Bitterness is a plague to the soul.  John Courson has rightly said of the subject, “Bitterness is like taking a bottle of poison, swallowing it, and waiting for the other person to die.”  Bitterness may take root in just a moment’s time, but its fruit remains for years if left unattended.  It grows and grows eventually taking over the garden of the soul.  What are some root causes of bitterness, and more importantly, how do we cut it out of our lives?

Unforgiveness

All of us have been wronged at some point in our lives by a relative, co-worker, …

1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11

Introduction:

The believer in this world should not be ignorant concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We know the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, but it should not overtake the believer in that fashion.

I. THE BELIEVER AND HIS WISDOM (v1-3)

A. The Indwelling Discernment- “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”

B. The Impending Destruction- “For when they …

“Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; but they are the instruments of the wise” –Samuel Lover

“Some treat adversity as a stepping stone, others a tombstone” –John Maxwell

“The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes from when we suffer without learning the lesson” –Emmett Fox

“You and I obviously do not seek out adversity just so we can develop a deeper relationship with God. Rather God, through adversity, seeks us out. It is God who draws us more and more into a deeper relationship with Him. If we are seeking Him, it is because

I remember the play vividly before the hit.

It was an option to the left.  Our quarterback could keep the ball or toss it.  He read his block and quickly passed it to me behind the line of scrimmage.  In my mind I would catch the ball, follow my blocker, and turn up field as quickly as possible for positive yardage.  It was a pretty simple play on paper.  But the only way it works is if everyone follows through with their assignment.  My fellow running back forgot his block and allowed the defensive-back to come through the line without …

Here’s a pretty straight-forward question: are you a pessimist?  Are you a half-empty, things-are-not-so-great kind of person?  Pessimists are pretty easy to detect, just listen to them talk for a few minutes and their speech betrays them.  Oh, they may try to sugar coat things for awhile, but their words are like chocolate-covered pickles: you eventually get down to the vinegary taste.

Winston Churchill said, “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  The major difference between a negative and positive person is attitude.  The way you view something ultimately determines how …