“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh”.
Ezekiel 11:19 NIV
There are times in life when we can be blinded by our own bitterness or serving other gods and idols. We subtly get distracted from the main purpose in life, because somebody has deceived us, or we have been taken advantage of. Or maybe we have been the instigator.
You may have experienced the loss of a job or promotion. A close friend may have taken your partner away due to an affair and it hurts so bad, because you had so much trust in their friendship. You were partners in a business adventure or real estate deal only to discover you were taken advantage of and lost your investment because everything was stolen from you.
Our hearts can become bitter like a hard rock or a wall of concrete. Like the nation Israel, we build a solid wall and turn from God, because we have felt abandoned by the Lord and the pain is devastating. These spiritual walls of bitterness and pain can cut like a sharp two edged sword. Your heart and mind can become imprisoned destroying your health and your spirit. As the prophet Jeremiah puts it so well, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
Well, the reality is that God knows your heart and He knows exactly what you are going through, and where you are at this very moment. Unforgiveness leads to a stony heart of bitterness leads to chasing the wind only to reap the whirlwind.
So what do you do, you may be asking yourself? The pain and hardness is so unbearable, yet God quietly prods us to look to him even in the most trying of circumstances.
“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you”.
Ephesians 4:30-32 NLT
Forgiveness is never easy, but know the Lord will help you through any situation. Release whatever bitterness you may be struggling with because God will give you the His peace in the long run.
Have a good day and a peaceful week my friend.
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Published by Andy
Greetings! My name is Andy Provitola and I live in New England on the south shore between Boston and the beautiful Cape Cod region.
The purpose of my blogging and writing is to encourage you in your journey here on planet earth. Life is full of pressing issues and problems and my desire is to discover a place for peace, hope, healing, and contentment. I am a follower of Jesus Christ – God’s one and only Son of God and discovered these truths along my own personal journey.
Having discovered a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ does not mean I have to be religious to attain the rewards of heaven. The fact is God provides grace for us and accepts us as we are in His image. In other words, we cannot attain heaven or life eternal on our own, but by God’s loving grace and no merit of our own.
My goal is to continue to find a balance of life from a spiritual and practical perspective with a purpose to please and glorify God in all that I do because of His ‘Gift of Grace’.
God is not transcendent and so far away that he is out of reach with humanity. God desires that His presence lives within us and not just in the galaxies and the universe. Experiencing the unconditional love of God has been so rewarding and while discovering the truth and purpose for my life. Moving forward in this life is not a sprint, but a marathon when it comes to this race here on earth.
I am blogging because I find it is a good way to connect in a much more effective and efficient way when it comes to communicating and interacting with with people that I do not know. Blogging and writing challenges me and also stretches me specifically in my thoughts, my mind, my emotions, and my spiritual life to live a vertical relation with God and a horizontal relationship with others.
There will be a variety of topics and subjects to address including youth, young adults, family, singles, seniors, relationships, etc. Some of the topics will include God’s creation and power, depression, loneliness, suicide, hope, healing, setbacks, financial matters, business, stress, anxiety, care, encouragement, and so much more
I would like to connect with all walks of life, ethnicity, culturally, other religions, socio-economics, and more
I am currently writing a book and several memoirs about my own life and journey . The journey begins at a young age growing up in Malden, Massachusetts, specifically Maplewood Square to where I am today. I became paralyzed from the waist down as a senior in high school and I share how my life changed for the better!
“But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus. To testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious undeserved] grace [which makes us free of guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]. Acts 20:24 Amplified Version
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