Strip It Off

Paul doesn’t say manage bitterness.

He says, “Get rid of it.”

The language he uses in Ephesians 4:31 paints a picture of taking off filthy clothes. Strip it off. Remove it. Don’t let it hang around.

Why?

Because bitterness never stays small.

Bitterness becomes rage.

Rage becomes slander.

Slander becomes malice.

And malice shifts your heart from being hurt… to wanting someone else hurt.

That’s why Scripture doesn’t treat bitterness as minor. It suffocates trust. It poisons intimacy. It slowly erodes love.

And the danger is this: bitterness often feels justified.

You were wronged. Something was taken. Something was damaged.

But justified doesn’t mean righteous.

Those dirty rags don’t belong on people who belong to Jesus.

You cannot cling to bitterness and reflect Christ at the same time.

So what needs to be stripped off today?

Not managed. Not explained. Not minimized.

Removed.

Because you cannot walk in freedom while holding onto resentment.