The Snare of Offense

“A person’s wisdom yields patience;
it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense”.   Prov. 19:11   NIV

Taking an offense will cause you to fall into powerlessness, frustration and defeat.  It is possible to be in that trap and not even know it.

Hating people will not only cause your heart to harden but it will destroy you and rob you of everything Jesus died for to give you.

The snare of offense is more deadly than you can possibly imagine.  It is a dangerous trap the enemy uses to separate you from God and steal your happiness.

It has possibly destroyed more Christian lives than sex, drugs, and alcohol combined.   Offense brings its friends along, you know them; bitterness, jealousy, unforgiveness, betrayal, anger and hatred.   They come to test every person.

Offense can rob you of your anointing and intimacy with God.

An offense according to God’s Word is something that trips us up so that we fall into sin or unbelief.   “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.  Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”  (Romans 14:13 NIV)

We can set ourselves up for offenses when we place expectations upon certain people.  They will fall short of those expectations and disappoint us.  We also can set ourselves and others up for offense when we require certain behavior from those we have a relationship with.

We place undue pressure upon them when we expect them to say, act or dress according to our desires.  This is a trap of Satan that only causes hurts, disappointments and offense. 

Proverbs 18:19 (a) informs us of the consequences of such expectations; “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city….”  

An offense puts you in Satan’s strongholds whereby he becomes your master.  He will control your emotions. 

The world we live in today is all about “me”.  It projects the philosophy of “selfishness”.   It teaches us to place ourselves above others and how to be insensitive to others feelings.

Jesus warned us of these times, He said, “…. many shall be caused to stumble [And then many shall be offended], and [they shall] betray each other, and they shall hate each other”.   Matt. 24:10  WYC

As Christians we are not living according to the world’s standard we are to forgive and forget.  Love is how we manage to walk through offense.

^“Love is kind and patient,

never jealous, boastful,

proud, or rude.

Love isn't selfish

or quick tempered.

It doesn't keep a record

of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth,

but not in evil.

Love is always supportive,

loyal, hopeful,

and trusting”.    I Cor. 13:4-7  CEV