Tag Archives: offended

Have you Been Offended?

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“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Connecting with people is sometimes very difficult. It is heartbreaking when, for whatever reason, we can’t connect even with those who are closest to us.  If you have been hurt in a relationship, you may be guarding your heart and fearful of being hurt again.

It is very hard, even impossible to connect when you can’t lay your guard down. If you find it hard to connect with others, you may have a wounded heart that needs to be healed from the past. When we have been wounded by someone’s actions, a stone is formed in our heart from the unforgiveness. A stony heart makes it almost impossible to connect because we are guarded and easily offended. Healing begins when we identify the hurt and ask God to heal our wounded heart. The prayer of faith shall heal the sick and the prayer of faith shall heal the heart.

Pray this simple prayer right now and by faith begin receiving your healing:

Father God, I have been hurt by ________________ and now I am guarded when I am around them. Lord, I ask You to heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds. I choose to forgive ___________ for ___________. Heal my heart so I can open my heart and trust again.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Have you been offended? How to Deal With Offenses

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“Oh, Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”   Psalm 34:3

dealing with offenseHave you noticed the increase in the opportunities to be offended?  Even after 25 years of marriage to my husband, I sometimes get offended by what he says.  As a wife, I may know he doesn’t mean something the way I took it, but I still feel a huge pull to be offended.

I believe in the day we are living, the days prior to the return of the Lord, there will be a greater pull than ever before to be offended.  Jesus taught us in Mathew 18:7 that offenses will surely come.  In Mathew 24, when the disciples asked Jesus what the signs of His return would be, He said in verse 10, “And then shall many be offended…”

So we should not be surprised when we feel the pull to be offended. The question is: how fast do you move past an offense?  Jesus made it possible for us to be able to move past offenses very quickly.

I must constantly remind myself that we are in “the time,” the days before Jesus returns.  Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, that there would be a great falling away in these days.  I believe the falling away is due to being offended. If your love waxes cold according to Mathew 24, you will fall away.

I know when I am offended, I must quickly forgive.  Forgiveness is the only answer!  It is the way of escape! The quicker I forgive, the quicker I come back into my right mind.  When I am offended my soul is in control.  When I forgive, my spirit rises up above my soul and takes back over.

I have learned that when I am offended everything is distorted and even my emotions become out of control. When I am offended at a person I will see them in a distorted way, bigger than they really are.  I will become overly focused on them. They become the center of attention and all I talk about for days.  Every conversation even goes back somehow to what offended me.

The more we put our focus on those who offended us, the more magnified they become.  This could cause our heart to wax cold and may lead us to sin against God.  He is the only one we are to magnify.  When we focus on others and what they did to offend us, we make them bigger than God.

 Oh, Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. (Psalm 34:3)

So right now press the minimize button and minimize the person who has offended you.  Bring them down to the right size and forgive them.  Remember, if it were not for the grace of God you might have done the very same thing.