Offense

As in offended not to be confused with sports analogies of offense and defense. Offense is painful an unfortunately if you have lived any length of time around people the opportunity to be offended happens quite often. People say, suggest or imply things to us, or about us or about our character or motivation etc. These words or suggestions can evoke strong emotions, and if left unchecked these emotions can seat themselves in our psyche and eat away at our confidence and over all well-being.

Many people live in a state or perpetual offense. These offenses just seem to stack up one upon the other because they are unable to let go them. It is kind of like an emotional free radical chain reaction where these offenses begin to tear away your self-confidence, rip away your trust in people and in God, doubt then begins to creep in and cause you to question everything and everyone’s motivation. It’s a miserable way to live. It is a tormenting island to live on, and it is a terrible trap to walk into. Your enemy does not fight fair. It is a tactic straight from hell and a devise of the devil to enslave us to fear, doubt and unbelief.

I have two things to share with you and one offer to make to help you get past these offenses and get you off that terrible island of grief and loathing.

One, Jesus said I am going to heal people, set them free from addictions, raise some from the dead, cure their diseases and preach the Good News to the poor and blessed is he who is not offended in me (Matthew 11:5&6). You know, sometimes it is the LORD that offends us. He doesn’t do business the way we want Him to. But He said blessed are those who are not offended in me. The key here is to “not,” be offended, this implies a choice. We can choose not to be offended. The antidote is praying for those who offend us, and I don’t mean “bless them with a brick.” But truly pray for them.

Two, Paul the Apostle wrote…. put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. He then begins to tell us what this armor is…. (Ephesians 6:10-20). I want to point out a few of them. The shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the devil. (Paul also made it clear that our fight is not with people but the devil) The devil hurls these words like arrows at our minds to inject our thoughts with their poison to debilitate us through offense. The other piece of armor is the helmet of salvation, which is to guard our minds from these attacks to keep them from penetrating should they get past the shield of faith. The shield of faith is trusting in God, The Helmet of salvation is the freedom, deliverance and healing of our thinking, it is a renewed mind that believes the things that Jesus has spoken to us and about us. Your belief in what Jesus says will dispel those fiery darts.

Here is my offer: Paul closed out Ephesians 6 with a request for prayer. If these fiery darts have penetrated your helmet, I want to offer you prayer today. Once these thoughts break through our defenses, we need to go to the infirmary. Prayer from others is the infirmary.

How can I pray for you?

Prayer page — Vineyard Moss Bluff (vineyardmb.org)

Peace and Blessings,

~ Pastor Tim