Release the Offenseنموونە

The Power of the Offended and A View of the Offender

Our right standing before God is intact as long as we are saved: however, our fellowship with Him is compromised when we harbor offense. Psalm 66:18 says that “If I regard iniquity” – sin, malice, evil – “…in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Our prayer life, our communion with God, and our ability to see Him work actively in our lives is affected by the harboring of offense. Jesus tells a parable of a servant who was delivered into the hands of tormentors because he failed to forgive his fellow servant. Can you believe that unforgiveness opens the door for Satan to oppress, steal, kill, and destroy us? That is how negatively powerful harboring offense is. You might ask, “well, what happens to the one who did me wrong?” Jesus has an answer for you.

In ancient times, farmers used an object called a ‘millstone.’ Millstones were heavy grinding devices used to pulverize grain in order to create meal or flour to be processed into bread. Jesus said that it would be better for a person to have a millstone tied to his or her neck than to face God’s judgment for deliberately offending someone else. This is a severe warning. God is serious about treating people right: no injustice or oppression will go unpunished.

Another realization we need with regard to the offender is that PEOPLE ARE NOT YOUR PROBLEM, not ultimately, anyway. In his letter to Ephesus, Paul writes, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood,” but we do contend against “principalities and powers,” i.e., evil spirits. Just because people take adverse actions toward you, it does not make them the source of your adversity. Behind every person antagonizing or causing pain is your true adversary – the devil. People might be used as his instruments, but recognizing that difference allows us to release any personal resentment towards other humans.

Healthy relationships are founded upon healthy boundaries, as even the poet Robert Frost said, "Good fences make good neighbors." Understand your boundaries and repair them when needed to prevent offenses. Ensure relationships are defined by kindness, clarity, and Christ-like love.

Even as God requires that you release the offense, He yet retains your dignity. Humility is not humiliation. When Jesus meets a blind beggar in Luke 18, he asks him a “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” In other words, he gave the beggar a choice, and in doing so, He restored his dignity before he restored his sight. Jesus healed him from the inside out. His promise is the same for you.

LET US PRAY

Lord, I confess that I have carried offense. I resist all temptations to seek the harm of my offender and bless them instead. Vengeance is yours, and You alone will repay. I am not helpless. The God of Justice is my Defense, in Jesus’ name. Amen.