Do you walk in the spirit of offense?
All of us at one time or another, have either been offended or offended someone. And the good news is, we all have the opportunity to SHIELD UP!
How Do I Know If I have The Spirit Of Offense?
Before we get into what it means to Shield Up, let’s first identify if we have the spirit of offense.
Even though we’re told in James 1:19 to be slow to take offense, we’ve seen relationships destroyed and people leave their church family over the spirit of offense.
Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.
~ James 1:19 (AMPC)
So how can we tell if we walk in the spirit of offense? Let’s start by asking ourselves a few questions:
How Do I respond To The Truth?
When I’m confronted with the truth (God’s word), do I accept it as instructions for my development, or do I make excuses for my behavior?
Do I Submit To Those In Authority?
Do I willingly submit with honor and respect to my spouse, my boss, my pastor or church leader? Or do I begrudgingly submit to their authority?
Am I teachable?
How do I respond to those placed in authority over me that try to teach me? Do I take heed to their instructions or do “my own thing?”
No matter which one of these questions you may struggle with, there’s one common denominator to all of them; and that is HUMILITY.
Humility Will Keep Us Free From the Spirit Of Offense
In our opinion, humility is the catalyst to our discipleship. Many of us want to be Disciples of Christ, but we don’t want to submit to the process.
That’s mostly because the word submit is perceived as a negative word. However, we are told in scripture to submit.
“Be submissive to every human institution and authority for the sake of the Lord, whether it be to the emperor as supreme…” ~ 1 Peter 2:13 (AMPC)
Let’s be clear, submission isn’t meant just for wives to submit to their husbands. Submission is for every believer. As God expects us to submit to Him, to each other, our spouses, employers, and our government!
“Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.” ~ Titus 3:1(NLT)
The slippery slope here is that without submission, we can almost guarantee that we will walk in the spirit of offense.
That’s because to be discipled is to be mentored. To be mentored is to be held accountable.
However, you cannot be discipled without being teachable. You cannot be mentored without yielding to submission. And you cannot receive accountability without humility.
In other words, when you walk in humility you will avoid walking in the spirit of offense!
When you walk in humility you avoid walking in the spirit of offense! #ShieldUp Click To Tweet
Hurting The Already Wounded
Sometimes we’re quick to walk in the spirit of offense when we’re already hurting. This is why it’s so important to get to the root of our wounds.
But, what happens when you offend someone who hasn’t dealt with the root of their wounds?
A few months ago we attended a leadership conference and heard this analogy that truly resonated with our spirit. We trust this will bless you, as much as it blessed us.
The spirit of offense is similar to a sunburn.
If you’ve had a sunburn before, you know that when you touch it, it hurts.
When you have a sunburn (a deep seeded wound or hurt that hasn’t been dealt with), and someone touches your sunburn (by either speaking a truth or holding you accountable); your sunburn will hurt even more. As this is reflected when we respond with a spirit of offense.
You see, it’s not that the person hurt you; as you were already hurt. But, because that person touched your wounded spot, it stung or hurt you even more.
At that moment, you have an opportunity to take offense or SHIELD UP.
What Does It Mean To Shield Up?
If you are the wounded one, you can choose to Shield Up no matter how bad it hurts. You can choose to humble and submit yourself to correction if necessary.
On the other hand, if you’re the one doing the correcting and your brother or sister takes offense to you; choose to shield up and not take offense to their offense. The truth is, they were already wounded.
Responding to their offense, in offense, is still offense.
When you choose to Shield Up and walk in love, it will have a greater impact.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
~ Proverbs 15:1 (NKJV)
When we heard the power behind #ShieldUp, we loved the phrase so much we made hats with the phrase embroidered. And let’s just say the conversations it starts with others is very interesting!
In The End
When we choose to be offended that’s a sign (or the evidence) that we’re NOT walking in the spirit.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” ~ Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
When we purpose to walk in the spirit, the evidence of our walk will be seen in how we love, our patience, gentleness, and kindness towards others.
At the end of the day, the choice is ours. We can justify walking in a spirit of offense or we can choose to Shield Up, and walk in love.
Which will you choose?
PIN FOR LATER
~ André and Timberley Gray
Wow! Just wow. It’s so easy for me to make excuses instead of holding myself accountable for God’s correction – whether He tells me through prayer with just Him and me or uses someone else to get the message through. Thanks so much for this confirmation.
Hi Brittany thanks for stopping by to read. God is so good to always confirm His word! ~ Blessings
This was definitely food for thought… it brought to mind a friend who has seemed to be sending me texts designed to offend me, even though I am not easily offended. So I thought I should send it to her, but you know what? If God sent it to me, He meant it for me. I will ponder on it and look for ways I can be a peacemaker and healer … that is what I’d like to see on my headstone (if I ever have one!! 😁🙌✝️) “Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God”.
Wonderful message, thanks!
WOW what a beautiful reflection of being sensitive in the spirit and recognizing what God is doing. That inspires me thank you for sharing. ~ Blessings
I choose love
I just started the study on the spirit of offense. I notice that everyone these days get offended easy, especially by the truth. I use to be offended easy because I allow the spirit of hurt, rejection, and abandonment control me, but as I got wiser others say(older) I understand that I made the choice to let all those spirits drive in my life. I just want to share how GOD is healing my very soul. A lot of us don’t think that the soul needs to be healed of offense, but it does. Until you allow healing to take place offense will continue to have a home in you. I appreciate this article. It really helped me to see much clearer. GOD Bless
Please excuse any mistakes. I’m at work and was rushing, so I didn’t proofread
Hello Wymekia – thank you for sharing. You are spot on with allowing the healing to take place so that offense no longer makes a home in your heart. So glad you were stopped by to read and it resonated with your heart. ~ Blessings Timberley