Avoiding Offense
Matthew 18:7 (NKJV) Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
If you want to change your life forever, there is one area that you must get a grip on, and that is offense. It is a key to so many areas of your life. In so many ways, it will determine if you walk in victory or not. There are three areas I want to remind you of regarding avoiding offense. First, not offending anyone; second, getting to the place we are not offended; and third, understanding what happens when we are offended.
First, let us understand that we want to sow good things, so we first must make sure we are not the source of offense. 2 Corinthians 6:3 talks about us “giving no offense in anything...” You and I do not want to be responsible for creating the offense. We must watch our words, actions, tone, facial expressions, and our attitude towards people. Treat people better than you want them to treat you. If we are the source of the offense, the Lord will not be pleased with us. In Matthew 18:7 Jesus said, “…Woe to that man by whom the offense comes.” When you get a woe, you are in trouble! Mark 9:42 tells us if someone offends a child, it would be better for a huge stone to be tied to their neck and they be thrown into the sea. That paints quite a vivid picture. In other words, don’t do it!
After we make sure we are not the source of the offense, we must then get to the place where we are not offended. It is one thing to say, “I am not offended,” but it is another to not be offended. It is easy to tell if you are offended. How? Because mentioning the person’s name irritates you, or you still get angry or sad when you think about that situation. The best thing to do is “offend proof” your life. How do you do that? By living a life of forgiveness by remembering that Jesus has already forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” It also says something similar to this in Colossians 3:13, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” When you and I live in constant forgiveness, it keeps us from being offended. Your new slogan for life should be, “I cannot be offended, and I will not take offense.”
The truth is, if we do not do this, we open ourselves up for the devil to cause havoc in our lives. You and I want to walk in the blessings of God. We want our inheritance! First Peter 3:9 (AMPC) makes it all so clear, “Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God--that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].“ Can you see it? The blessings stay away from people who are offended and return evil for evil or offense with offense. We all know that walking in offense causes our faith not to work (Mark 11:25-26). And a very big one is, if you let offense stay, it begins to grow and then it not only bothers you, but it begins to infect those around you. In Hebrews 12:15 it says, “Roots of bitterness spring up and defile many.” That word “defile” is the same word as to rape someone. Please let us all make sure we are conquering offense. Don’t let it near you. The Lord wants us all to be able to walk in His promises and receive our inheritance.
Let this be your confession: “I will not offend anyone, and I will not take offense! I will not let offense stay in my life, and I will teach others not to be offended!”