It is written by THE SPIRIT in Psalm chapter 10:
1 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 The wicked in his pride persecutes the poor;
Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire;
He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD.
4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
5 His ways are always prospering;
Your judgments are far above, out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he sneers at them.
6 He has said in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
I shall never be in adversity.”
7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is trouble and iniquity.
Bitterness is defined as extreme wickedness in Strong’s Concordance G4088 and it is tied to deceit and oppression by the one who is bitter. We must never allow the seeds of bitterness to get rooted in our hearts. When the root gains traction, bad things happen. A seed germinates in the soil typically in a dark environment and without notice. Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Ephesians chapter 4:
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
We must protect our relationship with The Holy Spirit and Paul provides excellent detail of what we should focus on: be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another! We have too much to do to retain ill will toward anyone. Let FATHER take care of those who would sow seeds of bitterness and let us focus on being a blessing each and every day to every person we encounter. Let not the temporal issues of the world determine our focus and priorities. We are warned about the subtleness of bitterness so we must not treat this issue lightly. Let our days be filled with gratitude and good testimonies. The other will take care of itself.