Breaking Free from the Bondage of Offense

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Offense as a Spiritual Trap

Offense is a powerful tool used by Satan to create division and turmoil within our hearts and communities. It is natural to feel offended, but how we respond to these feelings can either lead us into spiritual bondage or towards freedom. Jesus teaches us to handle offenses with grace and forgiveness, which is crucial in breaking the chains that offense can create. By recognizing offense as a spiritual trap, we can begin to understand the importance of responding in a Christ-like manner, allowing us to live in peace and unity with others. [22:10]

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." (Proverbs 19:11, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you felt offended. How can you respond with grace and forgiveness, following Jesus' example?

Day 2: The Seeds of Sin and Bitterness

The story of humanity's fall in Genesis illustrates how offense can plant seeds of sin and bitterness in our hearts. These seeds, much like thorns and thistles, can choke out the fruits of the Spirit if left unchecked. Offense can lead to internal turmoil and external sin, creating a breeding ground for negativity. It is essential to be vigilant and not allow these seeds to take root in our hearts. By doing so, we can prevent the growth of bitterness and maintain a heart that is open to the fruits of the Spirit. [34:54]

"Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Hebrews 12:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where bitterness may have taken root. What steps can you take today to uproot it and cultivate peace?

Day 3: The Three-Step Process to Eradicate Spiritual Weeds

David's prayer in Psalm 139 offers a three-step process to eradicate spiritual weeds: asking God to search us, test us, and lead us. This process requires brokenness, humility, and vulnerability before God. By inviting the Holy Spirit to examine our lives, we can identify areas of offense and seek healing and restoration. This approach allows God to perform spiritual surgery on our hearts, removing the weeds of offense and leading us towards a life of sanctification and unity with Him. [39:33]

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Spend time in prayer today, asking God to search your heart. What areas of offense does He reveal, and how can you begin the process of healing?

Day 4: Cultivating Our Hearts for Spiritual Surgery

We must continually cultivate our hearts, allowing God to perform spiritual surgery to remove the weeds of offense. This process involves surrendering our pride and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us towards healing and restoration. By doing so, we can experience the freedom and joy that comes from walking in unity with God and others. It is a journey of sanctification, where we acknowledge our need for God's guidance and allow Him to lead us through the process of transformation. [42:02]

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to surrender your pride? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you towards healing today?

Day 5: Surrendering to God for Freedom and Joy

Surrendering to God involves acknowledging our need for His guidance and allowing Him to lead us through the process of sanctification. By doing so, we can experience the freedom and joy that comes from walking in unity with God and others. This surrender is not a one-time event but a continual process of seeking His guidance and allowing Him to transform our hearts. As we walk this path, we find true freedom and joy in our relationship with God and in our interactions with others. [01:03:03]

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to God? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound impact of offense in our lives and how it can lead to spiritual bondage if not addressed. We are reminded that offense is a tool used by Satan to create division and turmoil within our hearts and communities. The series, "The Bait of Old Smut Face," aims to expose how Satan uses offense to trap us, leading to internal turmoil and external sin. We are called to recognize that while it is natural to be offended, our response should mirror that of Jesus, who teaches us to handle offenses with grace and forgiveness.

We delved into the story of humanity's fall in Genesis, illustrating how offense can plant seeds of sin and bitterness in our hearts, much like thorns and thistles in a field. This imagery serves as a reminder that our hearts can become breeding grounds for negativity if we allow offenses to take root. However, through the example of David in Psalm 139, we learn a three-step process to eradicate these spiritual weeds: asking God to search us, test us, and lead us. This process requires us to approach God with brokenness, humility, and vulnerability, allowing Him to perform spiritual surgery on our hearts.

David's plea to God to search his heart is a call for us to invite the Holy Spirit to examine our lives, identify areas of offense, and lead us towards healing and restoration. We are encouraged to surrender our pride and allow God to guide us through the process of sanctification, continually seeking His guidance to live in peace and joy. By doing so, we can experience the freedom that comes from walking in unity with God and others.

Key Takeaways

1. Offense is a spiritual trap that can lead to bondage if not addressed. Recognizing offense as a tool of Satan helps us understand the importance of responding with grace and forgiveness, as Jesus would. [22:10]
2. The story of humanity's fall in Genesis illustrates how offense can plant seeds of sin and bitterness in our hearts. Like thorns and thistles, these seeds can choke out the fruits of the Spirit if left unchecked. [34:54]
3. David's prayer in Psalm 139 offers a three-step process to eradicate spiritual weeds: asking God to search us, test us, and lead us. This requires brokenness, humility, and vulnerability before God. [39:33]
4. We must continually cultivate our hearts, allowing God to perform spiritual surgery to remove the weeds of offense. This process involves surrendering our pride and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us towards healing and restoration. [42:02]
5. Surrendering to God involves acknowledging our need for His guidance and allowing Him to lead us through the process of sanctification. By doing so, we can experience the freedom and joy that comes from walking in unity with God and others. [63:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:10] - The Bait of Offense
[23:57] - Offense in Daily Life
[24:47] - Responding Like Jesus
[26:13] - The Message of the Cross
[28:02] - The First Sin and Offense
[28:51] - Understanding the Trapper
[34:06] - Symptoms of Being Offended
[34:54] - The Fall and Seeds of Offense
[36:37] - David's Three-Step Process
[38:16] - Psalm 139: A Heart's Cry
[39:33] - Invitation to Healing
[42:02] - Spiritual Surgery
[45:11] - Cultivating Our Hearts
[50:11] - The Bottom Plow Analogy
[51:30] - Plow My Heart, Oh God
[53:38] - The Danger of Looking Back
[54:34] - Search, Test, and Lead
[63:03] - Surrender and Sanctification
[68:46] - Breathing in the Spirit
[70:07] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Sermon Clips

1) "It is okay to be offended about the things that offend God. It's okay. But listen to this. It's not okay for us to react in a way that is different from the way Jesus would react to those offenses. We have a biblical spiritual responsibility to respond to the offenses of this world in the way that Jesus would respond." [24:47] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2) "Offense is a trap that leads to spiritual bondage. But through Christ, we can break free and walk in freedom." [28:02] (7 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3) "If we don't continually cultivate the fields of our hearts, the decision to do nothing will grow a good crop of weeds." [42:02] (7 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4) "We must approach God with brokenness, humility, and vulnerability when we ask him to inspect our hearts." [54:34] (8 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5) "We must approach God with a confidence asking him to test us. And here's the rest of that. We must be ready and prepared for an honest evaluation." [58:33] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6) "We must approach God with a dependency on him to lead us into the future." [01:01:15] (6 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7) "When the seeds of offense are planted within, then we need to visit the great physician and schedule a spiritual surgery to remove the weeds of offense before they grow and multiply." [42:02] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8) "Everyone of us has a decision to make, and when we choose to release offenses, I promise you we can experience the freedom that comes from walking in unity with God and with others." [01:03:42] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9) "Surrender. We have this innate fleshly ability, that when something comes after us, to either fight or flight. How about instead of fighting or flighting, how about today, we just stop for a moment, and we throw our hands up, and we say, God, I just want to be honest with you from my heart, because there's some junk in there, there's some stuff in there." [01:04:42] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10) "Without the breath of God as the Christian, we will cease to exist." [01:08:05] (5 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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