Offense

Taken from devotional: 21 Days to Overflow by Four Rivers Media

Have you ever been offended?

Offense is one of the most effective tools Satan uses in his campaign to hinder the people of God. He brings down even the mightiest of people. He uses offense to keep the Kingdom of God from being its most effective. He uses offense to dismantle churches. He uses offense to tear families apart. He uses offense to divide believers. He uses offense to perpetuate emotional, mental, and even physical illness in people.

Proverbs 17:9 says that those who conceal an offense seek love, but those who repeat it separate close friends. Canceling an offense doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t remember it and forget it entirely. It does mean you don’t bring it up and you don’t hold a grudge against your brother or sister. It means you move past it and show the forgiveness God has shown you to those around you.

In Hebrews 12:15, it says to see to it that everyone obtains the grace of God. This grace, first shown to us by God for our sins, should be passed forward. We should be quick to forgive those who wrong us! It then goes on to speak of a root of bitterness that leads to trouble. This root can be defined many ways, but in summation, it is an offense. We cannot let others offend us to the point that we harbor bitterness against them in our hearts.

Don’t let offense take root in your lives. Be quick to forgive and be quick to ask others for forgiveness. If we want to be overflowing with the Spirit, we can’t let offense be a motivating factor in our lives!