Paul told the Church in Corinth (2nd Corinthians 2:10-11) “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” In today’s words, we might say it like “Hey! Listen up! Satan has ways of doing things, and if you are aware of them, you won’t be easily taken captive by the enemy.” This warning still should be taken very seriously by people today.

Before we go further, I want to make this clear. Don’t look at this and think “I don’t have offense, this doesn’t apply to me.” If something is in the Bible, it has EVERYTHING to do with you. Even if you are offense free, this seed can reap benefits in the future. Satan is super sneaky, and if you don’t see the warning signs, you fall into his trap before you even know what happened.

Offense starts as a seed

Often offense starts as a small complaint or perception. Thoughts like “so and so doesn’t like me” “So and so ruined this for me,” “So and so is getting what they deserve,” “so and so is attacking me,” etc. These are just a few examples of what the seed of offense looks like. It starts with a simple thought that is justified by your current or past circumstances or mindsets. The danger lies in subtly, thoughts like these often go unnoticed or unaddressed.

Satan tries to appeal to your sense of self-worth. Thoughts like “they shouldn’t treat me like that,” “I deserve better,” “what did I do to deserve this” are just a few. He also appeals to your pride by taking the Word and using it as a weapon to further nurture the seed of offense. “The Bible says they shouldn’t be doing that” or, “The Bible says they should be doing this.” When Satan sows offense, he always calls into question the character of others. This is ultimately a smoke screen to divert your attention from the real enemy (Ephesians 6:12).

All these thoughts are divisive and are seeds that can grow into strongholds in your life. If you take the bait, he then goes on to work on separating you from people who care for you, family/friends/church and works to pair you with people who have bitterness in their heart. Satan continues to sow resentment in your heart through thoughts and the words of others. This not only affects you, but it affects others as you now plant it into their life. Instead of one who gives light and life to people, you sow hurt and shape opinions based on offense and bitterness.

When the offense starts flourishing in your life, you reap its harvest. That harvest looks like broken relationships and a suspicious mind. You blame someone else for what is happening in your life. Looking at everything they do as an annoyance or looking at everything they do as malicious. Your bitterness grows, and you have an excuse for your offense. “Well, you don’t know what they are like behind closed doors.” “You don’t know what they did to me.”

The end game offense is broken homes, families, churches, and friendships. Satan uses this tool to separate you from anyone who can speak correction and truth into your life. Offense will isolate you from the Body God called you to be a part of. This is dangerous because you then try to function outside of where God placed you to flourish and use your gifts to their fullest.

Signs of offense

Offense, just like everything bears fruit. You can identify this fruit by what you do and say.

• Not wanting to be around someone
  Avoiding interaction with someone or cutting ties with them because of a disagreement is a sign that offense has entered your heart. If I am trying to avoid interaction with someone or trying to hide from them, I have fallen into satan’s trap.
• Talking bad about someone
  Talking poorly of someone because of something they did or said is a sure sign of offense. This includes accusations, gossip, running to others to tell your side of the story with no intention to bring healing.
• Unhealthy thoughts
  Nagging thoughts of a negative experience with someone reveals your heart towards them. Reliving a hurt in your mind over and over reinforces the stronghold of offense.
• Looking at the offender as the enemy
  Looking at the person who offended you as an enemy reveals offense. If you look at someone else as the problem, you have fallen into satans trap. The Bible is clear on what the problem is, and it is not people.

Breaking the Stronghold

Now that we can identify offense, how do we get free from it? Hebrews 4: says we can come to God for grace and mercy for help in time of need. A lot of hurt from offense can run deep. We need the power of God to be free from holding onto the past. Repenting for holding onto offense is the first step. Repentance is the open door you need for grace and mercy to flow in your life.

Jesus gave us some commandments to live by “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also…” Getting even is not the way God made us to live in this life. Start praying for those who you feel slighted by. Ask God to bless them and if it’s in your power and opportunity be good to them.

All those things Jesus listed is a result of a relationship with Jesus. When we walk in proper relationship with Jesus our focus shifts from our will to His will being done. God wants each of us to walk as He did so we can glorify God in every situation!