OH NO YOU DIDN'T?!

The Lord placed this message upon my heart not only due to my own personal experiences, but those of many others! This is a message that many of us need to hear and take heed to! What is this message about? THE SPIRIT OF OFFENSE! This 'spirit' is running rampant not only among believers, but unbelievers alike! This 'demon' of satan's knows well that through division and discord, there is no power. The Spirit of God cannot move FREELY through us (believers) where this is strife! This lack of power in our lives, renders us ineffective witnesses for Jesus Christ!

OFFENSE is the main reason why many people are leaving their churches, many marriages are torn apart, why children run away from home; it is the main reason why people leave their jobs, friendships are ruined, murders are committed, etc. etc. etc....

OFFENSE... Oh how the enemy knows exactly what is needed to set us off! He and his 'imps' have studied us long enough to know our target areas, or areas of weakness and then comes in for the kill! Let's look at some things that may offend us (now of course some of these things can really hurt us and rightfully so, but it's how we deal with the offense that makes all the difference):

Someone looks at you the 'wrong' way...


Someone says something to you that you don't like (angers you or hurts your feelings)...

Someone forgets your birthday....

Someone forgets to or just doesn't call you.....

Someone cancels a 'date' with you.....

Someone forgets to thank you for something or are just being inconsiderate...

You feel someone is ignoring you (when in essence they may be going through some things themselves!)......

You are overlooked for a raise or other opportunity and someone you feel is 'less deserving' gets it instead...

Gossip...affairs...insecurities...etc...These all stem from offenses or can be caused by offenses...

But today the Spirit is taking us deeper. He is showing us the ROOT cause of offense: PRIDE!

{Proverbs 16:18} (Amplified Bible)- 

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.


Pride ALWAYS causes us to focus on SELF! I don't care how we may try to justify it! Pride causes us to dwell on how someone had the 'nerve' to say this or that to ME....They did this or that to ME...It causes us to ask, "Who do they think they are to treat ME this way?" "How could they have done this to ME?" "I'M tired of putting up with this mess from people!" "Maybe I did something wrong?!" (Still a focus on SELF).... (Romans 12:3, Galatians 6:4, Proverbs 3:5,7, 1 Peter 5:6)

NO OFFENSE, BUT WHO ARE YOU?!!!! I'm talking to ME too now... I often have to remind myself of all that Christ suffered, and He certainly did NOTHING to deserve it! He in fact, took what I deserved, and what you deserved (hell), and gave us instead that which we did NOT deserve(eternal life and freedom from sin NOW)! Thank Him for His grace and mercy!

Now I'm not saying that every wrong done to us is something that we 'deserved' or brought upon ourselves! No way! But what I am saying is there are times when we give others power over us by not letting go of an offense. There are times when someone may not even be aware that they have offended us! They go on about their lives, but we are being poisoned from the inside out due to un-forgiveness, hurt and anger! We have to learn to, like Jesus, be merciful and forgive those who done us wrong! (Before you say, they don't deserve it... Remember we didn't deserve what JESUS gave us either! (Matthew 5:14-15) Sometimes being merciful to others may involve going to the person who offended us to speak to them about the issue(Matthew 5:23-24); and other times, it may be best to just let it go IF we can move past it with no lingering negative effects...and if we know deep down the person didn't MEAN to hurt us! But we should always go to God FIRST, to see how and where He leads!

Bottom line: We have to learn just who we are in Christ, and to look to Him to fulfill us, not man! "Man" can and will let us down at times, whether intentionally or not, but God never will! Once we become so grounded and deeply rooted in Christ, nothing else will move us! Be blessed!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (Amplified Bible)

4Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Leviticus 19:17 (NLT)

 Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives [brothers and sisters and Christ]. CONFRONT YOUR NEIGHBORS DIRECTLY so you will not be held guilty for their crimes.

Luke 17:3-4 (NLT)

 I am warning you! If another believer sins, rebuke him; then if he repents, forgive him. Even if he wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, forgive him."

Proverbs 27:5-6 (NKJV)

 Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

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