Online Bible Study: Becoming a Woman of Freedom Day 3: Bitterness is DESTROYING You

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She holds her own when it comes to knowing the ‘proper’ way to handle herself.  IN person, she is a delight.  Even with her frenemies, she knows they cannot detect a smidge of edge in her conversation.  But she feels it. Knows it. On the inside.  The cut of the words, the smiles.  She betrays herself.  But only she knows the depth of her betrayal.  This is not the kind of woman she wants to be.  Going through the charade that she is fine.  Over it.  The disappointments have mounted.  And they are choking out her joy.  A garland of sadness decorates her insides. And her peace is tucked away somewhere.  A peace that she can’t seem to get to. And she can’t seem to access just by sheer will.

“You must remove all bitterness, rage, anger, threats, and insults, with all malice.  
You must practice being kind to one another tender-hearted, forgiveness one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you.”

Ephesians 4:31-32

Bitterness – Greek Lexicon

pikria

Pronunciation pē-krē'-ä (Key)

1.      bitter gall

1.      extreme wickedness

2.      a bitter root, and so producing a bitter fruit

3.      metaph. bitterness, bitter hatred

Strongs Concordance:

pik-ree'-ah; acridity (especially poison), literally or figuratively:—bitterness.

Wrath/rage

thymos

Pronunciation thü-mo's (Key)

1.      passion, angry, heat, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding again

2.      glow, ardour, the wine of passion, inflaming wine (which either drives the drinker mad or kills him with its strength)

Anger

orgē	Pronunciation or-gā'

1.      anger, the natural disposition, temper, character

2.      movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger

3.      anger, wrath, indignation

4.      anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself

1.      of punishments inflicted by magistrates

Clamor

kraugē

Pronunciation krau-gā' (Key)

an outcry (in notification, tumult or grief):—clamour, cry(-ing).
Slander

blasphēmia

Pronunciation blä-sfā-mē'-ä (Key)

1.      slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name

2.      impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty

 
Pulls away/put away

airō	Pronunciation ī'-rō (Key)

·  to bear away what has been raised, carry off

1.      to move from its place

2.      to take off or away what is attached to anything

3.      to remove

4.      to carry off, carry away with one

5.      to appropriate what is taken

6.      to take away from another what is his or what is committed to him, to take by force

7.      to take and apply to any use

8.      to take from among the living, either by a natural death, or by violence

9.      cause to cease

Same word used in: 

Matthew 9:16 (talked about in this lesson)
"Besides, who would patch old clothing with old cloth?  For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before"

charizomai

Pronunciation khä-rē'-zo-mī (Key)

You must practice being kind to one another tender-hearted, forgiveness one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you.”

What does forgiveness look like?

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Please take the time to listen to this podcast on TRUE forgiveness that leaves dignity for the offended party

Missed the other lessons?
Click here and here 

Online Bible Study: Becoming a Woman of Freedom Day 2: The Way You Think is KILLING You

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Ephesians 4:22-24 in the New Testament of the book called the Bible

Strip off your old self, which follows your former ways of living and ruins you as it follows the desires that deceive.  Become new in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, which is created to be like God, righteous and holy in the truth.

(Scroll to the bottom if you want to listen to the podcast as you look over these notes)

Let’s imagine for the next few moments that these bible verses are not simply talking about sins like murder, lying, stealing and cheating.  What if in fact these verses were more far reaching and include the invisible shackles that have a hold on you that NO ONE ELSE knows about?  Like the way your mother’s views friendships with other women?  Or the way your father viewed the roles of men and women in relationships?  Maybe the shackles do not feel like damaging ‘sins’ per say but they are nevertheless just as damaging to the way you walk around in life.  Do you notice that your thoughts make all the difference between whether your life feels like a joyous celebration or a prison?  What if God was NOT JUST interested in cleaning up the way the world views you, but getting you some deliverance from the way you view the world that is destroying you?  What if the TRUTH meant more than just standard Christian answers to moral dilemmas?  What if the answers to why your life feels stuck is MORE understandable you had imagined?

What does it mean to be “New in the spirit of your minds”

Let’s look at the original language that this book was written in to gain more understanding of what these words might mean for us today.

Why do we look at the original language?

Have you ever used the google translator?  Or received a message from someone that used the Google translator?  What you find is that meanings are lost in translation.  This is especially true with both the languages you find in the Bible.  The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.  Both those ancient languages contain fewer words.  So each word actually CONTAINS MANY TIMES 3,4,5 WORDS/PHRASES IN ONE WORD.   

So… let’s look at the word “new”

ananeoō

Pronunciation ä-nä-ne-o'-ō (Key)

an-an-neh-o'-o; from ana and a derivative of neos; to renovate, i.e. reform:—renew.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

3

Verb

Strong's Number: g365

Greek: ananeoo

Renew, Renewing (Verb and Noun):

"to renew, make young" (ana, as in No. 1, and neos, "recent," not different), is used in Eph 4:23, "be renewed (in the spirit of your mind)." The "renewal" here mentioned is not that of the mind itself in its natural powers of memory, judgment and perception, but "the spirit of the mind," which, under the controlling power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, directs its bent and energies Godward in the enjoyment of "fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ," and of the fulfillment of the will of God.

Neos

neh'-os; including the comparative νεότερος neóteros neh-o'-ter-os; a primary word; "new", i.e. (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; figuratively, regenerate:—new, young.
“new” Similar to what is found in the following verses:

Matthew 9:17:
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins.  For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.  New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

Luke 5:36:
“Then Jesus gave them this illustration:  No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment.  For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.”

“Put on”

endyō	Pronunciation en-dü'-ō (Key)
1.      to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one's self
Strong’s Definitions: ἐνδύω endýō, en-doo'-o; from G1722 and G1416 (in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing (literally or figuratively):—array, clothe (with), endue, have (put) on.

So let’s now apply this to our example of the woman who is trapped in her own thoughts.  Let’s say she is in a relationship where the person she is with is not physically abusing her but say is dismissive with her.  And let’s say that her mother was accommodating to that type of behavior from this woman’s father. Maybe her mother said that she was being ‘submissive’ to her husband.

Or maybe this woman is very suspicious of friendships with women.  She takes on a posture of women need to be perceived as ‘the enemy’  - someone she needs to compete for the affections of men or to be superior over when it comes to roles of women.

Are those mindsets sinful?

Is she to blame for the way she thinks?

Does she notice how this worldview is shaping (possibly even damaging) her life?

Take some time today to sit quietly and ask God for eyes to see ways you are being held back by your thoughts.

One last comment on the phrase “put on’

This signifies that it action oriented.  You must decide to change the way you think.  And make no mistake it will feel uncomfortable, scary, people may not be happy with the decision and you may not have the courage to make the change.  Notice this.  And take small steps to move into the change.  It may take some time.  And it may hurt. A LOT.  But this is the kind of freedom you have been longing for.

Did you miss lesson 1? You can find is here: CLICK HERE

ONLINE Bible Study: How to be a Woman of Freedom - Day 1

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Hello there!  I have begun a new series called "Becoming a Woman of Freedom" where we will explore how to be a thinking Christian in the world we live in today.    I plan on walking through several aspects of what it means to be free such as freedom from your past, from pleasing others, from fear and moving into living with peace, joy and a sense of your purpose in the world.  

Here is the podcast for Day 1:

And the following is a transcript of sorts for you to work through and discuss further with your group:

There’s a woman I know who loves God, does her best to live life doing the right things, being there for people in their time of need, trying to find her place in the midst of it.  BUT she feels stuck.  Trapped. Encumbered.  What can she do?  Is there a way out for her that is less destructive than running away and never looking back?  Every once in a while when she gets real quiet, she hears these words:

It is for freedom that you were set free…

What is that supposed to mean?  Does she get in her car and drive away?  Hit the reset button?  Isolate?  What do you do when there is nowhere to turn?  When the words to explain what’s going on feel rebellious?  When the decisions you want to make will make ‘good’ people feel very uncomfortable? 

What I am NOT talking about:

There is this verse in the Bible that might come to mind when hearing the word Encumbered:

Hebrews 12:1 -

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

The easy answer to this woman’s ‘problem’ is that she must be harboring some secret “sin” in her life.

What is sin?

The New World Dictionary defines sin as ‘the breaking of religious law or moral principle through a willful act’ or “any offense, misdemeanor or fault.”

The woman has examined this as a possible culprit for her problems and, while obviously there are ways in which we all miss the mark of our best selves everyday,  this does not explain the underlying ‘hum’  of hopelessness and dissatisfaction.  

Shall we begin by understanding the TYPE of freedom this woman is aching for?

 Psalm 119:45 (Old Testament of the Bible):

I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments

The word “Freedom” here translates from the Hebrew Language (the original language of the Old Testament) as ‘at liberty’

The actual word in Hebrew is Rachab  and means (from the Strongs Concordance):

roomy, in any (or every) direction, literally or figuratively:—broad, large, at liberty, proud, wide.

There is a similar sense of freedom found in the New Testament. 

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT):

For the Lord is the Spirit and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.   

The actual word in the Greek (Biblical Greek is the language of the New Testament) for freedom is  eleutheria and translates as “liberty” and means (from the Strongs Concordance):

To do or to omit things having no relationship to salvation

So… can we do WHATEVER we like?

What this freedom does NOT mean: Same word ‘freedom’ which translates as ‘liberty’ is found in to other New Testament verses that give us a gauge for how to exercise our freedom: Galatians 5:13:  For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters.  But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.  1 Peter 2:16: For you are free…. So don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.  So if this woman has reached a place in her life, where she is not attempting to break up her family or inflict damage in her community… And If she has searched her heart and found that to the best of her ability, she is living the way she is supposed to live.  What is her next step?