Let Offense Go Immediately

Offensives will be something that will come to us, and we a given a choice on how to respond. We must let offense go immediately, as soon as the enemy sends it our way, send it back and bless the person whom it came through.  Offense can cause a crack in the foundation that gives the enemy an entry point for attacks.  Here is an example of letting go of offense.

Last week at church as we were doing altar prayer, a man sat down in front of u,s as we were waiting for people to come for prayer.  I watched him sit down slowly as he lowered himself into the chair with a look of agony and pain on his face while holding his leg.  I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for prayer, or waiting to talk with our Pastor; sometimes it is hard to tell.  Usually when that happens, I will approach the person and ask if they are coming for prayer or waiting for the Pastor.

I went up to him and said, “Hi, are you waiting on us for prayer…” and before I could finish and ask “or waiting for the pastor” he rudely  interrupted me and said in an elevated and harsh tone, something to the effect of “I don’t need prayer!  I have had this pain for 37 years and it is just part of me! I’ve had people pray and I am still in pain, this is what I am meant to live with.”  He said some other things I can’t remember.  To that, I just smiled at him and said, “Okay, I saw you come forward so I just wanted to make sure you weren’t being ignored.” Then I walked back over to my husband and our other prayer team member as we waited for people to come up.

As I walked back over, the other prayer team member looked at me with a little of a confused look.  I am not sure if she heard him or was also wondering if he wanted prayer.  As I looked at her and smiled, I silently prayed, “Father I release that offense to you and ask you to bless this man.”  

I know who I have living inside me, and I know what He is capable of.  I have seen the Holy Spirit touch many people and heal them. However, if someone doesn’t want a move of God, then they simply just miss out.  As far as the offense, I wasn’t going to let the enemy win, I wasn’t going to give any energy to the enemy.  And I was so full of the glory and the Holy Spirit that even if I wanted to, I was unable to even feel that offense.  I chose freedom and love rather than letting offense cause a crack in the foundation.  The Holy Spirit did reveal to me though, that this man is operating under bitterness and unforgiveness as well as a spirit of religion.  

I remember one time, I was at a revival and the Pastor that was speaking gave a message on something that touched me deeply.  It also involved his wife who was there too.  I happened to be serving on altar prayer and I thought, at the end of the evening when I am done serving, if she is still there I am going to ask her for prayer.  Once everyone who came for payer had received payer, I looked over and she was just getting ready to leave.  I ran after her, I mean RAN AFTER HER!  There was no way, I was not going to get a move of God that night.  You see, God wants people HUNGRY for him; He wants us to want to receive his good gifts that he has for us.  In Ezekiel we are told that if Israel (His people) will not listen to him, they surely will not listen to us (Ezekiel 3:7).  If they are not moved by the Holy Spirit, if they are not heading the hunger from the Holy Spirit, how much more powerful is He than us!  So of course, if they are not hungry for the Holy Spirit, I will leave it be yet feel sorrow for them as I know what they are missing and pray for a change of heart.  While running to the wife, I was calling her name as I got closer.  I will never forget what she said to me, “God saw how hungry you are for him, to run to Him and call on Him and He will answer you.”

Back to this gentleman…Now it so happened to be that day during worship I was strongly shaking under the Glory of the LORD.  My legs were trembling heavily and if we kept on in worship I wouldn’t have been able to stand much longer (“The glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face - Ezekiel 3:23”  “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face - Ezekiel 1:28”).  I was fasting a few days before this, so my flesh was weakened but my spirit was stronger in the LORD.  As I trembled I knew that whoever came for prayer that day was really going to get a powerful touch from the Holy Spirit!  Sadly, no one came for prayer and this gentleman missed his healing opportunity because he just didn’t want to reach out in faith and touch the hem of Jesus’s garment.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you"  Matthew 23:12 says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  We are told to forgive as we were forgiven and we are told to humble ourselves and we will be exalted.  Most times we forgive people and don’t receive an apology, and that is okay; we did our part.

However, that wasn’t the case this time and that is why I want to share this one instance with you.

Yesterday, that same gentleman came up to me and asked if he could have a moment of my time.  I said, of course!  Then he proceeded to say, “I just wanted to apologize to you.  I was very rude to you last week, and I shouldn’t have acted that way.” 

I was blown away at the sincerity of his apology and the humbleness in his approach.  Usually, you don’t receive an apology nor expect it when you give the offense to Jesus and let it go.  But this time, Jesus was encouraging me that He sees my heart, and is handling it for me when I give it to him.

So I want to encourage you all as well, when offense comes, lay it at the feet of Jesus immediately and let him handle it.  We will not always have an apology from the offender but we will always have freedom in Jesus!