Queens' Monthly Mentoring
Offense: The Open Door For The Enemy
Greetings!
This month we are going to study about how to keep our hearts free from offense and how to keep the doors of hearts closed to the enemy. We live in a day and time where people are easily offended. As Kingdom citizens, we want to live lives free of offense and bitterness. The following notes and Scriptures will direct us on how to live free from offense.
1. Remember that because of the time we are living in, people are easily offended.
2 Timothy 3 :1-5 NLT
“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!”
2Thessalonians 2:3 NLT, NKJV, CEV & AMP
“Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.”
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,”
“But don't be fooled! People will rebel against God. Then before the Lord returns, the wicked one who is doomed to be destroyed will appear.”
“Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed],”
Matthew 24:12 CEV & CSB
“ Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others”
“Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.”
2. We must remember that we are not perfect. Remembering what God has forgiven us for helps us to have mercy and grace for others.
John 8 :7 NLT
“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
James 3:2 DRB & KJV
“For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. He is able also with a bridle to lead about the whole body.”
“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”
Proverbs 18:19 NLT & AMP
“An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.”
“A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city, And contentions [separating families] are like the bars of a castle.”
Proverbs 17:9 BSB
“Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.”
3. We must remember to not allow bitterness to enter our hearts when someone does something to offend us.
Ephesians 4 :27 AMP
“And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness].”
Acts 8:22-23 BSB
“Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
4. Don’t allow what you have been through to cause you to become offended at God.
Romans 9:33 AMP
“As it is written and forever remains written, “BEHOLD I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE; AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [in his expectations].”
Job 1:22 NLT
“In all this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”
Matthew 13:20-21 KJV
“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”
5. Remember to stay in the spirit instead of allowing your flesh to be in control and allowing offense.
Ecclesiastes 10:4 AMP & NET
“If the temper of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post [showing resistance], because composure and calmness prevent great offenses.”
“If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position, for a calm response can undo great offenses.”
Romans 8:5-7 GNT
“Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants.
To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.
And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it.”
Romans 12:19 NLT
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.”
6. Remember to not operate like the world does by allowing offense to cause you to come against people who do not look like you.
Matthew 24:6-10 Coverdale Bible
“Ye shall hear of wars, and of noise of wars: take heed, and be not ye troubled. All these things must first come to pass, but the end is not yet. For one people shall rise up against another, and one realm against another: and there shall be pestilence, hunger, and earthquakes here & there. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they put you to trouble, & shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all people for my name sake. Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one the other.”
Galatians 3:28 AMP
“There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].”
7. Remember not to allow offense to cause you to be open to the enemy’s influence.
Matthew 18:7 CSB & GNT
“Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.”
“How terrible for the world that there are things that make people lose their faith! Such things will always happen--but how terrible for the one who causes them! “
2 Corinthians 4:4 GNT
“They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
8. Remember not to allow familiarity to cause you to become offended.
Matthew 13:54-58 NLT
“He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph,f Simon, and Judas. All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.”
Mark 6:2-6 NLT
“The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.”
Matthew 11:6 NKJV & NLT
“And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
“And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
9. Always remember that you do have an enemy who wants you to stay in offense. Don’t!
1 Peter 5 :8-9 CEV
“Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack.
But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are.”
James 4 :7 AMP
“So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you.”