And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. Ephesians 4:30-31
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I recently read that, “Bitterness creates a climate for the Devil.” The Devil is always on the lookout for opportunity and with opportunity comes an occasion to do his dirty work in the heart, mind and eventually the life of the born again.  We need to find the root and then allow God to do a work in us to kill the vine of bitterness. Our scripture says that we need to “put away” bitterness.  That tells us that an action needs to take place.

I have found that bitterness at times can be the root and thus the catalyst for wrath, anger and clamour which leads to evil speaking.  The mouth reveals what is swimming in the heart.  Many times it starts from the well of bitterness that is much like a festering wound.  We have a choice to make starting at this very moment to either grieve the Holy Spirit by continuing in our bitterness or choosing to walk in the Spirit.
For some it is that something tragic has happened.  For others it was a decision or a choice that they made that brought with them heavy consequences.  For others it was something that was said or done. They were wronged by family, friend or foe or maybe a passing acquaintance and it happened- Bitterness. The seed of bitterness was planted in the soil of their heart and it took root in every nook and cranny within them.  It defined them.  It wakes them in the night.  It greets them in the morning.  It accompanies them throughout their day. It is worn on their face and it seasons their words.  It begins to be something that over time they nurture.  The root of bitterness becomes a chain of bondage.  With our lives on this earth being but a vapour they look into the mirror and time has staked its claim. 

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

We need Holy Ghost filled believers whose gratitude for their salvation is fueled by the fact that they were once one breathe and one heartbeat away from hell but are now heaven born and heaven bound. Oh, the life, power, strength, joy and glorious peace that is ours in Christ Jesus.  I believe that if we took the time to look back to where we once stood and then come full circle to where we stand in Christ Jesus being reconciled and redeemed that the many cold and indifferent hearts towards God would be replaced by hearts on fire for the Lord, and those hearts would burn like a three-alarm blaze. I believe that if we would set aside the time to meditate upon the mercy and grace of God that our love for God would be as spiritual dynamite within our very being.

My prayer is that you will accept an invitation. An invitation to “O taste and see that the LORD is good”. To come to such a place. To desire such a place. To desire God in such a way. I believe if the redeemed were to accept such an invitation that it would be life changing. 

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22
1. The Heart
"Merry"
2. The Hope
"Doeth good"
3. The Help
"Like a medicine"
4. The Hurt
"But a broken spirit"
5. The Harm
"Drieth the bones"
Which begs the questions how do we encourage ourselves and keep ourselves engaged in a merry heart?
Please Consider-
1. Guard
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23
2. Trust
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
3. Hide
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11
4. Let Not
1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." James 4:8

The wonderful aroma of the cedar tree is truly activated when placed into a hot fire. I remember a cool fall day when I was cleaning and clearing some brush, I threw some pieces of cedar on the fire. The cool fall air was soaked and saturated with the wonderful fragrance of that tree. I watched the smoke make its way far into the sky. God was teaching me a lesson on that piece of land that day.

I have found that when I am deep in a time of trial and testing, I experience true closeness with the Lord when I choose to draw closer and nearer to the Lord by way of praising and blessing His name. My desire is for there to be a plume of praise finding its way to my God that has an aroma that pleases and blesses Him. The Lord puts us in the fire to see how it is we will react. Our faith will be forged in the kiln of God's testing’s (See Romans 5:3-5).

The Bible says, "Cast your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1Peter 5:7). Your life will be filled with the wonderful aroma of peace when you choose to "Cast your care upon him." It won't be the peace that the world offers, but the peace that the Lord Jesus promised (John 14:27). Your life will be on display for others to witness. As you draw near to almighty God it will be seen- You will be blessed, and others will be prompted to ask you how it is you are handling the particular situation and that will be an open door to share the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

I am encouraging you dear believer to stay in the battle and continue forward in the good fight. Our verse tells us to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." This is a far cry from the foolish prosperity preachers who push and promote ease and comfort in the life of the believers. We are in a spiritual battle and Almighty God has given us our heavenly order to endure. Let's stay the course and hold the line for the cause of Christ Jesus.
Let's trust the Lord to enable and empower us for the task at hand. God is willing and able if we will trust in Him.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. II Timothy 4:7
What a powerful proclamation from the Apostle Paul. I want to simply encourage you to continue fighting the good fight and to continue on the course that the Lord has laid out for you. I implore you to continue to fight! I want to encourage you to finish the course and keep the faith until the end. Run through the tape at the finish line. Don't pull up short! Don't veer off the path! Don't give up! Don't give in! Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and strength.
The life you live in Christ Jesus will be a marker for all those around you.  It will show where you stand.  It will announce what you believe and it will define whom you belong to. The faith you exhibit will be a testimony and a stepping stone for those who will be coming up behind you.  Each day is an opportunity to bring glory to God.  Cease the day!  Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) while desiring the sincere milk of the word (I Peter 2:2) and seek those things which are above (Colossians 3:1-2.)
Dear Believer, no matter your position or place in this world, never lose sight of what lies ahead and the One who awaits you at the end of your days here on this earth. May we all be able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Proverbs 1:10
The company you keep will in time corrupt the character you possess if the company you keep possess a corrupt character.
 1. Guard your choices
 2.Guard your company
 3. Guard your character

And there went out a champion out of the camp of Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
I Samuel 17:4

The Philistines had a champion, but God’s man David would be the conqueror of the Philistine’s champion.  The King of kings had His hand upon His man.  The very heart and soul of the wonderful account of David’s victory over the giant Goliath is the faith David had in God to win the victory (take time to read this wonderful account in David's life).  Those in the camp of Israel didn’t believe in David and those in the camp of the Philistines certainly didn’t believe that the shepherd boy had a chance with a sling and five stones. I would rather be an instrument in the hands of the Living God than a pawn in the hands of the devil.

​God has, God can, and God will use the most unlikely person to do a powerful and mighty work. Praise God!!  Mark it down, there will be doubters, but don't you dare stop. There will be those, who though you may not hear their words they will scoff and question the validity of what you are called to do. Don’t you dare stop! The enemy will be sure to show himself.  He will whisper doubt in your ear while knocking on your heart's door like an attacking lion. Don't you dare stop!  You will know and you will feel the resistance and the strain of the enemy. Don’t you dare stop! Stand tall and strong in the power of God and in His might.  Never allow the lack of faith of another to dilute your trust in God, and what God has called you to do.