"Being Set Free From the Bondage of Bitterness & Self-Bitterness!" S4 Part 2D - Self-Bitterness

[Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

(Photo reference: http://vividlife.me/ultimate/41223/breaking-the-chain-of-pain/)

D. Self-Bitterness – Part 2D: Another major stronghold of satan is self-bitterness. Forgiving yourself is just as important as forgiving others. If you do not forgive yourself, you cannot effectively forgive others! If you have any of the below symptoms, you have self-bitterness and need to forgive yourself. The dictionary defines "self' as "by its self'" “an individual” or "separate." A self is a separate, unique identity. Each of us is separately and uniquely different, and we stand alone as individuals. Psalms 139 says that God made each of us "fearfully and wonderfully." Even before conception, God saw how our parts and our pieces fit together; this included our body, soul, and spirit. "My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth" (Psalms 139:15). God knew our ancestry and our offspring before we ever actually came to be. God knows each one of us as unique individuals, separate and different from everyone else.

Turning back to our dictionary, we notice that following the immediate definition of word

"self," self includes many modifiers:

• Self-abandonment: disregarding all self-interest.

• Self-abasement: humiliation of oneself Self-absorbed: focusing on oneself to the exclusion or consideration of others.

• Self-abuse: comes in many forms, i.e. obesity or anorexia; sleep deprivation or too much sleep; lack of exercise or pushing oneself to the brink; denial of normal sexuality with your spouse or preoccupation with sex; calling yourself “stupid,” “fat,” “ugly,” “dumb or other names that will demean and degrade yourself [you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” – Ps. 139:14].

• Self-accusation: constantly finding fault with oneself.

When Satan entered the world through Adam, another nature became added to our original nature: the sin nature. Self now had a hyphen after it, and became the target of unloving spirits. Self-hatred is caused by unloving spirits; these spirits attaches to us and attacks us, seeking to make us feel self-rejected, unclean, and unworthy. It tells us that we don't measure up, that we are no good. Unloving spirits make us wretch at the sound of our own voice or the contents of our words: "everything I say is so stupid." These spirits, along with other ones, convinces a person to commit suicide! The unloving spirit uses its armor of self-pity, self-abuse, self-rejection, self-hatred, competition, self-pride, self-enthronement, false piety, self-mutilation, excessive eating and bingeing to protect itself. It fires self-comparison, self-idolatry, perfectionism, and self-torment at us. The unloving spirit pushes us to be defensive, and filled with self-doubt, unbelief, self-bitterness, self-resentment, self-unforgiveness, self-retaliation, self- anger, self-violence, and suicide. These are but a few of the arms with which unloving spirits attack us. The unloving spirit which is the kingdom of self, is the principality of self-bitterness, and it is protected by strong armor (Luke 11:24-26).

 

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May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds ALWAYS!!

 

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

 

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