Unforgiveness and bitterness are toxic attitudes that may limit our experience of God’s grace and hinder our relationships with others.
In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where a servant who’s forgiven a large debt by his master refuses to forgive a fellow servant a much smaller debt. The master then revokes his forgiveness, and the unforgiving servant is handed over to the tormentors. Jesus concludes by saying that that is how the heavenly Father will treat those that don’t forgive others from their heart. Unforgiveness limits our ability to receive God’s forgiveness and beauty.
Hebrews 12:15 warns, “See to it that nobody falls in need of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows as much as cause trouble and defile many.” Bitterness not only affects our own spiritual health but in addition poisons our relationships with others. It limits God’s ability to bring healing and reconciliation, as bitterness often results in more conflict and division.
Unforgiveness and bitterness create a barrier between us and God. They keep us trapped prior to now, unable to maneuver forward into the long run God has for us. The Bible teaches that we should always forgive others as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32), and in doing so, we open the door for God’s healing and restorative power to flow in our lives.
The Bible shows us that while God’s power is limitless, our attitudes and actions can limit how we experience His work in our lives. Unbelief, disobedience, fear, pride, neglecting prayer, worldliness, and unforgiveness are all ways wherein we will place barriers between ourselves and God. These limitations aren’t about diminishing God’s power but about restricting our own access to the fullness of His blessings and guidance.
To avoid these limitations, the Bible encourages us to cultivate faith, obedience, humility, and an in depth relationship with God through prayer. By doing so, we align ourselves with God’s will and open the door for Him to work powerfully in and thru us. The challenge for each believer is to acknowledge and take away these limitations, allowing God to be truly limitless in our lives.
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Becky Tyndall Burkett is from Texas and has been writing for greater than 20 years. A wife and mom of 4, she appreciates the incomparable value of the family unit in on a regular basis life, and he or she understands the invaluable role a relationship with Jesus plays in our every day walk.
After losing her mother while she was in college, Becky struggled to make sense of God’s will, but over time, in His goodness, He gave her beauty for ashes and gladness for mourning (Isaiah 61:3), using it to grow her faith within the Lord and her heart for others experiencing the pain of loss.
Becky is knowledgeable creative author and kids’s creator with years of experience in print journalism and online content writing. She has written several children’s books, including Coco Juego, Sandcastles for Sean: A Yellow Story, and You, Only You, amongst others. Becky can be the creator of Farewell Performance, a gorgeous tale of God’s will and His presence during our grief told within the story of a loving theater owner and a sparkling stage show that was gone too soon.
She’s currently writing a memoir about her grandparents and their lives’ journeys, titled I’ll See You within the Morning.
You can find her on her Facebook page, Lifted, on LinkedIn, and look at her online portfolio at Authory.com.
