DIGGING UP CORPSES;
“ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. “-{Ephesians 4:31}
Someone said going back over past hurts, and raking over them and bringing them up again and again and holding against a person is like going to a grave yard and digging up a corpse! Nothing good comes out of digging up a corpse- ONLY THE BITTER GO BACK TO THE GRAVE AND DIG UP FUEL FOR THEIR BITTERNESS! “LOVE holds no records of wrongs…”- 1 COR 13 :4-7. WE ARE ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS- and as you well know that is a full time job?! Could you imagine seeing someone with a shovel, digging up graves, or hearing of someone who does, you would think they are strange, not right in the head, there is something wrong with them. imagine if you heard when they dug up the grave, the opened the casket, and crawled into it and slept with the decomposing corpse if it has just been freshly laid, or even if it is there along time, re arranging the bones and sleeping with them, going there every night, thinking about it, acting on it and sleeping with corpses! How insane! yet how many of us “dig up corpses” – past hurts, we seek them out, coddle them, go to bed with them, wake up with them, think on them throughout the day and make our decisions based on them- it is called, “holding grudges” it is lovelessness according to 1 Cor 13:4-7. When we “hold onto hurts, they fester, like a corpse, they decompose, they stink, they are not to be embraced but buried under the blood of Jesus, “bitter ” thoughts, lead to “bitter” actions” which offend God, “Infect ” others potentially and what is devoid in a corpse is life- so when a believer embraces such “bitterness” what is devoid is LOVE FOR GOD and LOVE FOR OTHERS.
Oh, some may object and say, “I do love others, just not that person or those people…” this is not LOVE which God speaks of which includes FORGIVENESS. Bitterness is unforgiveness and is to be detested as to that which hurts, offends God. It is to dig up corpses and live among them in the “spiritual” realm and to deny you are a “new creation” in Christ. Not that you forfeit your salvation, but you are not living it. To be saved- means to be rescued, delivered out from and Delivered TO… you and I have been RESCUED, SAVED, DELIVERED OUT FROM A LIFE OF LIVING AMONG THE CORPSES– SPIRITUALLY DEAD… AND WE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO… JESUS CHRIST AND GIFTED ETERNAL LIFE …to “WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.” The Bibles says, “PUT OFF”- DISCARD… as you would a filthy, contaminated garment and “PUT ON…LOVE.” as the NEW GARMENT of graciousness, which bitterness is devoid of. STOP living like a lost person. START Choosing to LOVE and Live out this NEW Life imparted to you. Indeed it is not perfection but a new direction. It is to discard old habits, thinking patterns and acting upon those sinful thought patterns and replace those thought with GOD’S WORD, and LEARN TO THINK ON TRUTH and PRACTICE it and develop new PATTERNS of THINKING, SPEAKING, DOING…Because you CAN, Because God in Christ has made this not only a possibility but POWER TO MAKE IT ACTUAL. Stop Digging up Graves and sleeping with corpses and carrying them around. START Living with WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST- A NEW CREATION, A NEW MASTER, A NEW POWER, A NEW BEGINNING.
GOD IS YOUR VERY HELP AND HOPE THIS MOMENT TO BEGIN ANEW!
IT was for FREEDOM that Christ died, so you may never , ever again be placed back under the bondage of Bitterness- { Gal 5:1}.
HOPE IN GOD and Guard your Heart, Practice and Maintain Love for God and be a LOVING INFLUENCE on Others- for JESUS SAKE!
THIS GOES FORTH WITH PRAYERS FOR A NEW BEGINNING FOR YOU, AND ME –
NO LONGER A CHOSEN SLAVE TO BITTERNESS BUT A SUBMISSIVE SLAVE TO JESUS CHRIST TO FOLLOW HIM IN OBEDIENCE AND… LOVE.
HOW CAN YOU?
- Own the sin of bitterness. It is my sin
- Confess it as your sin. Repent turn to Him
- Replace the thoughts with His Word, knowing you have the POWER to THINK right and DO Right {Read 2 Peter 1:3-4}
- Hide His Word in your heart and practice these three truths. “Be being kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
- What about my feelings? Submit them to the LORD, practice His Word for His sake. {Read 2 cor 4:5- ‘…Ourselves your servants for Jesus sake”}
- He will change you to walk in love. One thought,one choice at a time maintaining the attitude of forgiveness. If it comes back to mind remind yourself , you have forgiven the person and keep practicing kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness.
Memorize, Mediate, Practice this verse. -Ephesians 4:32.
The Spirit of God will empower you {Rom 8:26}. Place the verse somewhere you can see it daily. Perhaps on a mirror in your bathroom. beside a kitchen sink, a place where you can see it. Read it as you brush your teeth perhaps and read word for word , phrase for phrase and if you do that twice a day for one month you will have read it 60 times approximately… and the Holy Spirit can recall to your mind when tempted to “Dig Up Corpses.” That’s the behavior of the “old you,” the new you “IN CHRIST” has the Power and the Word to law aside that way of thinking and doing and practice His way which He promises He will empower you to do. LEAVE THE ‘CORPSES” IN THE GRAVE! You get on with living for the LORD Jesus, Loving Him and others!
God hasn’t called you to be a spiritual “Grave Digger,’ but a lover of people. Choosing to love them not based on feelings but by choice… one at a time… for His sake!
Memorize, Meditate, Practice;
” Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. “- Eph 4:32