{"id":13746,"date":"2013-08-02T01:00:29","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T05:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=13746"},"modified":"2013-08-01T21:34:44","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T01:34:44","slug":"glorious-living-w-coach-megan-overcoming-bitterness-with-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/08\/02\/glorious-living-w-coach-megan-overcoming-bitterness-with-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Glorious Living w\/ Coach Megan: Overcoming Bitterness with Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GL<\/a><\/p>\n

Coach Megan, <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I won’t go into all the details, but I know that I have been burying a lot of anger for a long time now and now it is at the point that it is hard for me to be hopeful for change. It is hurting me so much and many of my relationships as well. I pray you can give me some direction. Bless you, K.<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

My Dear K,<\/p>\n

Thank you for reaching out and I do pray that these Biblical answers will be helpful to you in this desperate situation.\u00a0 What I heard lying beneath your cry for help is that you are struggling with bitterness, which is powerfully pushing you down into a ditch of despair.\u00a0 Signs of bitterness can be subtle at first, but very soon it swirls into a chaos of complaints, unforgiveness, depression, sustained grief, hopelessness, and even rage against God.\u00a0 Most people find it difficult to admit that they are bitter….\u00a0 They say things like “I’m not bitter, but I just can’t forgive him!” or, “I’m not angry, but it’s just not fair.” \u00a0Bitterness is buried anger that has become stuck in resentment and unresolved anger is like a big, heavy chain that ties us to the past.<\/p>\n

\n

Hebrews 12:15<\/b>
\nSee to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that <\/em>
\nno bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.<\/em><\/p>\n

When you are struggling to overcome bitterness, you must:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
  • Believe that it is possible, with God’s help, to get rid of all of your resentment.<\/li>\n
  • Know that you are not a helpless victim of other people, circumstances, or events.<\/li>\n
  • Take personal responsibility for your attitude of bitterness.<\/li>\n
  • Confess before God that you are harboring anger.\u00a0 Express your true desire to overcome the bondage of bitterness.<\/li>\n
  • Search your heart for the past events or people that embitter your heart, then release your right for revenge.<\/li>\n
  • Understand that only a close relationship with Jesus can give you the love and confidence to let go. \u00a0Leave your vengeance to the judgment of God.<\/li>\n
  • Cultivate a heart of forgiveness toward others that allows you to experience God’s total forgiveness of you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Putting your hope in Christ will keep you from being wrecked by the crushing events of life. Although your anchor is unseen, you will feel it’s pull and know it is holding you. \u00a0No matter what storm you might be presently enduring or might soon be encountering, if your anchor is Jesus, your anchor will hold!\u00a0 Extraordinary benefits await you when you hold on to the hope He offers… benefits based on the promises of God, benefits both in this present life and in the life to come. You cannot earn or deserve the benefits of hope…they are a gift of grace to you based on the Lord’s great love for you.\u00a0 His Word shows us what these benefits are as HIS blessed hope…<\/p>\n

    Generates faith and love in you<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Colossians 1:4-5<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God\u2019s people\u2014
    \nthe faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven
    \nand about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel,<\/p>\n

    Causes you to live a pure life<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    1 John 3:3<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    \u00a0All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    Inspires you to persevere with endurance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    1 Thessalonians 1:3<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, <\/em>
    \nyour labor prompted by love, <\/em>
    \nand your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Uplifts your downcast soul<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Psalm 42:5<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    Why, my soul, are you downcast?\u00a0 <\/span>Why so disturbed within me?<\/span><\/span><\/em>
    \nPut your hope in God,<\/span>for I will yet praise him, <\/span><\/span>my Savior and my God.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    Causes you to praise God<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Psalm 71:14<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    As for me, I will always have hope;<\/em><\/span>I will praise you more and more.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    Anchors your soul<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Hebrews 6:19<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    \u00a0We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

    Gives you reason to rejoice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Romans 5:2<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.<\/i>
    \nAnd we boast in the hope of the glory of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Establishes your security and safety<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Job 11:18<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    You will be secure, because there is hope; <\/em><\/span>you will look about you and take your rest in safety.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    Guarantees your eternal life<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Titus 3:5-7<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

    he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. <\/i>
    \nHe saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
    \nwhom he poured out on us
    \ngenerously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace,
    \nwe might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    Blessings,<\/p>\n

    Coach Megan \ud83d\ude42<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Coach Megan, I won’t go into all the details, but I know that I have been burying a lot of anger for a long time now and now it is at the point that it is hard for me to be hopeful for change. It is hurting me so much and many of my relationships […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":10750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1977],"tags":[3118,3119,3110,3109,217,218,3117,3114,3112,425,2073,2495,436,3113,1763,3122,518,3111,3115,3124,3120,3121,3116,888,3123,3125,1095],"class_list":["post-13746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glorious-living","tag-1-john-33","tag-1-thessalonians-13","tag-anger","tag-bitterness","tag-christian-walk","tag-christianity","tag-colossians-14-5","tag-despair","tag-despression","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-glorious-living-with-coach-megan","tag-glory-to-glory-christian-life-coaching","tag-god","tag-grief","tag-hebrews-1215","tag-hebrews-619","tag-hope","tag-hope-through-chriist","tag-hopeless","tag-job-1118","tag-psalm-425","tag-psalm-7114","tag-rage-against-god","tag-resentment","tag-romans-52","tag-titus-35-7","tag-unforgiveness","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/GL-header.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-3zI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13746"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13749,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13746\/revisions\/13749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}