'Offensive Breakdown'

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! Luke 17:1

With the society that we live in currently it seems to be that offensive motives and actions are becoming a norm for us to deal with. It has become a regular for politicians to talk down about other politicians; it is a norm for marriages to end in divorce; it has become a norm for all people (both the young and old) to have sex before marriage/ with multiple partners because it's the thing to do; it is okay to tell a little lie; it is okay for the leaders in the church to do whatever they want to do, without punishment, because they are yet human and they too have the ability to fall; and it even seems to be okay for ministries/denominations to teach whatever part of the bible they want to teach as long as it satisfies what their congregation wants to hear. All of these things, and a host of many others, have  become a norm and yet to most of us offensive, but we as Christians have to understand that this is the worlds way and system of dealing with things so we shouldn't be amazed or find ourselves compromising with them to try and make them fit into God's word or his way.

The crazy part is when it comes to Christianity there are some norms that we have begun to accept as well, but really are offensive to the ways and teachings of God. What are these ways you might ask? It is the normality of believing that we have the right to be: angry, bitter, jealous, envious, resentful or outraged towards those who have hurt us. No, I am not suggesting or saying that it is right for anyone to intentionally or unintentionally offend/hurt us, but we do as Christians have to act accordingly to what God's word says for us to do when we have been offended by others.

Jesus tells the disciples in Luke 17:1, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come." He wanted the disciples to know, as well as each of us who have made the decision to follow Him as a believer, that in this life we will be offended but it will be more sorrowful for the offender than for those of us who have been offended. It is not our place to try and repay them for what they have done to us, because then we will receive some of the same consequences that they receive. Not to mention our negative reactions to their offensive ways, could risk us to cause: insults and attacks on others, division and separation in the lives of other people, broken relationships in families and we could even cause people to backslide against God or begin to betray other people as well.

Through much prayer God will use the words of wisdom that he has imparted in me as well as a great study by John Bevere, "the Bait of Satan", as a guide to help us defeat satan and the tricks and schemes of offense that he has tried to place within us. Satan wants us to believe that it is truly okay to be offended, but really and truthfully it is the very thing that is holding us from getting the blessings that God truly has in-store for us.

I know about this all to well because there have been many times in life in which I have been hurt and offended by others. Whether it was the family member that used me; the parent that didn't care anything about me; the pastors/church leaders that have hurt me spiritually/personally; the friends that turned their back on me; or all the other stuff that I allowed to come my way because I totally disobeyed the signs that were right in my face. All because I was angry, bitter or had hatred towards those people for what had happened, I held up the purpose and blessings that God had in-store for me.

Often times we are trapped by offense because we refuse to acknowledge the realization of it. We become so blind to the condition of offense, because we are so focused on the wrong that was done to us, instead of us focusing on a solution that will help us overcome the hurt and lead us to forgiving the one who has wronged us. It wasn't until I acknowledged the realization of what I was facing and that I went to those persons to ask for forgiveness and to forgive them, that God started to make some different things happen in my life. Through these next 30 days my prayer is that the blessings God has for you will be released as we walk through this journey of no longer being offended.

John Bevere says it this way, "Offense isn't deadly, as long as it stays in the trap, but as soon as we decide to pick it up and consume it, then it becomes deadly, because it makes us become offended." In the end the only way we can get to a point of no longer being offended is by: truly forgiving all of those whom have offended us, asking for forgiveness of those whom we have offended and by not picking up the offensive attitudes that satan wants us to carry in order to try and justify what you are doing. Be Blessed! -AJH