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The message from today has to do with something that manifests daily in our lives.
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Every day of our lives we relate with people, in a way or another.
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You come in contact every day with your children, husband, wife, brothers, sisters, with people...
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God Almighty when He created and designed this world, He wanted jus to be in fellowship and unity with Him first,
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and then based on His relationship, to be in unity and harmony one with another.
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We live in a world where we relate one with another and in this process is almost impossible
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to not encounter people who will say something negative to us, wound us or even betray us
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or put a snare before us, so that we may fall and be victims of our spiritual enemy,
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Why all these things are happening?
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Because neither you nor me are perfect as human beings, since the fall of Adam.
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In an imperfect world, the relations cannot be perfect, but rather imperfect.
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Today we will talk about what it means to be vigilant, attentive through all this imperfect relationships
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and being attentive, to remain a man after God's heart.
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The title of today's message is, "Control the offense and don't allow yourself to be dragged on Satan's territory!"
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Let's read from Ephesians 4:31-32, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
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along with every form of malice.
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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ Jesus, God forgave you."
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No one in this place hasn't faced a situation in his life whereas offense to not come.
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At least once in your life, you have faced injustice, someone mocked you and shouted at you.
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At least once in your life you felt shame because of the name calling you received.
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At a certain point, you may have faced even betrayal, lied or abused.
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Also, some of you were facing set-ups and snares to be provoked; offense then easily came and found a place.
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Offense in itself - betrayal, mockery, name-calling - through people, even relatives is not deadly in itself
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if you react in a godly manner.
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But when we are caught off guard and not know how to react to offense, then we make space and nurture it,
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you start water it and meditate and think all day about it and seek justice - when you do this offense becomes destructive.
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Not only that it destroys but it has the ability to bring other negative feelings from the enemy.
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Let's learn some important truths about offense.
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We read from Ephesians 4:31-32 about the fruit of offense.
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A person who accepts offense in his heart will be filled with bitterness, unforgiveness, anger seeking justice...
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Not only he is filled with these negative feelings, but he will spread to others what injustice he received.
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What we read in the text of the Bible is the fruit of this seed offense when it has settled.
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If you are careful and remove the offense when is only a seed, bitterness, anger, and jealousy will not grow.
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The first truth is that offense comes 100% in your life, and it comes in order to drag you on satan's teritory.
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There will be someone to tempt you, to say a sarcastic word, to betray you, and to disappoint you continuously.
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When you are facing these attacks know this - the purpose is so that you will dragged on satan's teritory
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and from there to respond and fight that person.
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Offense comes so that you may fight from the enemy's territory. If you receive it you will loose the control of the situation
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and you will do the work of the evil one, even if you know Bible verses and you are right.
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Help us Lord to understand this truth from its primary phase!
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Another truth we need to know about offense is that the purpose of it is to find a host, a place to grow, flourish...
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People who travel from one city to another they will seek for a place to host, to remain there.
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The nature of the offense - which is sowed by weak people - it seeks an environment in you to develop...
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If it finds an, "You are welcome!" offense enters and starts its work.
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Another truth we need to know about offense is that it will rob you from your potential as a believer
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and steals the blessings you received from God Almighty.
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Here you remember the man of God Moses, who when he was tempted by his people he reacted in the flesh...
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He had a weak moment and offense came in.
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What happened? He lost the promised blessing.
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The Bible says that Moses was the most humble man in his generation.
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At every step in his journey faith he had keep heart free from anger and unforgiveness towards 2 millions of israelits
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quarreling and fighting against him.
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They kept on doubting him, "You are the man from God, you are not the man of God!"
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Moses had to constantly walk in forgiveness at every step because he was constantly provoked...
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But a moment came in his life when he was provoked and he outbursted with anger and fury.
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Offense came in, anger came in and it was not the anger of the Lord, but it was from his flesh...
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Because he was operating at a very high level of glory in his relationship with God,
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that situation made Moses loose the promise of entering Canaan.
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Offense robs you of your potential as a believer in your calling.
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When offense comes, peace has to leave, joy has to leave; worries are coming, confusion is coming...
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You become very exposed and fragile when you receive offense. If you are challenged from outside your reaction will be very bad...
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The next truth about offense, is that it blinds you spiritually and you hardly realize that you are caught.
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Your spiritual eyes have a covering on them and you cannot discern and understand what is happening...
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When we become offended, hardly we realize that we are in bondage...Satan play with us in this point...
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The last thing is good to know about offense is that it will destroy the harmony of your relationship with God!
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The lack of peace in the life of a believer who repented and confessed his sins and turned from them;
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shows that there is a seed of offense and bitterness in his heart, nurturing still the pains of the past.
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When you are tempted to lose the harmony with God because of something from your past,
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stop for a moment and remember the Calvary and Jesus Christ and how rejected and tortured was He.
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When you keep offense - bitterness, anger, hatred and resentment - you build a wall between you and God!
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Remember these truths about offense - it comes 100%, so that you will fight and act from satan's territory..
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Offense always seeks a host and if you are in the flesh, you become that host.
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Offense robs you of your potential as a believer and the blessings from God Almighty.
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Offense blinds you spiritually - you don't know why you are confused and without direction in life -
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Here you hardly realize and acknowledgethat you are in a bondage...
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Someone from outside has to slowly unpack and show you these truths in order to accept this truth.
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Offense destroy the harmony of your relationship with God.
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Question, "Do you control offense, or offense controls you?
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Do you have the peace of Christ in your heart?
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Do you experience harmony with God in your fellowship?
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If you do, there is no offense in your life.
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On the other side, if you know you manifest these negative emotions in your life - to be always right
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constant bitterness, speaking negatively an anger you are on the most dangerous ground possible.
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Let's see how to overcome the poison and seed of offense in our lifes.
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Instead of nurturing, watering, and keeping this poison of offense in your heart, take responsibility for it and acknowledge that you have this problem.
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Instead of giving your thoughts and emotions to bitterness, anger, and gossiping, acknowledge your problem
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and take responsibility for the problem.
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When you do this step then you will start thinking what can you do to solve the problem.
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Those who don't take responsibility and acknowledge their problems they continue in ignorance.
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When you take responsibility you will start praying, "Lord I want to be free from this problem, this root, this anger!"
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You run to the grace of God to seek solutions!
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What to do to overcome offense in our lives and be where God wants us to be?
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To overcome offense from its primary phase be filled and walk in Spirit every day of your life.
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Colossians 3:16, " Let the words of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another
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with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts."
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To overcome offense you need to pay the price of walking in the Spirit daily.
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The offense seeks a host, for its nature is carnal and worldly, and if you walk in the flesh when it comes
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is like two things that draw each other are meeting, and become connected one to another.
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Pay the price of walking and being filled with the Spirit. Don't go outside and do your work unless you fellowshipped with God.
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Your responsibility and my responsibility is to depend daily on the Holy Spirit and His word.
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My responsibility is have His word in my heart, in my mouth and in every conversation.
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The second way to deal with offense. Let's say you are now offended because the attack was very smooth.
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and instead of being prepared, we were half-prepared.
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The arrow came exactly in that area that was not covered and protected.
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Self-justice and revenge began to be birthed in us. I will deal with him/her; "I will humiliate them and he will ask forgiveness on his knees!"
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When you are caught in a situation like this and your guard is off, and you start to feel the anger, hatred
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and the poison of that arrow, then you need to STOP, repent before God because you were not fully prepared
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and release forgiveness in the next moment to the one who misbehaved toward you!
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"Lord Jesus is not his fault, is my fault because I was not fully equipped; I went to battle without armour and truth!"
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"Lord is my fault!" When you confess before God and release forgiveness, offense dies and something supernatural happens.
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Everything concerning that poison that is in you dies, when you forgive like Christ; a load will be removed from you.
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Say to your neighbor, "To arrive in a place of reconciliation, where I can forgive with all my heart
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I need to acknowledge my own weakness'; after I have seen my weakness then truly understand
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that I have to forgive, so that God may forgive me."
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The last thing that helps you overcome offense is to start growing in love by walking out your faith!
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Grow in love through the acts of faith!
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True faith creates action!
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True faith understands that there is time to pray in faith and there is a time to act in faith!
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When you are spiritually strong because of love actions, this love that is in you will protect you from the hatred from outside...
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How do grow in the acts of love?
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Whatever is in your hands can be blessing to your neighbor!
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Each time you show love for what God gave, you your position in Christ Jesus is enhanced!
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In this manner, you can keep offense to not enter if you grow in acts of love!
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If we don't love we have no protection over these attacks.
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Love is the greatest!
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Faith, hope and love, but love is the greatest!
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If you want that love, start walking in acts of love.
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Love looks around to see who is in need of something that you have!
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People around you need your hug, your kind words, your financial help, a pair of shoes, or just stay with them and hear them...
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When you give love, Jesus strengthens you in Him, and in His love, and the hatred from outside will not prevail.
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The love of Jesus becomes your shield!
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