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Offenses - The Bait of Satan
by Bro. Peter Rahme
 “Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him." Luke 17:1-4
There are two types of offenses, one from God the other from Satan. For example, the preaching of the cross is an offense to those who don’t believe it (Galatians 5:11). It becomes a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” to those who reject it; because it is Christ, the most valuable prize offered by God for the entire world to receive. Now, mercy rejected becomes condemnation.
The other type of offense causes a person to do something against their conscience and this type of offense could come from people, or from Satan. Its intent is to entice a person to sin, which is totally opposed to all that the Word of God teaches us. We know that Satan is the master of deception, trickery and dishonesty. He will do anything to distract us from doing what the Word says we must do. He continually plays on people’s emotions, making us find fault and error in others so that he can ensnare and entrap us when we take the bait of offense.
Let’s look at the word “offense”: It means "a trap-stick", "a bent stick on which the bait is fastened which the animal strikes against and so springs the trap," hence, it came to denote a "snare", or anything which one strikes against injuriously (it is the Septuagint's word for moqesh, a "noose" or "snare," (From International Standard Bible))
 One thing we can be sure of is that family, friends and people we deal with from day to day are going to let us down and hurt us by saying certain things knowingly and unknowingly. Jesus says to us that offenses must come, but he also warns us not to let them come through us!
Hurtful as it may sound, many Christians and non-Christians are piling up offenses in their lives. These are like building blocks, set deeply with the concrete of unforgiveness. We hold family, friends and those we work with, in the cell of our own prison and will not release them even once we have had the satisfaction of dragging them through the mud of criticism. This never leaves us satisfied, but even worse, the cycle goes on and on and on. This is dangerous for us and for others we hold in bondage. Listen to what Jesus said and take heed.
Forgiveness
“For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 (AMP)
It is inevitable that offenses and stumbling-blocks come. We live in a world of corruption, pride, selfishness, greed and rebellion, a world of “dog-eat-dog.” People have become judges of one another and do not see their own shortcomings and failures. Jesus came not to judge, but to call us to repentance and forgiveness. We couldn’t keep the law but always want to revert back to it, because it suits us. In Exodus 21:23-25 it says an “…eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” But now we live under the grace of God, which is based on His divine mercy and forgiveness. He tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us. It is our duty as a believer to forgive and release those who hurt us, especially if they have repented and asked for our forgiveness.
“Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22
God forgave us and now calls us to forgiveness. We can call forgiveness the grace of God, and if He forgave us while we were still sinners, then surely we ought to forgive others just as we have been forgiven. We should grow beyond thinking we are always right and others are wrong. We must look at ourselves honestly and recognize our faults and stumbling blocks. We must also avoid all selfishness and be more mature in the knowledge of the Word of God.
Have you taken the bait of offense? Listen to what comes out of your mouth from day to day. Is it what  the Word commands you to do and say? Like love your neighbor, pray for those who spitefully use you, and pray for your enemies? Paul is a great example of how we should conduct our lives before God and people.
“Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.” Acts 24:16 (AMP)
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Bro. Peter Rahme
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