"The Spirit of Offense"

I have heard it said and even said it myself that "offended people offend people." While the analogy is correct it need not be so. Have you lived long enough to observe that the majority of our society is offended about something or at somebody. Unfortunately that attitude has carried over into the church. Instead of us being salt and light with the ability to influence the world it has influence us in a negative way.

There are two words used in the Bible for offense and the first is ptaio - which means to cause one to stumble or fall.  We find it used in:

James 3:2 (NKJV)
2 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.

The second word is used more often and is: skandalizo (skan-dal-id'-zo) ("scandalize"); to entrap, i.e. trip up (figuratively, stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure): skandalon (skan'-dal-on) ("scandal"); a trap-stick (bent sapling), i.e. snare presenting an occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumblingblock.

Let's take a minute to look at: John 6:53-61 (NKJV)
53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?

The spirit of offense has its roots in the Spirit of Jezebel and operates by deception, control, manipulation, witchcraft, and refuses to cohabit with any one that disagrees with them.  It is focused against the prophetic anointing and wants to destroy the word that has been released declaring the future.  In fact when one is offended they will do whatever is necessary to make you look wrong so they can look right.  It is the picture of the: “Bait Stick”  It will trap you and not let you go.  A trap needs two things to be successful: It must be hidden and concealed so it is not easily seen and secondly it must have bait as an attraction of some kind that draws you to it.  It could be words, actions, material things and the list goes on and on. If you are trapped please be aware that it will not let you go without a fight. In fact the more you fight the stronger the resistance will become until exhaustion sets in to discourage you from the fight. This spirit literally wants you to be trapped so deep that it will always make more of an issue than it really was in the first place.  Because the way you see it is the way you will treat it!

           

The focus of offense is always on “self” – self centeredness – it is about “me”. Usually it is brought about by low self esteem which produces a poor self image because perhpas they have not been validated in life. Their default setting is usually finding what is wrong in the situation.  In fact they can see what is wrong more than what is right.

What the Spirit of Offense sounds like:

*  I don’t belong here

* I don’t have any friends here … people will not talk to me
* No one would miss me if I wasn’t here

*  I don’t have anything in common with anyone here
*        I would feel better if I stayed at home

* I don’t need anyone and they don’t need me … self pity

* I don’t know enough and I am not smart enough … sarcasm

* This will NEVER change … feelings of hopelessness
*    I am not ever coming back here again

What the Spirit of Offense looks like:

§  Disbelief

·         It is rooted in misunderstanding or misinterpretation

·         This is the spirit of deception at work

§  Justification – spirit of entitlement … I have a right

§  Anger – produces betrayal

§  Bitterness – this is about how you see things … you know them by their fruit

§  Hatred – fault finding

§  Murder – self destruction

Offended people offend people and once a person embraces offense … the person or organization they are offend at can never do enough to satisfy them.  They can never do anything correctly and they are always viewed through the microscope of that experience.  All they can see are the negatives.  Here is some real truth for some folks ...You cannot be offended unless you decide to be offended.  It is a decision you make.  Please be honest enough with yourself to ask yourself - What am I focused on?

The Purpose of the spirit of offense is:
1. To cause you to become distracted - may I encourage you to keep the main thing the main thing
2. To cause you to surrender your destiny - this warfare is internal and it is physiological; for as a man thinks so is he
3. To cause you to harm others by your words and your actions and a critical spirit is attached to the spirit of offense
4. To cause you to harm to yourself … spiritually & perhaps physically.  The spirit of suicide is attached to the spirit of offense.
5. To make the gospel of no affect and dilute your witness so you experience an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.  Yet the good news of the gospel is all about hope!
6. To cause you to doubt: God, Yourself, and Others - Doubt is not from God

The spirit of offense is the thief of your destiny.  Please do not surrender it without a fight. You will note I have not dealt with why people are offended because every reason you can come up with is not logical.  Because offense a spirit and does not possess complete truth only partial truth.

Spirit of Offense has these other spirits attached to it:

The spirit of deception                  The spirit of entitlement

The spirit of betrayal                     The spirit of doubt

The spirit of confusion                  The spirit of self pity

The spirit of hopelessness             The spirit of slander

The spirit of anger                         The spirit of hatred

The spirit of suicide                      The spirit of murder

You do have the power to break the Spirit of Offense over you life!

Waiting by the Pool!

John 5:1-9
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. (KJV)

In the scripture text we see a man that had an infirmity for 38 years that was waiting by the pool for his miracle. However it appears from the writers view point that he had not properly positioned himself for his miracle. There were a lot of folks laying around the pool all waiting for the same thing ... a miracle. This man is guilty of making excuses as to why he had not received his miracle. One would think after 38 years you would figured out how to get into the pool before anyone else unless you were satisfied just laying there instead of getting in.

It is the picture of the church and the five fold ministry. We are suppose to be a place where the spirit of the Lord resides and supernatural things are done. How is it that we have many people under the porch of the church but no demonstration of God's power at work? We speak about miracles but when was the last time you experienced or even saw one?

This man was guilty of making excuses as to why he had not been healed from his infirmity. Excuse #1 I have no man to help me. What happened to those that carried him to the pool? He could not have gotten there without some help. Did they dessert him after getting him there? I doubt that this happened. Under the Jewish law they would not have forsaken him there. Excuse #2 While I am trying to get in another person gets in before me. If you had been there 38 years don't you think you could have figure out some things about when it was going to happen and the positioning needed to get in before other people if you really wanted to. It appears he was content to just be by the pool instead of ... in it! Many people are content just going to church not being immersed in it. If you are going to get your miracle ... then you must get all the way in no matter what it takes. Here is an idea ... if it was a certain season then it sounds as if it was a predictable time. If indeed it was predictable ... how about you get in around that time and wait in the pool instead of by it? Waiting by the move of God is not the same as waiting in the move of God. Get in the pool!

Jesus had great compassion on this man. He asked him ... do you want to be whole? Meaning complete and entire. It was then the man made excuses and Jesus said three things to him. #1 Rise = get up do not lay and wallow in the trappings of your yesterdays. #2 Take up your bed = pick up what has limited you up to now. What has held you back is not going to hold you back any longer! #3 Walk = don't just stay where you are ... don't be satisfied just getting by ... but walk. Walk out of your jail! Walk out of your trouble! Walk out of your trials! Walk out of your past! Walk out of your issues! Someone needs to walk on out today!

Stop waiting by the pool and get in the pool!