Bitter Vs. Better...leaving the pit of bitterness and entering into the palace of BETTER

Maybe your situation hasn't changed, maybe it has become worse and the walls feel like they are tumbling on top of your head. Every thing you hear and see is negative, the odds are stacked against you, you see people plotting your demise, you have read the obituary of your life and people are ready to put the dirt on top of the casket, just maybe, just maybe the situation has not changed in the last few days, months and years, BUT your perspective about the situation can CHANGE.

For a number of years, Joseph went from pit to pit. The initial pit was caused by his brothers who were jealous of him. People will recognize the greatness in you and so will the enemy. Bitterness will cause you to lash out at others and sometimes cause harm to yourself. Often as a kid I was amazed at how when in relationships with people, if something went wrong, everybody was mad. Today that is true within some marriages/relationships when one spouse is mad at the other and tells everyone else...well you guessed it, everybody else is mad at the other person. Bitterness doesn't just happen over night, bitterness occurs from a build up of several things that have occurred in a person's life.

Joseph probably had every right to be bitter, can you imagine that if he allowed his bitterness to happen, he may have not been in a leadership position later on in his life? Still when in the pits he focused on helping others. He didn't lash out, in every stage, he remained calm, even in his "wealthy" place (the palace), he sought to do good to those that had put him in the pit.

The pit is an uncomfortable place, its dark, cold and one may feel lonely, but how will you handle the pit of life? It is in that pit that bitterness will speak and tell you that no one is on your side and that your life is nothing more than failure being played out in front of your eyes.

However, becoming better will cause you to channel that negative vibe and turn it into something positive. How do you make something bitter turn to better? Prayer. When we go to God in earnest pray, he will even allow our enemies to be at peace with us. Forgive those that have placed you in the pit. Next take the bitter situation and look at it and see what's in it, that is good....did the pit cause you to pray more? Did the pit allow you a time to journal/talk to God more? Did the pit take something away from you that wasn't beneficial to you? If it did, then the pit just turned into something better. "That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." Romans 8:28MSG

Joseph's life went from pit to pit, BUT GOD had a different plan. Just because it doesn't look like your breakthrough is going to happen, your perspective on the outlook can change. Yes, this pit is painful, but God has a palace for me and in that palace is his fullness of my joy. Surely the joy of the Lord is my strength. Yes, I am having difficulties in my health, BUT "By his stripes I am healed" He will give you strength to endure every pit and then he will lift you up and place you in your palace, where he will use you! "But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives." Gen 45:5MSG

CHAMPIONS, don't be discouraged by the pit of bitter, rather be encouraged by the palace of better. Better will help bring about peace to your inner self and peace with others! Try not to become bitter, but BETTER!

The story of Joseph's life can be found in Genesis chapters 37 thru 45

What would happen if we prayed?

I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN PRAYER! DISCLAIMER: Today's blog is not about bashing people but just an awareness of what could really happen when we pray. Just maybe if we prayed a little more often we would see changes in our communities, churches, families, America & abroad.

Maybe if we left prayer in school, we would see more students focused.

Maybe if we brought prayer into our marriages we would see less couples divorced.

What if we taught our children how to pray when they were younger....they would be better equipped to call on the name of Jesus and not necessarily call on the name of their earthly parents to "bail" them out of a life situation.

What would happen if every doctor before they operated on a patient, prayed with the family and ask God to enter the room and be the real surgeon?

What if, before a witness in a courtroom placed their hand on the Bible to tell the truth, they seek after God for wisdom?

What would happen if every Senator & Congressman prayed for harmony, to work together to help bring the Nation back under God.....our money says in God we trust, but does our prayers reflect his trust?

What if we prayed on street corners, where drug addicts stand.....maybe they would recover and tell someone else about you God!

What if there were no more moment of silences and children & teachers were allowed to pray out loud....WHAT WOULD THEY SAY?

What if we started praying for those that have been hurt in and outside the church....maybe we would see "HEALED" people.

In a world that is controlled by "influence" I pray God that you would move us into a season of prayer, that when we pray we feel the chains of bondage break in half, that before we get the words God our Father off our lips that an healing has occurred, that while we are praying someone who was doesn't know you, would cry out for you........

Father, our prayer is simple....teach us, remind us, lead us into PRAYER!

I believe there is power in prayer and I don't know what will happen until I PRAY!