Have you ever been offended
by the words or actions of another person? It doesn’t feel good, does it? The truth often hurts. I once read a book, called the Bait of Satan, written by a Pastor, named John Bevere. The book is about one of Satan’s most deceptive traps to get believers out of the will of God. The book was quite good. I highly recommend it. It made me think about my own biases, and my reactions when someone says something I don’t like. I realized my being offended brings on a victim mentality. And that is not good. Reading this book also made me realize there’s a spirit behind offense and it’s not always the spirit we think! Often times, it’s the Holy Spirit - The Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit of Truth who is teaching us about God’s righteousness, and not our own self-centered beliefs. You may be thinking, “What does she mean?” Well, let me me explain. In Luke Chapter 17, verse 1 Jesus said, "It is impossible that no offenses should come.” And that is because the truth hurts which is why it needs to be done - in love. Being offended happens when we focus in on the speck in another person’s eye, instead of paying attention to the log in our own eye, that is blinding our vision. And none of this accomplishes the mission outlined in Hebrews 12. Scripture says, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:1-2 In Matthew 15, we see Jesus calling the religious leaders and Pharisees “Hypocrites!” He uses this “offensive name” over and over again, as outlined in the gospels! It’s God’s common reaction to mankind, as outlined by the prophets of old! So now, you understand why Jesus said there’s no chance in hell that mankind won’t ever get offended? It’s because the Spirit of Truth is going to correct us, or at least it should. And this is also outlined in Hebrews 12. I dare you to look! Now that does not mean, we as people, should go around saying mean things to hurt another person. That’s just another form of sin! Passing judgment without discernment is not good! In fact, it’s just a heart of evil intent! Instead, followers of Christ are called to speak the TRUTH IN LOVE. And all that means is that we must share the Word of God, without changing it, with compassion, to our fellow man. Did you know it's only God’s Word that divides the intentions of the heart! This is told in Hebrews 4:12. After Jesus called the religious leaders a bunch of hypocrites, “His disciples came to him and said, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” I just love how Jesus responded, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch (or the consuming fire).” Jesus didn’t worry about the religious leaders reactions, or what anyone else thought of him. He just said the truth. And since God is the definition of love, it was sent with love. Jesus knows that those who are not planted into the Master’s garden will be cut off, permanently deleted from experiencing eternal life with him. He directed the disciples to ignore them, and their foolishness. He said they are just blind men leading the blind. And the end result is each of them falling into a ditch - into utter darkness. We can assume a spiritually awake person will have a different ending because their eyes are wide-open. Thank God! That is good! There is nothing better than eternal life with Him. So, here is what I have learned. Speak the truth in love which means share the Word of God, in love, with compassion. Share God's Word despite what others may think. Those who are in Christ will hear the Spirit of Truth and not hold onto offense because they are being corrected and transformed. They will learn to release the bitterness and reposition their eyes to focus on Christ, the author and perfecter of their faith. But the person who chooses to harbor offense, has been captured by Satan’s snare. Be careful not to stay there! Learn to let it go! Because this is where the root of bitterness grows.
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