Now before I go any further, I have offended people. Sometimes knowingly and other times, without knowing. People have and still ignore me, walk by me without saying a word, avoid contact and so on. All the while I am wondering what I have done to cause such a reaction. Sometimes people want to be mad at you because of the offense and are wondering why you haven’t asked for forgiveness. How can I? I don’t even know that I have offended you, or what the offense is. There are a few scriptures that I don’t walk in as much as I should;

Matthew 5:23-25 (NKJV)
²³ Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

Matthew 18:15 (NKJV)
¹⁵ “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Mark 11:24-25 (NKJV)
²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.²⁵ “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses

Bottom line, I am offended because I want to be offended. I am offended because I hold on to offense. I am offended because I have taken on a heavy-laden burden, that I never should have in the first place. Jesus did not come to offend, but because of the message of the gospel, the “brood of vipers” were offended. The religious minded who held on to man’s traditions and laws, were offended. We who hold on to the things of this world, are offended. When we are saved, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are no longer of this world. I have to stopped allow myself to take on the offenses of this world, and take on the love of Christ.

Lastly, I would like to share a story; I was teaching a prophetic class at my church and it was the end of the class at which time I open up the class to a questions and comments period. One lady stood up and said, “Frank when I first came to this church, I didn’t like you very much.” I was a little shocked, but I knew in my spirit that she felt this way since our initial meeting. I asked her why she felt this way and she responded, “I didn’t like you because someone from my other church, who had some of the same mannerism as you did, offended me and without even knowing who you are personally, I automatically took offense to you because of the other man who offended me.” She took an offense and transferred that offense to me. This is the power that offense can have over us. Even though we don’t realize it, we can carry an offense from someone in our past, and transfer it to someone in our present who may remind us of that person. Don’t let this happen, it’s so easy to do and we do it sometimes without even realizing we are doing it.

I would like to thank Pastor Paul Black for preaching a sermon on this topic to give me a better understanding and clarity on what offense will and can do.