Joy Isaguirre | Musings of a Blog Convert

Let me start this post with an apology. I normally keep all postings light, but in this case i must make an exemption. We had a particularly bad experience lately which yields a valuable lesson that i want to share with you. Bottom line: It doesn’t matter how bad or worse the situation is, it’s how we righteously respond (act) based on God’s Word (Truth), and lay aside our emotions in light of reconciliation and peace. And this my friend, separates the wheat from the chaff.

There is a deceptive, deadly trap that imprisons countless Christians, severs relationships and widens breaches between us. It is the snare of offense, and many believers are unable to function in their calling because of these wounds and hurts they have received. They are handicapped and hindered from fulfilling their God-given potential. Jesus made it very clear that it is impossible to live in this world and not have the opportunity to become offended (see Luke 17:1). If you breathe air and walk this earth, you will have a chance to become offended—guaranteed. Therefore, it is important for us to be prepared and armed, for our response to offense determines our future.

The Greek word for offend in Luke 17:1 comes from the word skandalon. This word originally referred to the part of a trap to which the bait was attached. In the New Testament it often describes an entrapment by the enemy. A trap needs one of two things in order to be successful. Either it must be hidden, in the hope that an animal will stumble upon it, or it must be baited to lure the animal into the trap’s deadly jaws. Satan incorporates both of these strategies as he lays out his traps. They’re hidden and baited. If we’re not trained by the Word of God to rightly divide between good and evil, we won’t recognize his traps for what they are.

The enemy uses offense to bring people into captivity. Paul says, “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…so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26 NKJV). Wow! Those in quarrels or opposition fall into a trap and are held prisoner to do the devil’s bidding. They are unaware of their captivity and don’t realize their hearts are spewing out bitter waters rather than pure. When people are deceived, they believe they are right even though they aren’t.

The truth of offense is this: Those you care about the most can offend or hurt you the most. You expect more of those you care about, and the higher the expectations, the greater the opportunity to be offended and fall into the devil’s trap. In Psalm 55:12-14 David laments, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. …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” (NKJV). Most often it is a fellow believer who has hurt you, and this causes the offense to go deeper; it feels like a betrayal.

When Jesus spoke of our day, He warned us to take heed that we are not deceived (see Matthew 24:4). He then went on to say, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another,” (Matthew 24:10 NKJV). This shows us a progression: an offended person will eventually betray the person who offended them, and if the betrayal is not dealt with, it will ultimately lead to hatred.

Why do the offended eventually betray? Because according to Proverbs 18:19 an offended person is harder to win than a strong city. Strong cities in the days of Solomon had walls around them for protection. Likewise, an offended person builds walls—not physical walls, but walls in the soul. The New Testament calls these walls strongholds (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). These strongholds are thought processes that are developed deep within the soul that are contrary to the Word of God. God’s Word is rooted in His very character, which is love. Love is an outflow that always seeks to give. An offended believer seeks protection; they’ve been hurt and don’t want to experience it again. Their focus is protection rather than release.

Thoughts of self-protection ultimately lead to betrayal. A betrayal is when we seek to protect or benefit ourselves at the expense of those with whom we have a relationship. If our focus turns within, when pressure comes we’ll seek our own selfish interest and betray if necessary. This behavior will eventually lead to hatred, and if hatred is allowed to thrive, it alienates its victim from eternal life (see 1 John 3:15).

The other plague that results from offense is the sin of lawlessness, which, simply put, is disobedience to authority. A person who has been offended by an authority figure will shy away from authority to avoid being hurt again. This is the reason Jesus says that in our day lawlessness will abound, and as a result the love of God in the hearts of believers will grow cold; but he who endures to the end will be saved (see Matthew 24:12,13).

After ministering in thousands of churches, I have had the opportunity to see the direct correlation between lawlessness and offense. One of three things happens when a person is offended by someone in authority. First, they’ll avoid all forms of authority. This often comes in the form of leaving churches, marriages or places of employment in order to escape the chance of being hurt again. Second, they become spiritual vagabonds or wanderers. They will stay as long as those in authority behave exactly as they desire, but if they don’t, they run again to the next relationship or organization. The third behavior of those who will not let go of an offense is that they become spiritual zombies. They may stay in the place where the hurt occurred, but they never reach their potential because they refuse to forgive and release the person who hurt them. This is tragic because life holds so little joy for them, and others miss the blessing that their lives were intended to bring.

Offense is a serious issue, and many are held in its death grip. But the love of God is the key to freedom from this trap. This is an abounding love that is developed over time and continually grows stronger in our hearts. This love will keep us from stumbling and enable us to lay down our lives selflessly—even for the good of an enemy. When we walk in this kind of love, we cannot be seduced into taking the bait of Satan.

[text courtesy of John Bevere Ministries]

* John Bevere is an international bestselling author, conference speaker, and co-founder of Messenger International with his wife, also bestselling author, Lisa Bevere.