That Really Offends me!!

 

That Really Offends me!!

What does the Bible say about being offended? We see the word offended being used 25 times in the KJV. You may think, 

“Hey…that’s not that much…it’s not that big of a deal.” But the thing is it is a BIG deal when you read what these scriptures are saying.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended (pasha) is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. –

Contention is to have a heated argument. It puts bars or gap between you and that person. 

I mean think about when you are offended you want to let that person know how wrong they are and then create space away from that person.

You become upset, and sometimes even disgusted by what that other person said or did. 

Even Jesus said that He came not to bring peace (Matthew 10:34-35) but that the gospel will bring division. Why? Because the world is offended by it and we are not of this world. (John 15:19)

Post or say something about faith to non-believers and you will offend people and it will cause division. You are not the one being offended but the spirit of this world is and they will let you know it.

But what happens when fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord become offended with each other?  Or how about denominations being offended by other denominations?  Yes, it’s true…

I firmly believe this type of division in detrimental to the body of Christ because it causes division. And the church needs to be united. 

Unity is extremely important in our pursuit of God and His calling. 

Psalm 133 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

The Spirit of Offense is a Form of Self Righteousness
“I’m right and you are wrong…” How many times have we felt that way? 

That in itself is not offense but it’s what you do with the spirit of offense that can become offensive. 

It’s what the Greek word for offense implies. 

Skandalon is originally referred to as the bait in a trap. 

When something happens or is said it is like bait for a trap. Will you engage and be trapped by offense or will you NOT take the bait and move on?

A lot of times we don’t realize we are being set up for offense. It’s hidden behind our pride and our self-righteousness.

The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’s day were extremely self-righteous and they were offended by Jesus left and right. (Matthew 15:12)

It is said that self-righteousness to God is the equivalent to filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)

No, not a dirty dishrag or something you clean the toilet with. It’s actually referring to a menstrual rag! Kind of gross but it pretty eye-opening at the same time. Your blood doesn’t cleanse, only Jesus does.  

The Spirit of Offense Stirs up Hatred & Anger - -

The Pharisees and Sadducees were so offended by Christ that it made them go crazy to the point they wanted Him dead.

Offense breeds hatred and anger. This is what offense does it divides and brings hatred.

Offense can NOT coexist with love. It’s absolutely impossible. If there is true Godly love there then offense will not be able to ensnare you. 

The Spirit Offense Casts off Love 1 Corinthians 13 describes love as:

• Patient, Kind, Does Not Envy, Does Not Boast, Is Not Proud,

• Does Not Dishonor others, Love is NOT self-seeking, 

• Love is NOT easily angered, It Keeps no Record of wrongs,

• Does not Delight in Evil, Rejoices in Truth, It Always Protects,

• It Always Trusts, It Always Hopes, It Always Preservers.

But let us not be naïve because Offense can still tempt or bait you to fall for it. We must be rooted and grounded in Christ. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit and remaining in Him.

Let us summarize the signs of a spirit of offense: 1. It will create Division, 2. Is Self Righteous, 3. Stirs up Hatred & Anger, 4. Casts off Love.

Now that we have looked at 4 signs of offense. What can we do to dismantle or break its power in our lives? Is there a way for us to not walk in offense? 

I believe we can learn to guard our hearts against offense with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

When You Feel Offended … and want to dismantle and break it's power the first thing we need to to is Forgive the person who offended us.

Forgiveness…. Is one of the powerful things we can do when offended. The majority of the time offense is just a misunderstanding or accident. Sometimes a person didn’t mean to offend you. Let it go and forgive. 

Now if the person or people were being intentional about causing to offend you…then still forgive them.

As we gather to pray over our city, our State and our Nation, we must understand that many of our citizens have been offended in some way. The spirit of Offense is partnered with the spirit of Discord and is linked with other spirits of rejection, self pity, pride and feelings of worthlessness.

As we pray today let us make declarations that the spirit of offense is broken over our land.

May we declare that our citizens desire to come out of darkness into the light of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. May they realize that God loves them enough to send His only son to take the punishment they deserved and to die on the cross so that they might be saved and not perish.

May their hearts become tender to respond as the Holy Spirit is drawing them to Jesus.

In our own lives, if we have harbored a spirit of offense, take the first step toward love, and forgive the person. Do not hesitate, because the festering infection of offense will not leave until you take the first step which is to forgive the person, then with your mouth, speak and tell "offense" to leave and not return in Jesus Name.

This message was gleaned from a post by Melissa Tumino who posts on: “Think about These Things”