In Matthew 24:10, Jesus is talking of the signs to come that the end is near. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. The enemy is roaming about these days using this scheme on the church in order to divide and conquer. Jesus is coming back for a church without wrinkle or spot, but in the meantime, if we look in the mirror, we all have lots of wrinkles that still need ironing! (And we all need lots of forgiveness for them.)
My neighbor enlightened me to this wrinkle one day after I put my foot in my mouth. She yelled across the street,” Hey, I thought you Christians were supposed to be perfect!” I yelled back, “If we were all perfect, why would we need a savior?”
The outside world is watching our walk very closely, but as Christians we are more likely to sin by our reactions to unjust treatment, within the church, than by our actions. The tendency to stuff it down, and not walk in forgiveness lets a steaming pot of resentment start brewing. As Christians we use the unfairness of a situation to justify the intensity of our emotions. If these emotions are left unattended, the enemy will take you down the road of rejection. He will either use spirits of bitterness, anger, and retaliation or loneliness, self-pity, and isolation.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (AMP) states: When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. 27Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
That scripture is a call for us to understand where the anger (or hurt) is coming from and forgive quickly. If we cannot do that, we need to seek counsel on why the enemy has a legal right to torment us with offense. Anything that instantly gives you an attitude is usually based on a memory of similar situation from your past. If the enemy can get you to look through last year’s glasses of trauma he can prevent you from walking into this year’s victory.
If you have been rationalizing your position, looking at others with an overly critical eye, and you have left the fellowship of the church, you are walking on a dangerous road. These are the times when unity is crucial. Look at your heart. If it holds offense that is keeping you walking alone you may have allowed the enemy to build a stronghold in your life.
Remember being hurt and offended does not change the offender, it changes you.
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