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Often those who are offended do not even realize they are trapped.
The offences I've held onto have fossilized. I didn't feel them anymore. I was numb to their existence.
Most often it is a fellow believer who has hurt them. This causes the offense to feel like a betrayal. In Psalm 55:12–14 David laments, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.”
The closer the relationship, the more severe the offense! You find the greatest hatred among people who were once close.
God, help us!
This truth remains: 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.
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.
Wow!
we must be prepared and armed for offenses, because our response determines our future.
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.
Sometimes we even resent those who remind us of others who have hurt us.
You need to realize that when you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God. You need to develop faith in this spiritual law—even though you may not harvest it from the field in which you sowed, or as quickly as you would like.
The Lord continued. “In My greatest hour of need, My closest friends deserted Me. Judas betrayed Me, Peter denied Me, and the rest fled for their lives. Only John followed from afar. I had cared for them for over three years, feeding them and teaching them. Yet as I died for the sins of the world, I forgave. I released all of them—from My friends who had deserted Me to the Roman guards who had crucified Me. They didn’t ask for forgiveness, yet I freely gave it. I had faith in the Father’s love.
Wow! Jesus help me to be more like you.
He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
The world is filled with both good and evil people. The sun rises for us all. The rain falls for us all.
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.
I used to have little to no expectations of non-Christians, and many from Christians. Maybe it's best that I have none of people period. So many offences were against the ones I should be closest to. We ALL fall short of the glory of God.
We open our lives only to those we believe are on our side. Yet often these people who are “on our side” are offended as well.
Wow...those taking sides often share offences.
If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.
The knowledge of God’s Word without love is a destructive force because it puffs us up with pride and legalism (1 Cor. 8:1–3).
knowledge without the love of God will lead to deception.
If you are offended and in unforgiveness and refuse to repent of this sin, you have not come to the knowledge of the truth. You are deceived, and you
confuse others with your hypocritical lifestyle.
When Jesus was wronged, He did not wrong in return but committed His soul to God, who would judge righteously.
When we hold onto offences, we are saying that vengeance is ours instead of the Lord's. We focus on temporal pain instead of God's eternal and righteous judgment. When we can lay down our offences and trust God to be our Redeemer, we can live freely as true followers of Christ.
but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.
This is the key - having faith that God is for righteousness and truth and will rule accordingly!
authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.
Now do you think that when they sold him as a slave, God in heaven looked at the Son and the Holy Spirit and said, “What are We going to do now? Look at what his brothers have done. They have ruined Our plan for Joseph. We had better think of something quick! Do We have an alternate plan?”
Lol!
Yes, the ones who treated Joseph so wickedly were the patriarchs of Israel!
Wow!
We resist the devil by not becoming offended.
I refuse to allow the enemy to cause me to seek revenge against those who have wronged me. I will not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed or seek to avenge myself. I will leave justice to You.
Jesus is the only perfect pastor.
God wanted to refine and mature them through the pressure they were under.
As I look back over my life, I see that this was often the case. God was building my character throughout challenging circumstances. It was making me complete so that I would lack nothing. He was remaining faithful to me. He was loving me with his discipline.
We should not resist the very thing God sends to mature us.
Amen.
Offended people still may experience miracles, words of utterance, strong preaching, and healing in their lives. But these are
gifts of the Spirit, not fruits. We will be judged according to fruit, not gifting. A gift is given. Fruit is cultivated.
They feel beat up and persecuted. They feel as if they are modern-day Jeremiahs. It is “just them and God,” with everyone else out to get them. They become unteachable. They get what I call a persecution complex: “Everyone is out to get me.” They comfort themselves that they are just a persecuted saint or prophet of God. They are suspicious of everyone.
Convicted!
So leaving a ministry is not based on how bad things are.
When we retain an offense in our hearts, we filter everything
through it.
Refusing to deal with an offense will not free us from the problem. It will only give us temporary relief. The root of the problem remains untouched.
It is impossible to establish a healthy relationship with a person who has left another relationship bitter and offended.
This is exactly why I have to clear this up.
Love forgets wrongs so that there is hope for the future.
If we have truly overcome an offense, we earnestly seek to make peace. The time may not be
right immediately, but in our hearts we will watch for an opportu...
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My life will be filled with the love of God, which causes me to forget all wrongs and fills me with hope for the future.
Once you receive revealed knowledge from God, no one can sway you. When God reveals something to you, it doesn’t matter what the whole world says. They cannot change your heart.
Often a minister may be speaking on one subject, yet God is illuminating something totally different in my own heart.
yesssss!
Committing suicide was yet another act of living independent of God’s grace.
selfish
When you know God would never do anything to harm or destroy you, and whatever He does or does not do in your life is in your best interest, then you will give yourself freely to Him. You will gladly be one to lay down your life for the Master.
History reports that Peter was crucified upside down after many years of faithful service.2 He insisted he was unworthy to die the same death his Lord had died, so they hung him upside down. He was no longer afraid. He was a stone built on a solid foundation of the Rock.
Wow! What an honor it is to suffer with Christ and die like Christ himself!
I wanted to say something to him but did not have a release to do so.
So important - some things we just keep in prayer until God says otherwise.
the main element of believing is obedience.
It is not difficult to obey when you know the character and love of the one to whom you are submitting. Love is the bottom line in our relationship with the Lord—not love of principles or teachings but love for the Person of Jesus Christ. If that love is not firmly in place, we are susceptible to offense and stumbling.
If you desire the approval of men, God’s anointing cannot fall upon you. You must purpose in your heart to speak the Word of God and perform His will even at the risk of offending others.
