Offended for what?

 

I used to be just like you. I stayed offended about something. I was offended because someone said something the wrong way, or I was offended because I felt excluded from certain groups, I was even offended by the bond that certain people had my church. I spent a lot of time crying, being sad, and allowing jealousy to drive my decisions and emotions up a wall. I still battle this demon in many areas of my life. Yes, I called being offended a demon. It is a demon just like any other demon. It can ruin your life and relationships. I almost allowed the fact that I was offended cause me to leave my church.  The crazy thing about all of this is that, the people that were “offending” me, had no idea that I was harboring the anger, jealousy, and offenses that I was. Sometimes we have to step back and ask ourselves if it is us that needs to reevaluate the way that we are seeing things. The devil can use these false feelings to make you miss out on your blessing. You could be blessed by your pastor and his wife if you walked up to them and actually got to know them. You could be blessed by your peers if you spent time with them and just had a normal conversation with them. I pray that God breaks the ice and opens doors in your life that being offended has tried to close. I pray that God shows you you and opens your eyes to the truth about the things that you are feeling. I pray that you forgive the people and situations that have hurt you in the past. God wants to heal these areas in your life and he wants you to enjoy God relationships. Do you know that God will bring you friends after his own heart ( read about Jonathan and David in the bible)? Do you know that he will bring people in your life that he will cause you to bless and who will bless you? I pray that God breaks up the stony ground in your hearts. I pray that you receive the relationships that God himself is trying to give you. God does not want you to be lonely. He wants you to hear his voice and know his heart, if you would stop being offended, he would bring people into your life that can be an example as to how to do that.

In my own life, I battled my offenses through prayer. I had to sit back and ask God to help me to not be offended.  He even allowed me the opportunity to say what was on my heart to the people that I was offended by. Through saying this to them I found out that they never meant for  me to feel the way that I was feeling and they even told me that they were sorry. That conversation and space of prayer with them broke up the stony ground in my heart. It meant a lot and I appreciated it even though I knew that they never had any intentions of offending me in any way. I still have to pray that I don’t get offended by everything. In many instances, we take things the wrong way and have to ask God to get the smoke out of our eyes. I was given this opportunity and have been blessed ever since. Like I said, I am not perfect and I have to work on not being offended but even in this God has blessed me.

         Lord I pray for the hearts and minds of your children. I pray that they no longer miss out on what you have for them because they are offended. I pray for friends ships to be birthed out of the prayers that are prayed concerning offenses. I pray that your children began to see, hear, talk, and feel as you do. In Jesus name, Amen.