Freedom from Bitterness Can Be Yours Too

Is freedom from bitterness really possible? Read this powerful testimony by Diana Rockwell on how she found healing in her marriage. Read on for Day 1 in the What Freedom in Christ Looks Like Online Event by the Blogger Voices Network, hosted right here at KellyRBaker.com.


Diana Rockwell is a wife, a mother, and grandmother. She is passionate about Jesus since He redeemed her and forgave her.  She retired as a nurse and recently relocated to Missouri where she lives with her husband and fur baby Tory. Some of her accomplishments other than writing are her marriage, children, she lost over 100 pounds. Her blog is http://www.diana2rockwell.com. She is a trained encourager for Freedom In Christ. 


Has God called you to minister to others? He wants us to use our own healing to reach out and help others. Since 1995, I have been privileged to serve as an Encourager with the Freedom In Christ (FIC) ministry. Encouragers, supported by Prayer Partners, walk with the emotionally wounded through a process that FIC calls “The Steps To Freedom” (The Steps).

Ministering in this way to the emotionally wounded over the years has strengthened my faith in God because of what He does when we claim who we are in Christ. 

A Faulty Belief

How did the Lord lead me into this ministry? It was the result of my own healing from the bitterness of unforgiveness. Have you ever struggled with forgiving someone? Freedom from bitterness can be yours too. I’ve been a Christian since I was eleven years old and served God most of my life in a teaching capacity. But even as a Believer, I had some faulty beliefs driving my thinking. You see, I believed that God forgave you, but He did not forgive me. And I secretly harbored hate, bitterness, and regret.

The Consequences of Unforgiveness

Earlier in my life, I was desperately struggling in my marriage. I let hate for my husband fester. All I wanted was a divorce. I returned to college, working my way through nursing school with the primary goal of being able to support myself and my children after divorcing my then-hated husband. 

During that time, I made some very poor choices. Among them, I quit going to church and allowed my school work and my need for success to become more important to me than God. 

After I graduated, I implemented my plan and left my husband. In all my planning, though, there was something I never saw coming. My oldest son decided to stay with his dad. Blindsided and devastated by this one action, I reconciled with my husband four months after we separated. All of the bitterness remained, of course, and we continued to really struggle.

Healing Through Forgiveness

Then, Dr. Neil Anderson came to our church and gave a Freedom In Christ seminar. Dr. Anderson has written many life-changing books. Two of them are “Victory Over Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker.” In “The Bondage Breaker” he teaches us about seven critical issues that affect our relationship with God. In a process that Dr. Anderson has called “The Steps To Freedom” (The Steps) he teaches a process of taking a spiritual inventory around each of these seven issues; identifying and renouncing false beliefs; then choosing to believe and declaring God’s truth about each one. (This information is also available in a separate booklet called “Steps to Freedom.”) 

We will not experience our freedom in Christ if we are not living out God’s truth in any of these seven areas: seeking false guidance, believing lies, failing to forgive others as we have been forgiven, living in rebellion, responding in pride, failing to acknowledge our sin, and continuing in the sins of our ancestors. Scripture deals with each of these areas, and Christ sets us free when we apply God’s Word. Applying God’s Word, using The Steps to guide us through the process, will help us find the freedom that we read about in Galatians 5:1. 

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 

I was scheduled to go to Israel to give my testimony, and before we left, I was invited to go through The Steps to Freedom. I agreed. In a process with three other women—an Encourager and two Prayer Partners—I was led through the prayer sessions in The Steps to forgive my husband and to forgive myself. I found freedom from bitterness! The bitterness and hate changed to love for my husband. It wasn’t long before I started participating in my church’s FIC ministry, where I became an Encourager and walked with other women through the Steps to Freedom.

The Fruits of Forgiveness

God redeemed my marriage, and we have now been married for forty-nine years. I’ve led many women through the Steps To Freedom, and I’ve witnessed the power of God to free women from their bondage to unforgiveness, worry, anxiety, and fear. I’ve seen the power of forgiving and the power of renouncing your fears. Who is God asking you to forgive? 

Ready to Find Freedom from Bitterness? Let’s Pray:

Father God, for the woman who is suffering with bitterness and anger, will you meet her and alleviate her pain? May she run to you and forgive those who have hurt her. If she struggles with anxiety may she claim the verse to be anxious for nothing and trust that you care for her.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Win a Give-away!

My friend, author Dr. Michelle Bengtson, has a new book called “Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises.” In it, she addresses worry, fear and anxiety, and I would like to give away a copy of her new book. Please leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of “Breaking Anxiety’s Grip.” The winner will be contacted via email immediately following the event.

I let hate for my husband fester. All I wanted was a divorce. ‪@Rockwell2Diana‬ #FruitOfFreedom #BloggerVoicesNetwork Click to Tweet

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8 Comments

  1. Praise God for the Freedom in Christ ministry! Thanks, Diana, for sharing your powerful testimony and especially for allowing God to use you as an encourager for others.

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      Agreed, Summer. Diana’s testimony is a great encouragement. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. What a powerful testimony! A lot of people struggle with unforgiveness and bitterness which is a big obstacle in our relationships with God and others. I have also read some books from Dr. Anderson and this helped me a lot to break free and resolve personal problems from the past. Thank you for this encouragement!

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      I have The Steps booklet. It’s worth it to dive into the messy and deal with our heart. Be blessed, Hadassah!

  3. Karen Tackett says:

    Diana, thank you so much for sharing this message. I walked through forgiving my husband many years ago as we struggled early on in our marriage and we have been married for 51 years. The Lord led me through that season and gave me victory through forgiveness and learning what true submission to Father and to my husband means. Now today we experienced a different situation where forgiveness was needed. A friend had created a difficult relationship situation involving us and the Lord had told us to step away from a friendship/relationship with him for a season and pray. Sunday at church as we left the church he asked to visit with my husband. I stood not far away praying and watched as the friend extended his hand to my husband and asked for forgiveness and sought restoration of our friendship. My husband readily accepted and we praised the Lord for this answer to prayer. I am saving this message to share with others. So thankful you shared.

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      That’s a wonderful testimony, Karen! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  4. Beautiful testimony! Praise God for his faithfulness to he your heart. Domestic abuse has left me with a daily fight to forgive myself and others.
    My greatest prayer is to be made perfect in love.. Thanks again for sharing. Love you dear sister!

    1. kellyrbaker says:

      I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, Melinda. That’s a good prayer; one we can all pray. Thanks for your comment today!

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