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by
John Bevere
Read between
February 12 - February 17, 2025
Offended people produce much fruit, such as hurt, anger, outrage, jealousy, resentment, strife, bitterness, hatred, and envy. Some of the consequences of picking up an offense are insults, attacks, wounding, division, separation, broken relationships, betrayal, and backsliding.
Often those who are offended do not even realize they are trapped. They are oblivious to their condition because they are so focused on the wrong that was done to them. They are in denial. The most effective way for the enemy to blind us is to cause us to focus on ourselves.
Only those you care about can hurt you. You expect more from them—after all, you’ve given more of yourself to them. The higher the expectations, the greater the fall.
Selfishness reigns in our society. Men and women today look out for themselves to the neglect and hurt of those around them. This should not surprise us. The Bible is very clear that in the last days men will be “lovers of themselves” (2 Tim. 3:2). We expect this in unbelievers, but Paul was not referring to those outside the church. He was talking about those within it. Many are wounded, hurt, and bitter. They are offended! But they do not realize that they have fallen into Satan’s trap.
Offense is a tool of the devil to bring people into captivity. Paul instructed young Timothy: And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare [entrapment] of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. —2 TIMOTHY 2:24–26, EMPHASIS ADDED Those who are in quarrels or opposition fall into a trap and are held prisoner to do the devil’s will. Even more
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No matter what the scenario is, we can divide all offended people into two major categories: (1) those who have been treated unjustly and (2) those who believe they have been treated unjustly. People in the second category believe with all their hearts that they have been wronged. Often their conclusions are drawn from inaccurate information. Or their information is accurate, but their conclusion is distorted. Either way, they hurt, and their understanding is darkened. They judge by assumption, appearance, and hearsay.
One way the enemy keeps a person in an offended state is to keep the offense hidden, cloaked with pride. Pride will keep you from admitting your true condition.
Pride keeps you from dealing with truth. It distorts your vision. You never change when you think everything is fine. Pride hardens your heart and dims the eyes of your understanding. It keeps you from the change of heart—repentance—that will set you free. (See 2 Timothy 2:24–26.)
They had mistaken their financial strength for spiritual strength.
Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us. We justify our bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, envy, and resentment as they surface. Sometimes we even resent those who remind us of others who have hurt us.
When we blame others and defend our own position, we are blind.
I will not be held prisoner by the enemy through my own unwillingness to rid my heart of anger and unforgiveness and by spewing out bitter waters rather than pure.
because of darkened understanding and wrong conclusions about the intent of others to wrong me. Reveal my heart’s true condition, and do not allow hidden offense to clothe me with pride.
No longer did I see it as a failure when love wasn’t returned from the person I was giving it to. It freed me to love that person even more!
If more Christians recognized this, they wouldn’t give up and become offended.
Usually this is not the type of love we walk in. We walk in a selfish love that is easily disappointed whe...
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But if I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed. We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships. The more we expect, the greater the potential offense.
Yet often these people who are “on our side” are offended as well. So, instead of helping, we stack additional stones on our existing walls. Without our knowing when it happens, these walls of protection become a prison. At that point, we are not only cautious about who comes in, but in terror we cannot venture outside our fortress.
The focus of offended Christians is inward and introspective. We guard our rights and personal relationships carefully. Our energy is consumed with making sure no future injuries will occur. If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.
When we filter everything through past hurts, rejections, and experiences, we find it impossible to believe
God. We cannot believe He means what He says. We doubt His goodness and faithfulness since we judge Him by the standards set by man in our lives. But God is not a man! He cannot lie (Num. 23:19). His ways are not like ours, and His thoughts are not ours (Isa. 55:8–9).
A minister or a Christian is what he lives, not what he preaches.
The closer the relation, the more severe the betrayal. To betray someone is the ultimate abandonment of covenant. When betrayal occurs, the relationship cannot be restored unless genuine repentance follows.
Betrayal then leads to hatred with serious consequences. The Bible states clearly that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15).
Have we forgotten the words of Jesus? But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. —MATTHEW 5:44 Have we forgotten the command of God? Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. —PHILIPPIANS 2:3
I will guard my heart against the voices of the wolves of false prophets who speak only what I want to hear, not what I need to hear.
IF THE DEVIL COULD DESTROY US WHENEVER HE WANTED TO, HE WOULD HAVE WIPED US OUT A LONG TIME AGO.
Perhaps when Joseph had his dreams he saw them as a confirmation of the favor on his life. He had not yet learned that authority is given to serve, not to set you apart. Often in these training periods we focus on
the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God. As a result we are discouraged and need to blame someone, so we look for the one we feel is responsible for our despair. When we face the fact that God could have prevented our whole mess—and didn’t—we often blame Him.
I want to emphasize the following point: Absolutely no man, woman, child, or devil can ever get you out of the will of God! No one but God holds your destiny.
As already stated, no mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life.
But there is only one person who can get you out of the will of God, and that is you!
The truth is that they have been treated unjustly. But to become offended would only fulfill the enemy’s purpose of getting them out of the will of God.
We must remember that nothing can come against us without the Lord’s knowledge of it before it ever happens. If the devil could destroy us at will, he would have wiped us out a long time ago because he hates man with a passion. Always keep this exhortation before you: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. —1 CORINTHIANS 10:13, EMPHASIS ADDED
Father, I will hold fast to Your promise and seek only You as I pursue the dream in my heart.
I will use this period of spiritual training in my life to focus on the greatness of my God instead of the impossibility of my circumstances.
Holy Spirit, fill me with Your power and keep me from placing the blame for my troubles on my loved ones or the other people in my life.
I will not allow the enemy to cause me to seek revenge upon those who have wronged me. I will remain free from offense so that the plan of God can be established in my life.
When I am treated unjustly by others, I refuse to become offended and thereby fulfil Satan’s purpose to move me out of God’s will.
No temptation will overtake me because my faithful God has already made a way for me to escape it.
God, You know every adverse situation that I will ever encounter, and I trust You to lead me to the way of escape in every situation.
But in one day everything changed.
