A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle. – Prov. 18:19
Offenses and contentions are like the bars of a castle. They hinder our freedom and witnessing. As we mature in Christ and yield to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we learn not to pick up offenses. We also learn how to handle those we may have offended, even when they may not share their feelings with us.
We may discern others have taken offense, but they are not open to confront the issues to find resolution. At other times, we may meet with people to come in one accord and we achieve reconciliation in unexpected ways. Everyone is unique, so every situation needs to be handled differently. Instead of only considering our feelings, we also consider theirs.
By God’s grace, we should care for every person with sensitivity and specifically. We praise God for dealing with us with so much grace and mercy, and extend this same grace and mercy to others. Let’s trust the Lord with His ways and timing in dealing with offenses. We can trust the Lord to heal all of us, from glory to glory!
“… above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” – Eph. 6:16
Fiery darts come from all directions, and sometimes with great speed, but they come to nothing when they meet our shields of faith. The Lord anoints our shields individually and then places ours next to others because we can do greater works in one accord. Our unity is powerful in Christ.
On the battlefield, the enemies shot arrows at the Roman soldiers and above them. Their shields were four feet by two feet. The front row would hold their shields side by side for protection, the others would hold their shields over their heads above all, to form a roof of protection. We stand side by side through our prayers, in one accord, and by faith.
The Holy Spirit brings unity among members so the Body can move effectively to enforce the victory of Christ. We position our shield of faith, individually and corporately, to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. Faith without works is dead, but faith with works is alive, powerful and moves mountains. We are protected, provided for, positioned and powerful in Christ, from glory to glory!
But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ – Mat. 16:23
The Greek word for mindful is phroneo, to exercise the mind; that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; to be disposed in a certain direction, and to intensively interest ourselves in a matter. When we meditate upon what we see in the natural, we magnify its potential impact. If we over-think our ways, and the ways of others, we become fearful and quench the flow of the mind of Christ in our lives.
When Jesus rebuked the enemy working through Peter, He told him he was being mindful of the things of men, not of God. Our adversary tries to battle us in our thoughts the same way. The more we are mindful of the spiritual realm, the more we can walk victoriously in the natural realm.
Our aim should always to be mindful of the things of God. Reading and speaking forth the Word of God helps us exercise our mind. Let’s press through until we are disposed to think toward the things of the Spirit, more than of the flesh. Our walk is by faith, not by sight. We do not focus too much on the human aspect, but on the spiritual, from glory to glory
But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, “The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. – Luke 10:10-11
Rejection tries to cling to our feet to slow down our progress and hinder our walk of obedience. It happens when we least expect it. Because it catches us off guard, offense and anger can rise quickly. When we don’t have time to process it, it lingers and increases in its negative impact.
To reject rejection, we release it unto the Lord, trusting our election in Him. Our heart is to be pleasing unto God, not others; not to look for human approval or seek praises of men …but seek first the Lord and His Kingdom. When we know who we are in Christ, we don’t let others define us.
We can shake the dust off our feet, refusing to be offended. We wipe off rejection against our adversary and see his plans come to nothing. Instead of dust on our feet, we walk away with glory. We release the glory of the Lord everywhere our feet tread; and we never carry rejection with us to the next place. We move forward, from glory to glory!
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. – Isaiah 54:17
We should condemn every word which rises against us in judgment. Known and unknown.
The words we know about hurt, especially coming from those close to us. They are like knives thrown into our hearts. Their effects run deep. We play them on repeat in our minds, question our reaction to them, analyze them, add to them, and do many things before condemning them.
Unknown words are more challenging. They bring heaviness to us unexpectedly. We feel burdened for no reason. We try to figure out what happened but end up empty. Our attitude shifts or our own words become sharp. We do not think of condemning unknown words, so their effects last longer.
Dealing with the pain from every crushing word cannot be done without the help of the Spirit of God. Healing of the wound happens through forgiveness and healing. We yield to the conviction of the Holy Spirit for any wrongdoing on our part (known and unknown), stand on what the Word says about us, and walk free, from glory to glory!
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.- Gal. 1:15-16
Like Paul, God separated us, called us from our mother’s womb. He called us to be according to His divine plan and purposes. All of us are uniquely, wonderfully made and by yielding our will to God’s, we can walk in His purpose. We can see how God’s protection, guidance and provision were with us even when we weren’t aware of it. Amazing grace!
If He was with us even then, how much more will He be with us now? When we thought no one cared about us, God did. When others left us, God didn’t. Even when in our involvement in the wrong things, God still protected us from a worst fate. While we questioned God’s existence and believed in the wrong things, His hand stayed upon us. He knew the time was coming when the Holy Spirit would remove the veil from our eyes so we could see, believe, and receive salvation.
Today, as we walk by faith in His grace, God’s divine purpose for our future is yet to be realized. No matter what it looks like today in our lives, and the lives of the people we are praying for, we can trust and believe that our tomorrow carries greater glory than we can see. We grow in the knowledge of who God was, is, and is to come. He reveals what is to be, from glory to glory!
