuit of peace, no one will see Yahweh.
We don’t need to be angry and bitter to share the Word of Yahweh. Some of us have the hardest time with this right here, presenting the Word in this manner. If this is you, if you have a really hard time presenting Yahweh’s Word in this manner, please pray. Pray to Yahweh that He will show you what is going on in your heart.
Maybe I have already shown you. Maybe He has already shown you. He just used me to do it.
1Peter 3:15 – But sanctify YAHWEH Elohim in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
The fear of Elohim. You are taking a soul and you are influencing that soul for eternity.
1Peter 3:16 – having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Messiah may be ashamed.
They won’t have anything to say about you. You are a meek and humble person. You share in peace. You are gentle. They can malign your beliefs, but they cannot malign your conduct.
2Timothy 2:24 – And a servant of YAHWEH must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
No arguing.
2Timothy 2:25 – in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if Elohim perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 – and [that] they may come to their senses [and escape] the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to [do] his will.
And some of us have the hardest time sharing Yahweh’s Word that way because of the negative experiences in the past with obstinate people who would not listen. And you are frustrated.
A little bit of bitterness toward those who won’t listen creeps into the heart. And so, the critical and condemning spirit influences how we think of others who see things differently.
Did you hear what I said? A little bitterness toward those who believe differently creeps into the heart. And so, this critical, condemning kind of spirit influences how we look at others and we treat them accordingly.
Rather than love and patience and gentleness and excitement in the Word of Yahweh being shared in joy toward those who see things differently, the works of the flesh come over. Then we see contentions and outbursts of wrath and dissensions and all kinds of problems coming out.
And it frustrates us. This other person… why can’t they see this? It is so obvious! We can’t be bitter toward those who don’t see it. We can’t let the root of bitterness spring up and defile us. We need to humble ourselves. We need to be compassionate toward those who don’t see what we see, in humility correcting those who are in opposition.
Look, Yahweh opened up your eyes to it. Don’t be prideful. Be thankful. Be thankful and be humble about it. You didn’t deserve it. I didn’t deserve it. None of us deserves it. The only thing we deserve is the lake of fire. That is all we deserve. But Yahweh is always giving us what we don’t deserve, huh?
Maybe we need to take note of that and show love to those who don’t deserve it as well.
So, the fruit of the Spirit…
Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
These are the antidotes to arguing.
Galatians 5:23 – gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
If we don’t have those, brothers and sisters, we may have a bitter root that is not producing these fruits. The Word of Yahweh must be sown in peace by those who make peace, not through fleshly arguments, not through putting someone down and making them feel hurt. The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace.
It is that time of year for gardening coming up here. Some of you are putting plants in your greenhouses already, and I know from experience the way you plant a seed is you uncover the dirt and drop a seed in there, into the soil, and then you gently cover it over.
Now if I was to take that seed and shove it deeply into the ground and slam it, you know, pack it down, stomp all over it, I don’t think that seed would have much of a chance. And the same is with the Word of Yahweh.
If the seed is not planted properly, if it is not sown in peace by the fruits of the Spirit, it is probably not going to grow like we want. And so, if we are going to go work in the fields as Yahweh’s farmers, spiritually, we need to know how to plant peaceableness, gentleness, mercy– good fruits.
1Corinthians 3:6 – I planted, Apollos watered, but Elohim gave the increase.
Guess what? You can only plant. Someone else maybe could water. You could water as well. But who is the one giving the increase? Yahweh. You cannot make it grow no matter how hard you try. You can scream at that plant all you want. It won’t grow because you yelled at it. It won’t grow. In fact, you are planting the wrong kind of seed now.
1Corinthians 3:7 – So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but Elohim who gives the increase.
We are not anything if we are planting and watering. It is Elohim giving the increase making it all possible.
1Corinthians 3:8 – Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 – For we are Elohim’s fellow workers; you are Elohim’s field, [you are] Elohim’s building.
That is who you are. These are His children that we are dealing with here. Yahweh alone gives the increase. And there are bad seeds out there. Make sure you are not planting tares. Make sure you are not planting thorny plants that don’t belong there.
Galatians 6:1 – Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who [are] spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
Hard to do that with a root of bitterness. Hard to do that when knowledge puffs up. Here is an opportunity. Someone is beneath you. They are committing this sin you have never done before. You can imagine yourself doing it. Be careful. Let the ones who are spiritual restore the man. If you can’t handle it, let the spiritual person handle it.
But consider yourself lest you also be tempted. You might be tempted in the same manner. It may be a different sin. It may be something the same. But you realize how hard it is.
Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Messiah.
3 – For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 – But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
So if you think yourself to be anything, guess what? You are nothing apart from Messiah and His grace.
Galatians 6:5 – For each one shall bear his own load.
And that load may include bearing another person’s burden, but make sure it is a load Yahweh has put on you, not a load you decided to bear on your own.
Galatians 6:6 – Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.
7 – Do not be deceived, Elohim is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 – For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
What kind of seeds are you sowing when you plant the Word of Yahweh and share the Word of Yahweh and seek to restore such a person who is involved in whatever they are involved in?
Maybe a friend, maybe a co-worker, maybe a person of the world, maybe a brother or sister whom you respect and you see them involved in some kind of sin… restore in a spirit of gentleness. Consider your ways.
And probably in no other place is this tested more than in the family setting. I mean your husband, your wife, your children.
Colossians 3:19 – Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
He knew our tendencies, didn’t He? To not doing what we say. To not doing it the right way. Don’t be bitter. You have a problem like that yourself, buddy. You don’t always do things the way Yahweh wants you to do them.
So if we husbands allow bitterness to creep in toward our wives, we will become ineffective leaders who cannot sow the Word of Yahweh in peace and our family will suffer for it because we are not sowing the word of Yahweh in gentleness, in peaceableness, with good fruits, with patience, with a yielding heart.
We become ineffective leaders. Our wives have a really hard time responding well to that. I have been guilty of it. Yahweh, help me.
Those who are judgmental on their wives and children are often the most miserable because Yahweh will discipline the men for being that way again and again, because they are bitter, and when they are facing Yahweh’s chastisement, they only further blame their misery on those who they are bitter with.
And then, because of that, they get chastened again by Yahweh and they continue to blame everyone else. And those who help them out of various circumstances often find themselves spinning and spinning in a vicious cycle. As Scripture says:
Proverbs 19:19 – [A man of] great wrath will suffer punishment; For if you rescue [him], you will have to do it again.
It is not until the one responsible for having the bitterness (it doesn’t have to be the man, it can be the woman, too), it is not until the person having the bitterness and anger decides to humble themselves, walk in mercy and love, forgive and…
… start taking a more constructive approach rather than a destructive approach, a more biblical response to scenarios that they and their family members find themselves in, it is not until family members are free from tyranny and free from the misery of a bitter leader that effective leadership is going to lead to effective families.
Scripture says:
1Peter 3:1 – Wives, likewise, [be] submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
Without a word. Without a word. Without a word. I thought I read that… Oh, it is only in there once? I am going to read it three times because it is a tendency on the part of wives to want to, “Here, I will fix this with my words.”
They, without a word, may be won by what? The conduct of their wives…
1Peter 3:2 – when they observe your chaste conduct [accompanied] by fear.
They are watching you all the time, aren’t they?
And what are they observing? A chaste conduct accompanied by a holy fear of Elohim, realizing that you don’t want to step out of your place in the headship department? Or are they seeing the opposite– unsubmissiveness and a whole bunch of words trying to change the husband, trying to be the neck that turns the head?
So a husband can be won without a single word actually being spoken.
Husbands are supposed to be respected in reverence, not because husbands are anything at all, but that is how a husband often times will receive love. For a wife to disrespect a husband and to show disdain and hatred toward him, to beat him down, it is only going to make it harder for him to love her.
Some wives put the Scripture pellets in their machine gun and “cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-cha” use the seeds like bullets and pelt their husbands during an argument, and some husbands do the same toward their wives, each of them showing the other person why the other person is so wrong.
It doesn’t work. Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t work. It is not of Yahweh. It is not Yahweh’s way.
Ladies, chaste conduct accompanied with what? Fear… a holy fear of Elohim. That is what is going to work. The old adage says, “Preach everywhere,” right? “And only when necessary, use words.”
We can win souls by either sharing the Word verbally or sharing the Word by example. Scripture says for wives to share the Word by example. That is the precedence that we are given– to share the Word by example.
And so, that is what Scripture instructs. It takes trust… trust in Yahweh to do His part in what He says to do here. And He will. It may not happen in your timetable, but it will happen in His timetable if it is going to happen.
We may actually be planting seeds of rebellion in our children’s hearts simply by how husbands and wives treat each other. If a husband is failing in his love for his wife, the children are really struggling with that. They don’t see the heavenly Father, the heavenly Bridegroom, as a loving person.
And so, daughters especially, will rebel against fathers who are not showing proper love toward their wives and they will go off and look for a different kind of husband, often one that does not believe in Yahweh.
And for all of us, as parents, we have to be careful that wives are not setting a precedence of, “Ok, when my husband doesn’t love properly, therefore, I have an excuse to shake my fist and rebel and fight and argue, and so on,” planting seeds of rebellion through bitterness. So Scripture says:
Colossians 3:19 – Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
20 – Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to YAHWEH.
21 – Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Another verse…
Ephesians 6:1 – Children, obey your parents in Yahweh, for this is right.
2 – Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise:
3 – that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.
Ephesians 6:4 – And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of Yahweh.
How do you provoke someone to wrath? Our goal is to provoke our children to obedience, but if we are not careful, we can provoke them to wrath instead and plant bitter things in their hearts. And mothers are just as capable of doing this as fathers.
What is it that provokes a child to wrath? Proverbs 15, verse 1, says:
Proverbs 15:1 – A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
It provokes to wrath. What is a harsh word? The Hebrew word “etseb” means “pain,” “hurt,” “toil,” “sorrow.”
6089 ‘etseb {eh’-tseb} Meaning: 1) pain, hurt, toil, sorrow, labour, hardship 1a) pain 1b) hurt, offense.
Genesis 3:16 – To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire [shall be] for your husband, And he shall rule over you.
In “pain” (“etseb”). So if we are speaking words that wound, we are stirring up anger. We are provoking to wrath. If we say something to a child and they are hurt by that statement, we are disobeying Scripture, which says do not provoke them to wrath. We are disobeying Scripture.
Oh, we like to quote this one: “Children, obey your parents in Yahweh.” But what about verse 4? Parents, are we provoking our children to wrath? Are we following our part here? We don’t want to wound and hurt our children with our words. Our goal is to love them, to build them up, to heal any wounds they may have, because Scripture says:
1Corinthians 13:1 – Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 – And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Maybe we grow impatient with our children, and we say, “How many times have I told you? How many times do I have to repeat myself? Why don’t you listen?” And we get upset and we get angry. We get judgmental. We provoke. We say hurtful words to try to get them to do what we want.
And Yahweh in heaven is going, “Yeah… yes, son, yes daughter, yes. Tell Me, how many times have I had to tell you about this over here, like don’t provoke your children to wrath?” Bitter judgments. Bitter roots.
So even though we are parents, we have to remember that we are also children ourselves. And being children ourselves, we know sometimes Yahweh has to remind us a few times before we get it, right? Probably more than once.
Deuteronomy 6:5 – You shall love YAHWEH your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 – And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
They shall be in your heart.
Deuteronomy 6:7 – You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
This word “diligently,” what does this mean in the Hebrew? Interesting word: “shanan.” It means “to sharpen.”
08150 shanan {shaw-nan’} Meaning: 1) to sharpen, whet 1a) (Qal) to whet, sharpen 1b) (Piel) to sharpen, teach (incisively) 1c) (Hithpolel) to be pierced Origin: a primitive root; TWOT – 2422; v Usage: AV – sharp 4, whet 2, sharpen 1, prick 1, teach diligently 1; 9.
What do you do when you sharpen something? You just, you know, here is your sharpening stone. You have your knife… whoost! One time, you are done. No! Over and over and over and over. Same thing with arrows. You have to sharpen them over and over and over again, right?
So when Scripture says “teach them diligently,” that means “over and over and over and over.” Sometimes we have to hear words “over and over and over and over” before it gets into that heart and we remember and we have success.
How many times does Yahweh have to tell us? Repeating is sometimes how we learn to love. And sometimes you have to listen again and again. You may have to listen to these studies on bitterness again and again before you will get everything that I am sharing.
If you want to learn your multiplication tables, or you want to know a school subject very well, what do they do? Drills. Other methods. Flash cards. Whatever it takes to make a permanent imprint in you minds. And what does Yahweh say to do?
Deuteronomy 6:8 – You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 – You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
See, Yahweh knows we are prone to forgetting. And guess what? Our children are, too. We are all guilty of it. We are all guilty of not always making the right choice when faced with temptations, right? And we were once children ourselves, weren’t we?
Sometimes parents can carry their bitterness that they have toward their parents into the way they raise their children. We have to be sure we are not under disciplining a specific area in our children because we are bitter at how our parents over disciplined us or handled our disobedience in that area.
We have to be careful that we are not over disciplining our children in a specific area because we are afraid our children will turn out like our parents were toward us. And we use anger.
I can tell you, I have two children who are raised– 24 and 23 years old. And guess what? There are two specific areas I remember allowing myself to employ anger to correct them. I thought these are so important I am going to really make sure they get this.
And I allowed myself to exhibit anger. And those two areas were areas they struggle with to this day.
It didn’t work. Because the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of Elohim. It doesn’t work. So, Yahweh, give us discernment and discretion. What we really need to do is humble ourselves. We as parents sometimes wrong our children and we have to ask them for forgiveness. And I have many times.
And we, as brethren, look. Sometimes we wrong each other. We mistreat each other. And we need to be humble and ask for forgiveness. Perhaps we had parents who hurt us, parents who yielded to temptation and wronged us in various ways and they hurt us deeply.
What we all need is not more anger. What we all need is not more works of the flesh. What we all need is not more judgment and condemnation. What we all need is not more fault-finding and posturing and finger-pointing. What we need is grace. What we need is building-up. What we need is edifying each other rather than tearing each other down.
Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of Elohim, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 – Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
He starts with bitterness, doesn’t he? Everything comes out of that– the wrath, the anger, the clamor, evil speaking. It all comes out of the bitter heart, making you unable to properly impart what? Grace to the hearers, whether the hearer is your child or another person that you are trying to reach with the truth, or whoever.
Ephesians 4:32 – And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as Elohim in Messiah forgave you.
Listen, we only have one life to live here on this earth. You know, we are all together in this sin-laden world, and there are these temptations galore out there and we need to show mercy toward each other because we are going to need all the mercy we can get on the day of judgment.
Matthew 5:7 – Blessed [are] the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
If someone yielded to temptation in an area that you have never been tempted, you have never been tempted by that, look at them with sadness over what happened. Look at them with compassion. Look at them, and say, “I am thankful I am not tempted by that. I really hope they can overcome.” Rather than this judging, harsh anger.
I mean, listen, if you had their upbringing, experienced the things they experienced, walked the miles they walked… I don’t care if it is someone yelling at their kid at the grocery store or someone shooting up the school and killing people, I don’t care who it is…
Can you be one hundred percent sure that if you lived what they lived, experienced what they experienced, and were brought up the way they were brought up and your mind was constructed like their mind, can you be one hundred percent sure you wouldn’t find yourself committing the same things, making the same wrong choices?
We all need humility and understanding and we all need to be people who are more focused on helping than condemning because we all have weaknesses. You may have a weakness somewhere I don’t have a weakness. I may have a weakness in some area you don’t have a weakness.
It doesn’t help to be bitter toward others over their particular weaknesses or failings especially since we have weaknesses ourselves– maybe a different area, but weaknesses nonetheless. And if we took a real hard look, we might even find that we are committing the same things in a different way that they are.
But we are all called to humility and patience and love. Yahushua was at all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. And yet, He extends His love to us. Let’s do the same for others and be careful we are not bitter at someone else who is bitter or we find ourselves in our bitter judgments condemning a bitter person and we are doing the same thing.
So, this is so important, brothers and sisters. I don’t care if the person who hurt you was an abusive, evil monster who showed no signs of being hurt. In all likelihood they were. But it doesn’t matter because the truth is we all need grace. We all need grace.
And so, here are some practical steps to resolve unforgiveness, to resolve bitterness. Some practical steps. And then we are going to also talk about how to pray. And this is the exercise I was telling you about:
1. First of all, realize that you may not be any better than they are. Their sin is a different sin than your sin. Okay. Their sin may be worse than your sin in your eyes. Maybe in Yahweh’s eyes, your sin is worse. Are you sure that your own sin is actually better? Does it really matter? All it takes is one sin to separate us from Yahweh, right?
How many sins did it take for Adam to be kicked out of the garden? Just one. Basically, we are all in the same boat. Okay, their sin was a different sin. But that is all it takes, is one sin. What does it matter? We all need Yahushua. We all need Yahushua to die for us. Even if we committed one sin, we would need Yahushua to come and die for us.
If we had one lustful thought, men, or one fearful thought that was not from Yahweh, it was from the spirit of fear, and we entertained it and we embraced it, guess what? We need a Savior. So the truth is we all need grace. Humble yourself.
James 4:10 – Humble yourselves in the sight of YAHWEH, and He will lift you up.
11 – Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 – There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
So take a minute and think about any person, or persons, you are struggling with bitterness against and take this to heart.
2. Secondly, realize that hatred and rejection from men, when people mistreat you as a result of your faith, it is normal. It is expected. It’s a part of our lives in this age. It is a part of the program we signed up for, actually. We come into whatever it is that we come into as believers. If we are really living like Messiah did, guess what?
Isaiah 53:3 – He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, [our] faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
And He said:
John 15:18 – If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you.
19 – If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
So if a worldly person is not treating you properly, guess what? He didn’t treat Him properly. What do you expect?
I mean, if the person that is mistreating you is not a believer, how can you have any expectation out of them, really? I mean, they don’t have any power to overcome sin. They don’t have the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling in them. What do you expect? So what is my advice?
3. Lower your expectations and realize that we all are in need of a Savior.
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim,
Just lower your expectations. Probably one of the greatest, most damaging things to a relationship is these expectations we put on others. Lower your expectations, not to the extent to where you think less of them, but to realize that we are all prone to failure. We are all prone to it.
4. And fourthly, express a willingness to suffer and to bear with others’ sins. Yahushua did that for you and is continually doing that for you. If somebody wrongs me, I have to be willing to suffer. I have to be willing to be longsuffering.
I have to be willing to bear with it just as I hope the other person will bear with my wrongs and my idiosyncrasies and my failures. And sometimes we do. We do not want to see another person fail, and we have all these hopes for them, but realize that they are capable, not that we expect them to fail, but we are capable of making mistakes.
And so, don’t demand so much out of them when you yourself are also struggling. But if they do fail, express a willingness to suffer and bear with their sins.
1Peter 2:21 – For to this you were called, because Messiah also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
Colossians 3:12 – Therefore, as [the] elect of Elohim, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
Look, if we are all perfect already, why do we have to be longsuffering. There is an expectation here that guess what? We are not all perfect. And so, we are going to need longsuffering.
Colossians 3:13 – bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Messiah forgave you, so you also [must do].
Ephesians 4:1 – I, therefore, the prisoner of Yahweh, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2 – with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3 – endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Most of these things have to do with humbling ourselves. That’s basically what it boils down to.
5. Try to understand the person. I am not saying excuse away their sin. I am not saying that at all. But ask Yahweh to show you how HE sees them.
He may reveal to you, “Yes, they have this issue, but do you know what? As much as I hate that issue, I am working on this other issue right now. So that they can have this other issue resolved, I have to work on this one thing that you are not seeing.”
Look, everyone is Yahweh’s workmanship, ultimately. I don’t care if it is your man down the street, our wives, our children. We are all Yahweh’s workmanship. And we need to respect that.
But if you can look at the person, instead of eyes of judgment, with eyes of compassion, you may find (I don’t care how big and strong and mean and tough they are) a hurting little boy inside, (I don’t care how rebellious and hateful, or whatever, a woman could be) a hurting little girl inside. And they need a Savior to come and heal them.
And realize, look, the enemy has taken advantage of their hurt and held them captive to do his will. You may feel you will never act as they do, but you just never know. You… just… never… know. Be humble.
And so, with these things in mind, include these elements in your prayer:
1. Draw near to Yahweh and in the shadow of His wings. Yes, you have been hurt, but guess what? There is healing in the shadow of His wings from the wounds of your own heart. We shared this in an earlier segment about Yahweh not only can heal the body, He can heal also the heart wounds.
And, in fact, you may not get the healing in your heart you are looking for until you release and forgive the person who has hurt you.
2. Secondly, take responsibility for any areas that you also may have hurt others with the same sin or hurt others because of the hurt you receive from that person. Because hurting people hurt people. Take responsibility for those. Take responsibility for a bitter root that is in your heart and recognize it as a sin.
Just as the person who hurt you sinned when they hurt you, you also have sinned by holding on to a bitter root of hatred, a bitter root of judgment toward them. That is not from Yahweh.
3. Thirdly, repent for holding that bitterness in your heart. Repent for not living the way that Yahushua would live. And the repentance has to be genuine from the heart. You can’t hold anything back. You have to recognize it as one-hundred-percent, complete and total wrong– the opposite way Yahushua and Yahweh have treated you in your sin problem.
4. And fourthly, release that person, or persons, and actually ask Yahweh to bless them. You want to repent for holding the bitternesses, for not being willing to be longsuffering, for looking too much toward man rather Yahweh for your source of acceptance and self-worth, and for not forgiving the other person the way you have been forgiven.
You want to repent for any arrogant words or bitter judgment you have spoken against the other person, especially if it is a parent. For example, a person that is a parent may have said very hurtful words: “You will never amount to anything.” You have to release them. You have to forgive them. Let it go. They don’t define you. Yahweh defines you.
Repent for any hurtful words you may have said to you children. Repent for any hurtful words you may have said to your parents… something like, “I’ll never be like you! I’ll never treat my children the way you treat me.” Bitter judgments. Bitter roots.
Or if someone is hurt in a relationship with someone of the opposite gender, “Well, I’ll never let a man or a woman into my heart again.” “I’ll never this. I’ll never that.” Watch out for those “I’ll nevers.”
Also, you need to repent of anything that you have spoken to others that affected them and their identity. It is one thing to say, “You made a mistake.” It is another thing to say, “You are an idiot. You are disgusting.” Those are characterizations of people coming out of bitter roots.
We need to repent of those bitter judgments and release that person, asking Yahweh to bless them with salvation, bless them with a loving spirit, bless them with healing in their hearts so that they might be everything Yahweh called them to be. He didn’t create them to be whatever negative thing you are seeing.
And ask Yahweh to not charge them with their sin, but that they would come to His throne of grace, have their eyes opened and receive healing, receive forgiveness.
And because you do, you are willing to completely release them and you are not willing to retain any of their sins. You desire to see that person in eternity with a glorious, glorious testimony of grace. That is your desire, not that they would be judged, but that they would be saved.
And not only them, but anyone who acts like they do. Bless them with salvation. Bless them with healing in their hearts that is obviously wounded and that is why they are hurting people. “Yahweh, don’t charge them with that sin. Bring them to the throne of grace so they will be released.”
5. Next, completely renounce any and all bitterness you have allowed your heart to hold inside. We repent and then we renounce it, verbally. “That’s not me. Yahushua Ha Mashiach. It is no longer I who live. Now it is Yahushua who lives in me.”
Yahushua is not bitter at anybody. He is not bitter at me because of my sin. I am not going to be bitter at another person for their sin. I am called to walk in mercy. I am called to walk in grace. Completely renounce any and all bitterness you have allowed your heart to hold.
7. Finally, Ask Yahweh that He would continue to reveal any other areas where your heart may be holding bitterness against another person. Ask Him to keep you from temptation, and to deliver you from the enemy and to empower you to overcome sin, the sin of bitterness and the fruits that come out of it.
Now I have on my website the five areas to get our heart right in the right place and the seven elements of our prayer that we want to include… Ah, yes! the eighth element:
8. REJOICE IN THE JOY OF SALVATION!
Actually, the joy of salvation is the great part because when you release somebody it is like this heavy, heavy weight just comes off your shoulders, and you are like, “I’m free! I’m free now!” It is like, “Wow! I’ve been carrying this all these years. Why did I do that?”
It is just buying into Satan’s lie that this is going to help you, and really it doesn’t. It only hurts you. So rejoice in the joy of salvation. And now Yahweh may choose to have mercy on you and heal you of whatever physical disease you may have because the spiritual bitter root has been resolved.
And I know it happens. I know it does. And in fact, it happens a lot.
But you can download this at: http://EliYah.com/bitterness.pdf. And with your prayers, I am not telling you what to pray, necessarily, but some scriptural elements that we want to include in our prayers.
And I am hesitant to just say, “Well, here, say this prayer and fill in the blank,” because it can become ritualistic and it can be something that is not really from the heart. And so, it is not really resolved. But here are some areas, some elements, that you want to make sure you include in your prayers.
As you release others and you free others, amazing things can happen in your life… amazing changes can happen in your life. When we are no longer bitter, finally our lives can get better.
And we are going to continue to share. Next segment has to do with bitterness against self. It is another huge area. We may not even realize we are having bitterness against ourselves. And this is all kind of interconnected.
So if you are having a real struggle with letting someone go and their particular sin they have committed against you, wait until the next segment is shared and then you may be able to be set free at that point.
So I have more to say and looking forward to sharing it. So let’s go ahead for now and have a word of prayer together to Yahweh…
Heavenly Father, Yahweh, Thank You for Your abundant, awesome, immeasurable, unending fountain of grace that You have continually bestowed upon us and granted us through Yahushua our Savior, our Redeemer, the One who died for us. He did not choose bitterness toward us. He chose to love us just as You chose to love us.
And, Father, we thank You for that love. Father, forgive us where we have failed to manifest Your love toward others in that same manner. Teach us, Father Yahweh. Retrain our minds. Whatever it takes.
If we have to hear Your words being spoken fifty times a day, or supernaturally by Your Spirit, write these words in our heart that we might be living manifestations of Yahushua, the Living Word that became flesh and dwelled among us, so that we might be a glorious testimony of the power of Your Spirit, the power of Your Word…
To show others, truly, You live and there is an Elohim in Yisrael and You are that Elohim. And I pray, Father Yahweh, that the words that I have spoken would bring healing to anybody who is suffering, from anything from arthritis to heart disease to cancer, that they would be touched with Your healing hands.
And I pray, Father Yahweh, that, most importantly, the hearts would be healed as well. We are looking for complete healing– mind, body, and spirit– everything, Father. We know that You are Yahweh Ropheka, Yahweh our Healer, and we put our trust in You right now for our healing of every part of us.
For You are the Elohim of love. You are love, and we know You want to heal us. We bring repentance in these areas.
And, Father, for any who are struggling with bitterness and are ready to lay it down, I pray, Father, at the conclusion of this prayer and the study today that they would go before You in prayer in these areas and receive healing, receive freedom, as they release others.
For truly, You, Yahweh Ropheka, Yahweh Elohenu, Yahweh our Mighty One, Yahweh Malkeinu, Yahweh our King, we look to You who satisfies the desires of every living thing. Give us our heart’s desire and free the body of Messiah from bitterness. And it is through our Savior Yahushua Ha Mashiach’s name we pray these things. Amein.