How offense can stop your faith from working

Beloved, the enemy is not ultimately after you. He is after your faith in God. He wants to deceive you into a place where you become offended with God, offended with people, offended with the church, offended with your circumstances, or even offended with yourself—until your faith becomes shipwrecked or abandoned. This is especially important for the times in which we are living. Jesus warned us about deception concerning the last days. When His disciples asked Him about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, the first thing Jesus said was: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” — Matthew 24:4 Paul gave Timothy a similar warning concerning the latter times: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” — 1 Timothy 4:1 Notice the progression: Deception can lead to offense. Offense can lead to withdrawal. Withdrawal can lead to the abandonment of faith. The result is what Satan is after- your faith. He wants to disrupt your confidence in God. How Does Offense Come? Offense can come through many different doors: Perhaps you heard something someone said about you. Perhaps someone treated you unfairly. Perhaps you were betrayed, rejected, disappointed, or falsely accused. Perhaps you were abused by a loved one or someone you trusted. Perhaps you have prayed about something, but the manifestation has not yet come. Perhaps you have been going through prolonged tribulation or persecution. Perhaps someone told you that God allowed a painful situation because He wanted to teach you a lesson. Beware. The enemy can use these experiences to deceive you into believing that God is unfaithful, that He does not care about you, that He has abandoned you, or that He is withholding His goodness from you because of something you have done. Satan’s objective is to get you offended so that he can steal the Word of God that is producing fruit in your heart. Jesus explained this clearly in the Parable of the Sower. The Parable of the Sower: How Offense Short-Circuits Your Heart In Mark 4:13–17, Jesus explained the parable of the Sower. The seed fell on 4 different grounds, or hearts. The ones sown on stony ground are those who heard the word and immediately received it with gladness. But they had no root in themselves, so they endured only for a time. Then something happens: “Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” — Mark 4:17 The word translated “stumble” in this passage comes from the Greek skandalizō, which means offended, caused to stumble, entrapped, tripped up, or led into sin, apostasy, or displeasure. Think about that. They received the word. They were excited about the word. They believed the word. But when tribulation and persecution came because of the word, they became offended. And the offense caused them to stumble. This is why we must understand the enemy’s strategy. The trial is not the end of your story. The persecution is not the end of your story. The delay is not the end of your story. But if the enemy can use the experience to make you offended with God, he can cause you to abandon the very word that was producing life in you. Do not allow any experience to make you abandon what God has spoken. Paul Understood the Strategy Paul understood the importance of keeping his heart free from offense. In Acts 24:16, he said: “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Think about Paul's life. He was beaten, imprisoned, falsely accused, rejected, persecuted, and he experienced shipwrecks, dangers, betrayal, and hardship. Yet Paul determined he would maintain a clear conscience before God and before men. Beloved, if you are going to walk successfully with God, live the life of faith, and finish your course, you must master the strategy of the enemy in getting you into a place of offense. The enemy's goal is to short-circuit your faith and make you give up on God and the plans He has for your life. #mindset #faith #grace #mind #mindsetshift #jesus #jesuschrist #thoughts #mindsetmatters #offense #offended #peace #heart #guardyourheart