“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” – Ephesians 4:31
Y’all, this world is so full of anger and hate and pettiness. It’s full of lies and offense. Yeah, we can blame that on the devil, but we have a big part in that too.
Did you know that the Greek word “Skandalon” means “trap?” but guess what else it means? It means “offense.” When we get offended by something someone says or does, we have walked right into Satan’s trap for us. When we are selfishly angry over anything — intended or not — we are exactly where the forces of evil want us, and we are primed to be used by them.
There’s a difference between offense and righteous anger. If you have a particular strong angry feeling because you see an abused child, that’s okay. If you have that strong angry feeling because someone said something that hurt your feelings, you need to nip that in the bud.
Being offended puts that spotlight back on you, which is where Satan wants it because that’s the furthest thing from God. Being offended causes your energy to boil and explode on people who didn’t ask for it and don’t deserve it.
The only people Jesus responded angrily to in the Bible were the Pharisees — the ones who thought they had all the answers. Trashing the temple? That was righteous anger. In both cases, it was the baldfaced disrespect of God that angered him.
He didn’t like how they treated the lame, the weak, the sinners, but he corrected that by being kind. Correcting the energy in his path was Jesus’ way of setting things right, and when someone said something about Him, he pretty much ignored it, or He just told them why they were wrong.
Think about this in this evil, evil world. Your being offended is a point for the bad guys. It’s selfish. Stop.
Get on your knees first, talk to your Creator, and then go out and correct the energy by being kind.
He won’t use you when you’re mad like a toddler. In a world full of offense, ALWAYS ask yourself the age-old question: What would Jesus do? ❤️
