OFFENSES UPDATED

OFFENCES 

 AN INTRODUCTION

Human and divine relatiomship is nurtured and build on Love. Love in its simplest term is a condition of heart that necessitates that your behaviour is controlled by the mindset of ' Do unto  others what God, the Creator has done for you and will always do for you.

God is the perfect stardard for all Human behaviour. " Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect is a call to model your actions and behaviours exactly as Christ'  No one has ever seen God, the Father physically and we have been permitted to only see a few forms of the Holy Spirit.  

But God has graciously revealed Himself in the Son, so that you can know who God is and how He does things.  Scriptures states that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, therefore you  are commanded to follow Christ who is the author and finisher of our Faith in all things.

"He is the divine portrait, the true likeness of the invisible God, and the firstborn heir of all creation.

Colossians 1:15 TPT

 "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

Colossians 1:15 NLT"

"He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation.

Colossians 1:15 AMP"

The basis for all Human interaction as ordained by God is neither our natural inborn traits nor personalities shaped by our diverse backgrounds (that is informed by diverse cultural beliefs). Rather God predestined that every person created in His image and likeness should draw life from His Son, Jesus Christ.

When Jesus Christ died, He gave His Life for all humanity. It means potentially every Human can be saved and believe in Jesus Christ ( because His Life was given in exchange for theirs) But only those who will accept God's appeal of Love through His perfect Son Jesus Christ will be saved.

If we have this understanding of the person of The  Christ, we will find it easier to forgive and overlook offences.

OFFENCES WILL CERTAINLY COME

We need to establish the right foundation for all Human interactions to accurately understand the issue of offences in all its ramifications and manifestations. God created you for companionship!  you were fashioned for interaction, you were made for fellowship with God and your fellow men/women. 

Insolation and living alone was never the LORD's intention when mankind was been fashioned in the bosom of the Spirit.  Human frality and imperfection gives credence to the statement of Jesus Christ, the LORD that ' Offences will certainly come!.  

 VARIOUS DEFINITIONS OF OFFENCES

ATS BIible Dictionary

1. Offences  signifies a breach of the law, Roms. 5:15&17

2.  An offence is  a stumbling-block or cause of sin to others, Matt. 5:29 18:6-9; or whatever is perverted into an occasion or excuse for sin, Matt. 15:12,  John 6:61,  Romans 9:34 , Galatians 5:11

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) An injury or wrong done to one (1 Samuel 25:31-35,  Romans 5:15).

(2.) A stumbling-block or cause of temptation (Isaiah 8:14,  Matthew 16;13; 18;17 ). Greek skandalon, properly that at which one stumbles or takes offence. The "offence of the cross" (Galatians 5:11)i For example, the Jews took offence at the teaching that salvation was by the crucified One. 

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1.  The act of offending in any sense; esp., a crime or a sin, an affront or an injury.

2. The state of being offended or displeased; anger; displeasure.

3. A cause or occasion of stumbling or of sin.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

OFFENCE; OFFEND

"o-fens', o-fend' (mikhshol, 'asham, chaTa'; skandalon, skandalizo): "Offend" is either transitive or intransitive As transitive it is primarily "to strike against," hence, "to displease" "to make angry," "to do harm to," "to affront," in Scripture, "to cause to sin"; intransitive it is "to sin," "to cause anger," in Scripture, "to be caused to sin." "Offence" is either the cause of anger, displeasure, etc., or a sin. In Scripture we have the special significance of a stumbling-block, or cause of falling, sin, etc."

Offences as viewed in this write-up  is the wrong , injury, hurt caused by differences in  perspective/mindset between two parties that produces a change in behaviour and breds unforgivenrss and bitterness.

Offences is a state of irritability and emotional unrest created by a perceived hurt emanating from any party because a certain expectation in behaviour is not met.

Offences always result in behavioural change either verbal or non- verbal. But God has given grace for and to every believer in Christ to forgive daily (70× 70 times offences daily)  It means there is grace, ability, power to overlook  any wrong, insults, abuses, wickedness committed against you; 4900 times (four thousand, nine hundred times daily)

We must understand that  no two persons behave the same way, even twins will have some slight variation in their personalities and reactions.  It is this difference in the physical, mental and emotional composition of the average human that is the natural breeding basis or ground for offences.

The LORD Jesus Christ statement of " Offences will come ; It's a fact and  a truth; there is no way two persons will relate over a long time without  a fictional difference in the ways they view the same issue. This difference can create hurt, displeasures, anger that results in  immediate or delayed negative emotional called offences. The anti dose to all kind of  offences is Love. 

We will attempt to focus on offences constituted as wrongs and hurt committed against another in two category namely:

∆ The Horizontal relational offences 

∆ the vertical relational offences.

 

(These phrased are coined by the Writer as inspired by the Spirit and the writer has no references to support the categorization of the word Offences.)

 

We can gleaned from the pages of  scriptures that offences  is expressed in different forms. Offences ranging from Job accusing God of giving blessings but also taking same blessings from him, Jonah anger at  God for extending forgiveness to the City of Nineveh, King David seeking vengeance against Joab for murdering Abner against  his wish, Michal, the wife of King David showing disdain ( borne out of  perceived offences committed against her person in the past) and lastly but not the least, John the Baptist, the nephew of our LORD Jesus Christ doubting if He was the Saviour because he was offended at Christ inaction in the face of his trials. 

We will place these different cases of offences in the Bible under the two categories we have identified for the purpose of this writing.

GOD HURT ME! ( Horizontal Relational Offences)

Offences can either be vertical or horizontal. Horizontal Relational  offence is a form of friction created or produced in our relationship with God as a result of a perceived failure on the part of divinity.  it seem incomprehensible but it has been known from the Scriptures that Man has always been angry at God for a perceived failure on God's part to carry out an expected obligation .

The Bible is lined with case after case where God is accused of wrong doing; from Lucifer accusation of God wanting monopoly of power and not wanting any other being having as much power and authority as Himself; to Job offended that the God who blessed Him also took back all the blessings and then caused him grief and subjected his body to excruciating powers, to Jonah accusation of God showing mercy to a wicked nation who oppressed His people.  We will always blame the unseen for our visible challenged.

God has hurt me is more subtil than the average Believer cares to admit. We don't necessarily forsake God for any perceived wrong we assumed He has done against us 

We don't run away from grace when we feel grace has failed to measure up to our expectations. What you simply do when you  reasoned God has hurt you  is withdrawn from God slowly and begin to devise your own means of solving your problems 

You still attend Church, pray during your Devotion and even give your sacrificial seeds, but God is  no longer the center of your  focus. God is no longer the  first point of call when you need counsel.

Rather, you turn to other seeming good outlets of advise and wisdom and only remember God when you meet brick walls in your endeavours 

God has hurt Me! happens to almost all believer even our LORD Jesus Christ cried on the Cross thus:

JESUS' MOMENT

"From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Matthew 27:45‭-‬46 MSG

JOB' MOMENT

"The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors are marshaled against me. Job 6;4

THE PSALMIST' MOMENT

"Yahweh is the God who continually saves me. I weep before you night and day. 

Please bend down and listen to my sobbing, for my life is riddled with troubles and death is just around the corner!

 Everyone sees my life ebbing out. They consider me a hopeless case and see me as a dead man. They’ve all left me here to die, helpless, like one who is doomed for death. 

They’re convinced you’ve forsaken me, certain that you’ve forgotten me completely— abandoned, pierced, with nothing to look forward to but death.

 They have discarded me and thrown me down into the deepest darkness as into a bottomless pit. I feel your wrath, and it’s a heavy weight upon me, drowning me beneath a sea of sorrow. 

Why did you turn all my friends against me? 

You’ve made me like a cursed man in their eyes. No one wants to be with me now. You’ve caught me in a trap with no way out. Every day I beg for your help. Can’t you see my tears? My eyes are swollen with weeping. 

My arms are wide, longing for mercy, but you’re nowhere to be found. How can those who are cut off from your care even know that you are there? Do departed spirits rise up to praise you? Pause in his presence

Psalms 88:1‭-‬10 TPT

The scriptures says at the instance of three witnesses a testimony is established. We have had the witnesses of three powerful men who walked with God and whose life experiences shows that God hurt them by allowing harm come their way.

The ready question is 'Dies God hurt His own? My answer is No! and l will justify my answer with other questions from the instances above.

Who killed Jesus? God or the Enemy?  who nailed him to the cross?, 

Who accused Him of wrongs when He did no wrong?

The right answer is The Enemy!

But could Yahweh had stopped it if He wanted to, did Yahweh had the power and authority to stop it?

My answer is yes. Every seemingly wrong that  God allowed is actual for a justified cause which will result in the good of all.

God is sheer goodness, faithfulness is His Name. He is full of goodness and His mercy will never come to an end.  His thoughts is continually filled with how to help humanity. The Book of Timothy states that it is not His will that any should perish. He created all things for the pleasure of man.

Yes, there has been moments of pains, bewilderment and perplexity :But my joy in all these is that ' I am more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthens me" Through it all, l have learnt to trust in Jesus and know that God will never never hurt me. Rather l am the apple of His eyes and my face is continually before Him hidden in His palm. It is only His goodness l see and experience and His unfailing love and mercy shades me from all harm.

We must come to this place of understanding and accept as a fact that man will always take offences at the seemingly failure of a God that they  cannot see .

CAUSES OF HORIZONTAL RELATIONAL OFFENCES

1. LIES OF THE ENEMY

The root of all man's accusation against God is ignorant. 

Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she believed  God did not made her as wise as Himself, so she disobeyed divine instruction in an attempt to become what God had already made her to become.

God said

Let's make make man in our image and likeness. It means Adam and Eve were made exactly as God as confirmed in Psalm 82 " Didn’t I commission you as judges, saying, ‘You are all like gods, since you judge on my behalf. You are all like sons of the Most High,  representatives.’

Psalms 82:6 TPT

They were as God yet they believed a lie that God made them less than Himself 

They betrayed God because of lack of trust in what God told them. Their actions and behaviour changed towards God. In other words, they developed a negative attitude towards God ( when they heard Him in the cool of the evening, they had the need to hide and play the blame game)

2. IGNORANCE (JOB)

This was  the case of Job. He was in pain and lost all his possession. He erroneously believed that God must be the cause. He assumed that this evil would have only happened to him because God relented in his promise of protecting and keeping family 

He did all within his power to offer sacrifices to God that will ensure God's protection for him and his family. Yet harm came to his family inspite of his daily sacrifices. So his conclusion is God caused the evil that befall him. This is reflected in His statement

"I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” Ruth 1:21

The Lord revealed that the accusation of Job was based on ignorant in Job 38:2

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?

Job 38:1‭-‬11 MSG

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

Job 38:1‭-‬2 NLT

 Anytime, a man believes that God has failed, the root is ignorant " my people perish because they do not know God 

UNBELIEF

JOHN THE BAPTIST & THE LORD

And tell John that the blessing of heaven comes to those who are not offended over me.”

Matthew 11:6 TPT

John the Baptist stopped believing in the same Saviour he introduced to the world when trouble came knocking.

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?

Job 38:1‭-‬11 MSG

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

Job 38:1‭-‬2 NLT

 Anytime, a man believes that God has failed, the root is ignorant " my people perish because they do not know God 

PROFFERED SOLUTIONS

1. Right perspective about God

Your perspective about God and his ways will determine to a large extent  what you will experience in your Christian walk .

God had already given the Saints all we need for life and goodness. It is left to the Believer to discover the things that have been freely  given by grace.

God is sheer goodness and will never knowingly and deliberately hurt His Children. The established Justice system of Heaven and human Governmnet will dash out appropriate punishment for certain vices and we blame God when He doed  nothing to stop this from happening. 

Most times we are hurt and offended because we either violate or neglect  the principles of living successfully  on earth without harm. We  intend to blame God.  We believe God should always use His magic stick in all life situations when He has actual made you a kingdom of priests and kings and will never get involve in your affairs unless you invite Him.

2. KNOWLEDGE

The difference between the man who ruled in the affairs of the Earth though they don't have Jesus Christ in their hearts and those who have Jesus but do not have th reins of Economic and political power is Knowledge. 

The Wealth of the Universal migrates to those who understands th Laws of running the Earth and it's element successfully. Julius Berger for over 100 years has been the leading Road Construction Firm not because they daily offer human sacrifices to the Nigerian idols.

They dominate the Nigeria Road and bridge construction business because they have the technical know-how and also understands the dynamics of the Nigerian business and political terrain and use this knowledge for the successes of their business. 

The Earth has been given to men and women and it will give it's ruches to those who know how to harness it's wealth to themselves. 

Some men reason in this part of the Africa race that the very rich employed demonic powers to get rich. You must come to a place of understanding that it is not given to Satan and his demons creative power. 

Satan promised to give the World and it's splendour to Jesus Christ, our LORD because His God-given original mandate is King of all kings and Ruler of the Earth.

Satan can never give to any man anything they have not been given from above. King Nebuchadnezzar had this to say about the God of the Universal which he encountered in his season of humiliation. 

"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.

 Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. 

He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom.

 My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:30-38

It is in God to make men/women great, He has the power and authority to give the rulership of the Earth to whosoever He desires.

Whatever creativity deployed by Satan in the administration of the Earth and it's people is as a  a result of his partnership with Mankind who has the inert creative power of the Most High within them. 

 Be aware we were created with God-given abilities and potentials. 

The Bible says the produce of the Earth is for all even Kings are enriched by it. It means men who harness the produces of the Earth to become rich do so through knowledge.

Truly the Enemy would do all he can to oppose the Wealth of the Earth coming to the followers of Jesus Christ but you  must be reminded :

"You have a very big God living inside of you and that God wants to manifest His manifold wisdom and splendour through your life.

Therefore accurate knowledge about God and His ways will keep you away from the horizontal type of offences 

I read a stroy of a very renowned Man of God who at a point in his life was robed in black attire for a long time because he lost one of his children. Why was he mourning n black. His reasoning was he was angry with God because God allowed His son to die.

But God and His Word is One. And God said ' with long life and prosperity will l satisfy you. If God promises long life, then that same God cannot take your son who obviously is young.

So your anger and offences at God is borne out of ignorance.

We must come to this place of understanding whereby we understand God and and his ways and carefully walk in his way. 

The Word of God says can two walk together excerpt they be in agreement. One of the best way to live the Christian faith is to understand the way of the Kingdom and deliberately walk in this way 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS  A LIFE LONG COMPANION

Every believer has the  inexhaustible life giving Spirit within our heart. In the Book of  Deut. Moses proclaimed  who shall  ascend to the heaven to get us the word we need. He answered the Word is near  thee and within you. J

. 

My answer is yes. Every seemingly wrong that seemed God allowed is actual for a justified cause which will result in the good of all.

God is sheer goodness, faithful ess is His Name. He is full of good ess and hHis thoughts is continually filled with how to help humanity. The Book of Timothy states that it is not His will that any should perish. This truth is in the light of the the statement made by God in Genesis 6 that it hurts God that He has made man. 

That was the scripture that I first met in my  earlier walk with God. I came to the realisation that God can be pleased as well as hurt. So l decided that l want to live a life that pleases God  always.

Yes, there has been moments of pains, bewilderment and perplexity :But my joy in all these is that ' I am more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens me" Through it all, l have learnt to trust in Jesus and know that God will never never hurt me. Rather l am the apple of His eyes and my face is continually before Him hidden in His palm. It is only His goodness l see and experience and His unfailing love and mercy shades me from all harm.

We must come to this place of understanding and accept as a fact that man will always take offences at the seemingly failure of a God that they  cannot see .

CAUSES OF HORIZONTAL RELATIONAL OFFENCES

1. LIES OF THE ENEMY

 root of all man's accusation against God is ignorant. 

Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she believedvGod did not made her as wise as Himself, so she disobeyed divine instruction in an attempt to become what God had already made her to become.

God said

Let's make make man in our image and likeness. It means Adam and Eve were made exactly as God as confirmed in Psalm 82 " Didn’t I commission you as judges, saying, ‘You are all like gods, since you judge on my behalf. You are all like sons of the Most High,  representatives.’

Psalms 82:6 TPT

They were as God yet they believed a lie that God made them less than Himself 

They betrayed God because of lack of trust in what God told them.

Their actions and behaviour changed towards God. In other words, they developed a negative attitude towards God ( when they saw His , they had the need to hide and play the blame game)

2. IGNORANCE (JOB)

This was also the case of Job. He was in pian and lost all his possession. He erroneously believed that God must be the cause. He assumed that this evil would have only happened to him because God relented in his promise of protecting and keeping family 

He did all within his power to offer sacrifices to God that will ensure God's protection for him and his family. Yet harm came to his family inspite of his daily sacrifices. So his conclusion is God caused the evil that befall him. This is reflected in His statement

"I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” Ruth 1:21

The Lord revealed that the accusation of Job was based on ignorant in Job 38:2

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?

Job 38:1‭-‬11 MSG

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

Job 38:1‭-‬2 NLT

 Anytime, a man believes that God has failed, the root is ignorant " my people perish because they do not know God 

UNBELIEF

JOHN THE BAPTIST & THE LORD

And tell John that the blessing of heaven comes to those who are not offended over me.”

Matthew 11:6 TPT

John the Baptist stopped believing in the same Saviour he introduced to the world when trouble came knocking.

And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said: “Why do you confuse the issue? Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?

Job 38:1‭-‬11 MSG

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

Job 38:1‭-‬2 NLT

 Anytime, a man believes that God has failed, the root is ignorant " my people perish because they do not know God 

PROFFERED SOLUTIONS

1. Right perspective about God

Your perspective about God and his ways will determine to a large extent  what you will experience in your Christian walk .

God had already given the Saints all we need for life and goodness. It is left to the Believer to discover the things that have been given.

God is sheer goodness and will never knowingly snd deliberately  hurt any man especially his children. The established Justice system of zHeaven and human Governmnet will dash out appropriate punishment for certain vices and we blame God when He does not do anything to stop this from happening. 

Most times we are hurt and offended because we either violate or neglect  the principles of living successfully  on earth without harm. We  intend to blame God.  We believe God should always use His magic stick in all life situations when He has actual made you a kingdom of priests and kings and will never get involve in your affairs unless you invite Him.

2. KNOWLEDGE

The difference between the man who ruled in the affairs of the Earth though they don't have Jesus Christ in their heart and those who have Jesus but do not have th reins of Economic and political power is Knowledge. 

The Wealth of the universal migrates to those who understands th Laws of running the Earth and it's element successfully. Julius Berger for over 100 years has been the leading Road Construction Firm not because they daily offer human sacrifices to the Nigerian idols.

They dominate the Nigeria Road and bridge construction business because they have the technical know-how and also understands the dynamics of the Nigerian business and political terrain and use this knowledge for the successes of their business. 

The Earth has been given to men and women and it will give it's ruches to those who know how to harness it's wealth to themselves. 

Some men reason in this part of the Africa race that the very rich employed demonic powers to get rich. You must come to a place of understanding that it is not given to Satan and his demons creative power. 

Satan promised to give the World and it's splendour to Jesus Christ, our LORD because His God-given original mandate is King of all kings.

Satan can never given to any man anything they have not been given from above. King Nebuchadnezzar had this to say about the God of the Universal which he encountered in his season of humiliation. 

"At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.

 Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. 

He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom.

 My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:30-38

It is in God to make men/women great, He has the power and authority to give the rulership of the Earth to whosoever He desires.

Whatever creativity deployed by Satan in the administration of the Earth and it's people is as a is as a result of his partnership with Mankind who has the inert creative power of the Most High within them. 

 Be aware we were created with God-given abilities and potentials. 

The Bible says the produce of the Earth is for all even Kings are enriched by it. It means men who harness the produces of the Earth to become rich do so through knowledge.

Truly the Enemy would do all he can to oppose the Wealth of the Earth coming to the followers of Jesus Christ but you  must be reminded :

"You have a very big God living inside of you and that God wants to manifest His manifold wisdom and splendour through your life.

Therefore accurate knowledge about God and His ways will keep you away from the horizontal type of offences 

I read a.stroy of a very renowned Man of God who at a point in his life was robed in black attire for a long time because he lost one of his children. Why was he mourning n black. His reasoning was he was angry with God because God allowed His son to die.

But God and His Word is One.and God said ' with long life and prosperity will l satisfy you. If God promises long life, then that same God cannot take your son who obviously is young.

So your anger and offences at God is borne out of ignorance.

We must come to this place of understanding whereby we understand God and and his ways and carefully walk in his way. 

The Word of God says can two walk together excerpt they be in agreement. One of the best way to live the Christian faith is to understand the way of the Kingdom and deliberately walk in this way 

THE HOLY DPIRIT IS  A LIFE LONG COMPANION

Every believer has the  inexhaustible life giving Spirit within our heart. In the Book of  Deut. Moses proclaimed  who shall  ascend to the heaven to get us the word we need. He answered the Word is near  thee and within you. Job said I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ But it is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right. Job ,32.

If by revelation, you realise that the Holy Spirit within you is the same Spirit by which the Father created the Heaven and the Earth, it is the same Spirit by which Jesus Christ the LORD made all things as revealed in Colossians 1:15-18 and also reigned in Life. :You will be willing to pay any price to know the Spirit of Life within you and gladly obey Him in all things.

The Holy Spirit is the Everlasting Father and God the Son making their dwelling within you  as promised in John 15. Learn to live according to His leading. For it is not just those who believe in Jesus Christ that are the dons of Godm Romans 8 specified that those who are led by The Holy Spirit are the actual sons of God!.

 

SOME REASONS WE ARE EASILY OFFENDED

1. We feel our misfortune is from God Job 1-3

2. We are ignorant about the ways of God. Jonah 1-4

 3. We listened to the lies of the devil. Gen. 3

4. We are careless with our speech and actions and we blame God. ( John the Baptist Mark 9.) John the Baptist at a point in his ministry doubted the authencity of the claims of The LORD

VERITICAL RELATIONAL OFFENCES.

Vertical relational offences are the friction which ensures between two persons or partie as they relate in day to day activities. This relational friction may occur between spouse,vfriends, colleagues, employer and employee 

Anything and everything that causes bitterness, grudge because there is a misunderstanding between two persons falls other this category.

OFFENCES BETWEEN SPOUSE

Michal was once so in love in David that she defy her father Kong Saul to preserve David's life. But offences caused that same Michal to develop didain and express it publicly at a period when King David her husband was worshipping God.

Why was there a change of action in the attitude of Michael towards King David. Michal hated the fact that David forcefully took her away from her husband though he had married other women after his marriage to her 

Though she did not express it at that time, she had a grudge until an opportune time when she could expressed her grievances under the shade of another issue 

This incident shows that the marriage of David and Mochal hit the rock because King David replied Michael bitterly and the conclusion was that Michael remained barren for the rest of her life 

 Either it was barrenness caused by the King not coming near her bed or barrenness by other means, offences tore apart a marriage that was already fragile.

Offences between spouse can bred BITTERNESS, grudge and even division in the family. Sometimes it glows down to the children as resentment .

Offences can also create the avenue for emotional adultery. Emotional adultery is a state where a couple though they remained married but are separated in their emotions. They may still have sexual ibtetcourse and do all public and private activities together but this is done out of a sense of obligation and not with gladness of heart or passion 

Usually, such emotional detached couples find emotional fulfillments in the companion of other people ( colleagues, church member, their children and even their persons). Though the Bible ordained that this couple be one, they have become two persons living in one house 

Emotional detachment caused by offences is the foundation for adultery in most marriages even Christian marriage

SOLUTION

Forginess is golden. Forgive seventy ¶  70 times. It is almost humanly impossible for one man to 

The reason we get offended is because people don't do things the way we anticipated or expected and when this happens, instead of overlooking it we develop negative emotions towards the person which may be expressed immediately in form of arnry outburst or kept internally and expressed as holding a grudge against the other person 

Remedies

The remedy for the certificate offences is forgiveness: A state of decisiveness whereby you have resolved that whatever wrong  committed against you will go unpunished. You don't desire any evil to befall others because they hurt, you wanted them to go free sincerely from your heart  and wish them well.

Forgiveness is a state of mind whereby you make a decision that no matter the wrong you perceived that God or man commit against you will go unpunished and will not in any way result in a negative and bitter reaction from you to them.

1. Love covers multitude of sins, in this case offences.  Because l always want the best for the other party, l will deliberately overlook and avoid anything that will cause pain for them

2. Tolerance (70×70 times) no two persons is fashioned to response to an issue the same way. This state of unisonin responses to the same issue is only possible when a man' s mind is renewed by the Word of God or by a system of belief that has been internally asdimilimatef as a tenet for behavioural control.

Unless this has taken place, we must develop a mindset that deliberately overlooks wrong and makes reasonable excuses for offences against our person.

3. Overlooking wrongs does not connotes encouraging bad behaviour and deliberate eivkednessthat may surfaces as offences, this should be rebuked  and address I'm.necuately and those should be done privately excerpt in cases when if corrected privately, it will have grievous public/ general consequences.

4. Remember that overlooking wrongs and forgiving offences is a principle of seed sowing and a derivation of the golden rule. You want others to tolerant your imperfection and weakness, then sow the seed continuosly.

God said forgive others S you expect your heavenly father to forgive your sins. So if you don't want your sins forgiven, don't forgive others.

5. Offences can result in death when not addressed. King David asked his son King Solomon not to allow Joab go free for going against his instructions of killing Abner. King David was not offended that Joab killed a Israeli, he had encourage the same Joab to led  of an innocent man to his death. 

Rather he was offended that Joab murdered a man who came to help him King David.

It was obvious he did not forgive Joab for that action, because after then, he I steucted his son to carry out appropriate judgement for an action that happened in the past 

Forgiveness is the key for vertical relationships offences. Forgiveness dictates tha you make a deliberate and conscious action to overlook the wrong committed and also carry a mindset that does not allow behavioural change or a display of negative emotions as a result of the offences 

Humanly speaking, it's almost impossible but every believer is ordained to draw strength from divinity to excite every divine instruction and the God kind of life we are expected to live in this earth.

Even the rebirthed new man may still struggle with unforgivenrss unless they draw strength from the Holy Spirit within them. Jesus Christ our perfect Master and mentor was only able to offer Himself as an eternal scarifice through the eternal Spirit living in Him 

We must live the supernatural life by the same means.

Comsequeno of Offences

1. It's caused a fall away

2 it breds.negative behaviour like insolent  hatred, bitterness and even sickness

.for a merry heart is health totje flesh.

3..it gives birth to a vengeful spirit and attitude 

.