Satan's Strategy "Strategy Of Offense"

Offense is a majior strategy of the devil. Its very hidden and when exposed can bring people into captivity. Its been used to seperate and sever the bestrelationships. Husbands and wives, Fathers and sons, Mothers and daughters and Shepherds from sheep. Jesus said very clearly that it would be prevelant in the last days. In the last days many would be offended betray and hate one another(Matt 24:10) Its very important each blood bought born again believer have an awareness of this strategy. Why? Because Jesus said Its impossible not have the opportunity to be offended(Luke 17:1) The word offended comes from the Grk word SCANDALON. It refers to the part of a trap baited to catch an animal. Think of it like a hidden landmind. If you have watched a war picture, there are times soldiers would be walking and all the sudden one would step on landmind that they didnt see and got blew up. This is exactly what the enemy endeavors to do with the landmind of offense. It produces the root of bitterness and this in turn produces the fruit of envy jealousy division resentment hostility and a harvest of many other things. David dealt with offense He laments Its not an enemy that reproaches than my soul could bear but it was a man MINE EQUAL(Psalm 55:12-14) Mine equal simply meant that the person that had wronged him was very close to him. The closer the association the greater the potential of offense. We must be very careful where we place expectation. When we give to someone expecting a return than we havent given them anything, we have loaned it. Giving is not loaning. God said through the mouth of Paul people taken captive at satans will(2 Tim 2:26) However the good news right before it says that God will grant us the gift of repentence at the ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH! Simply admit than quit in Jesus name! Finally feedom from Offense. Number one, Love the word not your feelings. The bible declares Great peace to those that love my law and nonething shall offend them. so many of us deal with offense because we are dominated and dictated to by our feelings. Remember this phrase and never forget it Do what produces good, not what feels good! You might be tempted to hold onto to an offense but Jesus said it would better for a milestone to be tied around our neck and drowned in the sea. There are two pains in life discipline and regret. The pain of discipline weighs ounces , the pain of regret weighs tons! Paul said I put my body under subjection(1 Cor 9:27) I was the real Paul. We have an outward man and an inward man. Its that inward man that delights in the law of God and we must submit our unregenerated flesh to it. The process is not always comfortable because through it our motives our exposed through the fire of affliction test and trials. Its the reason some seem to be moving rigtht along but when the wind and fire comes persecution arises for the words sake many become offended even through they endured for a season(Mark 4:17) Jesus tells us why? They had NO ROOT IN THEMSELVES! What are we to be rooted in the love of God! ye may be ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE!Eph 3:16) Love never fails and has been shed abroad in our hearts by the HolyGhost(Rom 5:5) However it has not been shed abroad to our outward man. We have to allow the love of God within us be worked out of us. Its in that process that our feelings are being submitted to faith and that perfect love will cast out all fear in our lives. Why? Because we will loose the sense of self preservation and our life will be hid in Christ Jesus! Jesus said Whosoever loses his life SHALL gain it!!! Number two, Law of Love. God said through the mouth of Paul Whatever a man soweth that SHALL they also REAP, WHOSOEVER SOWS to the SPIRIT SHALL of the spirit REAP(Gal 6:7,8) Now notice this is for WHOSOEVER! This will work for anyone. We must put faith in the law of love and realize that even through you may not reap from the field in which you have sown or reap as quickly as you would like you WILL REAP! ITS A LAW!!!!! When our minds are renewed to that it will enable us to love people even more! Glory to God! God is not a man that he should lie! Trust the law of love!!!!!!!!! The natural laws were brought into existence by the spiritual laws. We often trust them more than the ones we cannot see. We would never think of violating the natural laws like gravity for a nanosecond, how much more SPIRITUAL LAWS! Third Refuse to think or talk about the offense anymore! We must actively engage our thought life and make ourselves think on things that are honest just lovely and of a good report(Phil 4:8) We choose our thoughts! If you are allowing yourself to think about the offense, your choosing too. No ones making you! Our lives will move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. When we let our minds think about the offense its like building a riverbed that can only flow in one direction and impacts and influences the stram of life flowing through us. The awesome news is we can build a BRAND NEW RIVERbed! People say I cant, again change the the cant to wont and you have atleast faced the truth. Our flesh likes to holdon to an offense and feel sorry for ourselves. Lets tell the Flesh your FIRED! Finally dont talk about it anymore! Life and death is in the power of our tounge(Prov 18:21) It goes onto say we shall est the fruit thereof. Dont continue to be a sick through speech. Sickness can many times be a direct result of our speech. We keep rehersing and rehashing, its time to do some forgiving and forgetting. Especially if its your ownself. Give yourself a break your not perfect just forgiven right? Maybe you have been used just like me in thyis strategy of satan. If your anything like me you'll want to get in there and attempt to fix it. Look as much as it lieth within you DO IT! However sometimes the best thing to do is let go aned let God, Hes "The Specialist" He can make darkness look like light! Remember what he said through the Psalmist? The darkness and the light to me are the same(Psalm 139) I recommend readers to purchase "The Bait Of Satan" The Lord wrote this thruJohn Bevere. Its one of the greatest books ever written on the subject