And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred…
And the love of the great body of people will grow cold.
Matthew 24:10,12a
Offense Kills.
It is not something to shrug off or set to the side. It is a hindrance to ALL God has for you and it must NOT be allowed to take root!
Matthew 24 explains that one of the signs of the End Times is that there will be a Great Wave of Offense. A spirit of distrust will sweep across the world and people will begin to literally chase after one another, filled with a spirit of murder and deceit. Offense will cause such a great falling away, that hearts will essentially turn to stone.
In Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, to offend means to “put a snare or stumbling block in the way.” Offense is like a rock in the middle of a path that you are not aware of; it appears out of nowhere, trips you up, and delays your progress.
We tend to treat offense as a tiny problem that we can take care of ourselves if given enough time. However, the SMALL foxes ALWAYS spoil the vine. Our natural tendency is to try and hide our offenses, believing they are ‘no big deal.’ And instead of talking with the offender or even allowing God’s grace to cover the situation and turn away from it, we CHOOSE to hold onto our tiny seed of resentment and misunderstanding.
We tell ourselves, “I’ll just let it go,” but what we usually mean is, “I’ll just keep this to myself and be angry with you every time this subject comes up.”
There are times in which the tables are turned and we are the cause of the offense. Sometimes we do not think before we speak and we create division and disunity between us and those we love. Our SELFISHNESS and INSECURITY make us ‘push a point’ or rise up in PRIDE, trying to make sure “our rights” are protected. Many times, in our minds, we believe the offense in others is their own fault … after all, we were only speaking truth right?
Unfortunately, what we often forget is that when we allow ourselves to be offended or we permit our “honest” words and feelings to come out and attack another person, what we are really doing is GRIEVING the Holy Spirit…
I’m not sure about you, but as a Christ lover and follower, that is the absolute last thing I ever want to do! This is not something to be taken lightly; offending the Holy Spirit, the One who seals your salvation and fills you with His Peace, through your CHOICE to create strife, literally saddens and infuriates Him (Ephesians 4:30)!
So what can you do? How can you let potentially hurtful situations roll off your back? How can you just STOP being offended?
The answer is not easy, but it is SIMPLE.
When you have the opportunity to be offended, DO NOT TAKE IT! Offense steals PEACE, JOY, POWER, your HEALTH, and in the end, produces absolutely NOTHING! The less offense you allow, the less authority the devil will have over your life!
Cut off the offense as soon as it hits you! As believers, we must realize that the best time to take care of offensive issues that arise, is NOW. Do not give the devil time to find that crack in your armor (1 Peter 5:8)! In Deuteronomy 30:19 The Word says, “I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore CHOOSE LIFE, that you and your descendants may live.”
When you receive the hurt that someone throws your way, you begin to focus on YOUR pain, YOUR rights, and YOUR self!
Offense keeps you from truly loving people. It causes your LOVE to GROW COLD and affects your worship and BLOCKS your prayers!
If we are to minister to others and love them MORE than we love ourselves, we cannot be so introspective that we miss meeting their needs!!! Life is always going to be full of annoyances and interruptions; you cannot need anyone else to make you feel secure and keep you fixed all the time!
No one else is responsible for your joy! Life is not going to change. You must let God change YOU!
The devil has no way of standing against us if we CHOOSE to remain in unity with one another because where there is UNITY, there is ANOINTING, and BLESSING.
If you want a powerful ministry, if you want to love as Christ loves, you cannot hold onto anger. If you harbor resentment, it will grow into pride, mature into anger, and eventually become full blown UNFORGIVENESS.
The ANOINTING is simply the POWER and PRESENCE of GOD and we need it in every area of life. What each of us do with our lives is not so special in and of itself; we have to have the Anointing of God or no gifting we have will ever do much long-term good.
In order to DEFEAT the devil we need to first emulate what is illustrated in Mark 11:25. If we have ought in our hearts (even a very tiny bit) we need to leave our gift to the Lord at the altar and go make it right. God does not want us to pray to or worship Him with COLD HEARTS. If we cannot present our gift to God with clean hands and a pure heart , we do not need to give it.
You may have started reading this blog thinking you were at peace with the world, but have come to acknowledge a not so lovable person popping up in your mind that you need to release forgiveness to. My suggestion is to do the steps above. God never tells us to do something to help HIM; it is always in order to bless us!
So let God set you free today. Right here. Right now. Pray this prayer and watch Him work miracles in your heart.
Dear Father in Heaven,
I repent for allowing offense, anger, fear, insecurity and pride rule my life. I reject them now in Christ’s name and ask You Holy Spirit to please forgive me and help me love others with a compassionate heart. Give me wisdom to know when I should let an offense roll off my back and when I should honestly and graciously confront it. My aim is to NEVER grieve Your Spirit Lord, so today I am deciding, I WILL NOT TAKE OFFENSE! I CHOOSE right now to Love and Bless others no matter how they treat me because I am not loving for myself but to Bless Your Heart. In Jesus’ Name, “NOTHING shall offend me or make me Stumble (Psalms 119:165a)!”
Thank You Jesus! Amen.
HEY SURGE FAMILY!!! Great job Victoria! You all are doing an amazing job by putting out such rich blog content on a regular basis! What a great tool to set people free! Praise God!