"Playing A Game With Bitterness"

My Dear Friends,

Sorry about the delay on this blog., I hit a writers block, and I'm having trouble with my health, so I have not been feeling up to par.

I'm reading this book called “Biblical Foundations of Freedom,” Destroying Satan's Lies with God's truth. It is by, Art Mathias, I have been learning a lot, and God is using it to bring me into freedom on different issues.

I came across a good point that I would like to share with you today. It is helping me to change my perspective on marriage. Getting it more lined up with Gods perspective.

I have been learning about bitterness. It talks about, spending time with a bitter person, mentioning that when we encounter a person that is bitter, we play a game like tennis with them. We cop an attitude when we are around some-one who is bitter, so because of our own attitude, bitterness flows from our spirit towards them.

So, it ends up, me being bitter towards them, and then, they in turn become bitter towards me. (A tennis game in progress.)

I was thinking about this, and how true that is, especially in marriage. I repented of doing this, and decided instead of picking up a racket of bitterness, I would pick up a racket of love. Every time that he would throw out bitterness, I would hit the ball with love. And I would try to start the game with love and not cop an attitude.

This has actually helped me. I have gotten a more loving attitude towards my husband. And now I keep saying to myself I am going to hit that ball with love. And have actually found myself being able to do that. I guess that God is really changing my heart!

The Bible tells me that love does not fail!   My friend mentioned another verse that is very good,   1 Peter 1:8 ...Love will cover a multitude of sin.

I want to mention one more thing, There are seven things that are related to bitterness. Unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, anger, hatred, violence, and finally murder. All starting with unforgiveness. Wow, now I know why Jesus made such a big issue with loving, and forgiving. And not even to go to bed angry.  Now, I know where it will lead.

So, I encourage you, and me, to hit that ball of bitterness or any thing else that is not loving, with a racket of love.

 And lets work on not going to bed angry.

Remember Love never fails!

 I'm speaking to my self also.

May God Bless You, my readers.    

Husband and agreement!

                                                       

Please hear me out, this blog may start to ruffle some feathers.  Please keep reading the next couple of blogs, and allow me to tell you what all has happened.

I was reading in the bible about the power of agreement, I made a sarcastic remark to God.    I have been married for eight years.   I have not been in agreement with my husband with any thing big or small.   I could count the number of times that we were in agreement, on one hand.

That day, I went to my friends house and we started to talk.  Some how agreeing with husbands came up and I started to tell her what I was going through.  She comes back at me saying, “that sounds selfish you are not trusting God.”  I took a deep breath and we talked and prayed.   When we prayed, it was powerful!   God dealt with me.  I had to deal with anger, unforgiveness, resentfulness, pride, fear, and rebellion.   By the time we were through I was exhausted.   But I felt a whole lot lighter on the inside.

A couple of days went by, and as I was e-mailing a friend, she mentioned that husband's are not just to be the head of the family, but to be the spiritual head also.   Which I knew, but now God was dealing with me on a personal level.    Conviction set in.   I needed to get help working through this.    I called a man of God and we talked and prayed.

God had put a lot of things in me, and I know that God had a big plan for my life.   I desired to marry a missionary and have a partner to pray with, and touch peoples lives with. I waited 43 years to get married because of those desires.   I honestly felt that he was there to help me, and not the other way around.   So, I had to put things in order.  I had to change my heart and trust God.   If I do what I'm supposed to do, be his help mate, then God would be big enough to work out everything he put in me.

I wondered about making goals and plans with Crickett. (could that even be possible!) At that moment he was feeling to depressed for me to even want to approach him.   But my desire that someday we could do that.   Now, this was all a VERY BIG step for me.

A few days later I was back at my friends house and she told me that when God was dealing with her, she would pray, let his desires be my desires and his thoughts my thoughts.   Wow, could I actually do that? After a few hard minutes, we prayed. I was able to repeat line by line everything she had written on a piece of paper. (and it got very personal.)

So, during these couple of weeks,

I learned, to be in agreement with my husband.

I learned, to be his helper.

And finally, I learned to pray and ask God that his desires and thoughts, be my desires and thoughts.

Wow, what a concept!

Diffidently, not what the world teaches.  Please read on to see what happened.

I had a chance to put into practice, agreeing with my husband on something big.   My husband came to me and asked if we had to be stuck in the desert, would I be interested in trying to get this house, if things worked out.  I told him that I did not think we were going to be here for ever.   I then shared with Crickett all that I had learned these past couple of weeks, and I asked him if he really wanted to get this house.   He said no, that he did not want to be in California. (which I knew) and then he said, Colorado.  So with my heart, I said, “I agree.”

My heart had changed and with sincerity I was able to say, I agree.   I was feeling confident at this point, that God could accomplish what ever he put in me, if I became Crickett's help-mate.   For the bottom line is,  God put desires in me, and I 'm believing He can get them out of me.    We looked at some nice places on global earth, that would meet our needs.  Seeing that I was receptive he then started to talk about farming, houses, and games on the computer.

 My heart was being filled with compassion for him. I was feeling closer then I had been in a long time.  This whole marriage has been nothing but division.  It is amazing how not being divided can touch your heart, and bring you peace.    I had no idea that this was so powerful.   I'm hoping things will start to turn around.