You hear it all the time. The enemy uses the spirit of offense to split churches all the time. It happens in workplaces too. it results in factions and gossip which is a deadly sin.
He uses it to divide up families and friends too. It’s a popular tactic that works. On most people that is. If you let it.
One has to determine not to be offended so that the spirit of offense doesn’t lead them the wrong way. isolation and separation are the targets the enemy has.
Cutting people off is the opposite of love.
10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c]lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
1 John 1:10-11
You can’t force yourself on people who cut you off, but if you are the person doing the cutting off, probably the spirit of offense has gotten hold of you.
God is love. That’s the opposite of I’m offended. Right?
So how do you bulletproof yourself against the spirit of offense? I know for me, it helps to crucify Myself (capitalized because we make self a god) and ask God to live his life through me. When I’m living for him and abiding in him, it’s hard to be offended even.
If this offends you, you’re probably dealing with the spirit of offense. The nice thing about forgiveness is, we can always ask God to forgive us, and he doesn’t say no. He wants to make us into his image. That was the idea all along.
Following Jesus 