Dealing with bitterness

1 Cor 13:4-6 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

God's description of what love is highlights what the lack of it causes.
verse 5. says love is not easily angered and that it does not keep a record of wrong.

Anger & keeping records of wrong can brew and build a lot of resentment and bitterness. Records of wrong are kept in the mind and pains stored in the spirit/ heart of a person.
Acts 8:23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.

Simon Peter addresses the sorcerer Simon and tells him that he sees his heart is full of bitterness and captive to sin.
Simon had converted from sorcery and Peter discerned bitterness that made Simon the sorcerer want the powers he was seeing at work in Peter and the other disciples.

Peter points out that bitterness makes one into a captive. It binds them. It makes one a prisoner and they become enslaved, and only sin comes out of such a heart.

The story of Cain and Abel displays the root of bitterness.

Gen 4:3-7 3.In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

verse 5 Cain became angry because God rejected his sacrifice and accepted Abel's. His face became downcast.
v 6-7

1. God  tells Cain to do what is right and he will be accepted
2. If you do wrong, sin encroaches and desires to have you.
3. God warns Cain that he must rule over sin.

v7 God says "Sin desires to have you". He was angry and sin wanted to have him.

Bitterness is sin taking over our spirits because we have not ruled over it. Master anger, guard the anger we experience from resulting to sin.
Eph 4:26-27 26 “In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

God acknowledges that we will get angry but He says we must master anger. Anger should not spill over.

When anger is not put under control:

1. Sin comes in and controls us
2. We become ruled over by sin
3. The devil takes over our actions 
4. We sin

Gen 4:8 Cain kills Abel

Sin enslaved Cain, the devil took charge, Abel was killed.
Bitterness!! It is bad, it causes death!

Dealing with bitterness
Eph 4:26 Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Managing anger keeps us from entering into bitterness. This is prevention