When Offense Knocks

Have you ever caught yourself rehearsing a conversation in your mind? Going back to something someone said, or how they said it (sometimes DAYS after it happened) and before you know it, you're angry or building a wall that God never told you to build?

Offense is sneaky!  
It's not always loud and boisterous - sometimes it slithers in like a whisper!

"The look on her face when she said that to me..."
".How rude of her to say it like that....."
"I bet he talked about this on the car ride home.."

If we’re not careful, 

offense becomes a 

wedge that separates....

not just from people, 

but from the very move of God

that we’ve been praying for.

"The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression." - Proverbs 19:11

Did you catch that? It’s a glory to overlook an offense!

In a society that rewards being easily offended, God calls us to a higher way: to walk in mercy, patience, and wisdom!

Taking offense isn’t just an emotional reaction... it's a spiritual decision that can either build or break the unity God desires for His people.

When we take offense, we trade peace for pride.
But when we release offense --------> we trade bitterness for blessing.

At the end of the day, it’s not about what was said ... it’s about guarding our heart.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."  Proverbs 4:23

Guard it!

Tend it! 

Choose forgiveness over festering! 

Choose grace over grudge!

If offense comes knocking, don’t take the bait.

Stay free. Stay soft. Stay usable in God's hands.