No Offense

"He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none
occasion of stumbling in him."

-- (1 John 2:10)

Whenever you find yourself stumbling into failure or sin, check your
love life. Sit down with the Lord and ask Him to show you if you're in
strife with anyone or if you've taken offense. If you have, the devil
can come in and trip you up.

As a preacher, I've seen that happen countless times. I'll be preaching
about something and some believer will get upset with me about it. He'll
decide I'm wrong and go off in a huff--and first thing you know, he's in
trouble.

Mark 4:17 tells us the devil uses those kinds of offenses to steal the
Word from our hearts. He causes us to get crosswise with each other.
Then he's able to pull the plug right out of us and drain the Word like
water from a bucket.

Don't ever let that happen to you. If you hear a preacher or another
believer saying something that rubs you the wrong way and you catch
yourself getting offended say, "Oh no you don't. You're not stealing the
Word out of me, you lying devil." Then get right down on your knees and
repent before God.

Search the Word and listen to the Spirit within you and find out what
you should do. If you still feel what that person said to you was wrong,
pray for him.

Remember, taking offense never comes from God. He says we're to be
rooted and grounded in love. So reject those feelings of offense. Give
yourself to that person in love and in prayer. You'll be able to walk
right on through that situation without ever stumbling at all.

1st John 2:1-11 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME...