Offended by the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The bible says do not offend the Holy Spirit…….who in their right mind would want to offend the Holy Spirit? Did you know that when we fight and do not get along with others we are offending the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is to be living inside of us. It is meant to guide us and direct us to the life that God has for us. God is a god of peace. The Holy Spirit living inside of you is to make your life peaceful. It is meant to help spread unity in our life and community. Where there is unity there is anointing and a blessing from God.
I know that for myself, I cannot carry offense towards someone or something and be anointed by God. It doesn’t work that way. How can I go along and share the love of God with others when inside of my heart I am angered or bitter towards others. You can’t mix those two together. I would not want to go about my day without the anointing of God in my life. Could you imagine driving down the road, going to the grocery store, or being MARRIED without the anointing? I know, because I lived without the anointing for many years and guess what? I did an awful lot of fighting with my husband. I also did some unkind things to others. I definitely did not reach out and do as God wanted me to do. I saw how if I just would of reacted differently to things, how much better situations would have turned out. I had to learn things the wrong, hard way. It is so much easier to have the Holy Spirit living within you and helping guide you in your path of life. Once you start listening and stop rejecting, you will come to see all that God has for you just by you simply obeying .

How can we offend the Holy Spirit:

1. When we excuse away our sinfulness. The Holy Spirit is mean to be a source of conviction in our hearts. People use it to support ungodly behavior and to excuse away their sins.
2. When we go against the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit works hand in hand with God’s word. It revels to us the truth and to not lead us away from it.

We all need the presence of God in our lives. I would NEVER want to live without the presence of the Holy Spirit flowing in my life.

Offending ourselves

Did you know that you can offend yourself?

Matthew 18:8-9 says:
And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

In these verses God is referring to “cutting out” and getting rid of the things that are causing you to stumble in your life. Having a guilty conscience is a major problem in life. It causes you to shrink back in fear of people finding out your “hidden” sin. You will lack boldness to stand for things God wants you to stand for. When Jesus died on the cross He did it to set us free from condemnation and feelings of guilt. But it is our choice to make right decisions once we accept that He did that for us. We cannot continue to choose sinful behaviors and expect to receive the blessings and benefits of knowing Jesus. His blood bought our freedom. But if we remain in sin when we know that it is wrong, then we are not using the freedom He gave us.

How can we go about not offending ourselves? First we accept and call it what it is SIN. Stop excusing away your problems. State it and name it!!! Then avoid it. Stop participating in that which is causing you to sin. If your conscience condemns it then stay away.

That can include:

•  Magazines with immodestly dressed people.
•  Movies that you would NOT sit with Jesus and watch.
•  Dirty jokes, bad language, gossip with people.
•  Music that does not have a positive message.
•  Books that cause you to dream up images of sinful things.
•  Friends that lead us to do things that are not godly.

There are so many different things that are stumbling blocks in our lives. We need to cut them out and throw them away. Some people have said that looking at things or listening to things that are NOT God honoring do not offend them. But what has happened is that they have become numb to the world. There hearts have become so hardened that things don’t even bother them anymore. That is a sad reality. I don’t want to be numb to things. We want to have our eyes open to see the realities of life, to help others, to live a life victorious in Christ.

Giving offense to others

2 Corinthians 6:3
We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry
Proverbs 18:19
A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.

I like both of these verses. Not being an offense person is a HUGE way to share the testimony of Christ in your life. If we walk around with sinful behaviors, attitudes, and lifestyles how is anyone else whom has those same issues going to want to change things in their own life? Why would they want a “god” who doesn’t even manifest himself in them? One who doesn’t help them change from their wrong ways? People are looking for a way out. They want to get away from their worldly lifestyles and ways, if we can’t show it to them, then why would they want to change?
Want to know the BEST way to AVOID giving offense to others??

Think before you do or say something!!!

If we were just to “think” a moment before we start to speak, we can usually avoid offending someone. The bible says it is hard to tame the tongue. For many of us, we just speak before we think!!! When our friends are sick with the flu for weeks on end and we start talking about how we prayed and did not get that sickness—we are causing offense to someone. When we go minister in a low income area and we choose to wear expensive clothing or jewelry, we are probably going to cause some offense. If we know people are struggling with sin in their lives and we prance around dabbling in the sin—because we don’t have issues with it, we are causing offense.
We have friends that dress more modestly than we do, whenever we go visit with them, I make sure to dress as modest as they would out of respect to them. If you know someone does something, don’t go against the grain and be disrespectful. If your friend struggles with food, don’t eat something that you know causes them to crave it in front of them. Help them, encourage them.
If you are in a disagreement with someone, the best thing you can do is stay calm. Allow others to have their way in the conflict. By choosing to remain calm and not be part of the disagreement puts a quick end to the anger and will stop the offense. Being part of foolish and dumb arguments are NOT a sign of a believer. God wants us to be the peacemakers, helping others to learn to have self control in their lives.
Be considerate of others and think how they feel in their own situation. The saying “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” is a huge reminder of how we are to walk around in love and not in offense.

Find out what offense does to us next……

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There are many ways that we can be offended. We are going to examine six of them.

•  Offended by the truth
•  Offended by God
•  Offended by trouble/circumstances
•  Offended by the holy spirit
•  Offending ourselves
•  Giving offenses to others

Offended by the truth

In John 8:32 it says: Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!!

When you start reading scriptures or you hear a truth from God’s word, if it doesn’t line up with us and our flesh, we have to be careful not to take offense with this. We usually are quick to think it is not for us but for someone else. But God’s word is for us. To help us be free in Him.

I remember very much when God’s word—the truth—was teaching me how to change things about myself. I thought in my own mind that I was a pretty good person (smile) But I realized I had a lot of hidden attitudes and heart issues to work on. There was more than one time that I felt like I didn’t want to do this. God was showing me how I had prideful, control issues. I wanted to take charge and fix things. I wanted to do things my way, because I thought it was best (smile) He was showing me that I was a manipulator, and that I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. I had to let down my guard and humble myself before my family and God. It was tough. But I kept on it. It was stretching me.

I don’t know about you, but I know that when I am stretching it just doesn’t feel comfortable. But just as a caterpillar stretches it’s way out of the cocoon and into a butterfly, that is the same metamorphosis that we go through. When we are stretched, it may feel a little uncomfortable but that is where we are able to push through and enter into the next level of what God has for us.

God can use anyone in any situation that He wants. BUT how much greater of a way can God use us when we completely lay down all of our “stuff” and let Him take control of our lives?

When we hear the truth, for the most part it is hard on the flesh. We are sinful people and when we hear something that goes against what the world has taught us, then it is tough. But it reaps many good things, unlike the world. When we hear the truth and act upon it, it sets our present conditions into line with God and it prepares us for far greater blessings that we can imagine. We want to be moving forward in our walk with the Lord. We don’t want to stay stagnant. How much better is a life that is lived to the fullest just by laying aside our pride and becoming meek and submissive to what God has for us? For most, they make excuses of why they don’t want to change or don’t want to hear that truth. All those excuses are doing nothing but preventing them from moving forward. We want to be FREE!!! We want to be free so that God can use us in a mighty way.

Offended by God

One look at the world and you can see how people take offense at God. Our society is offended by God. The ten commandments posted on a building offends people who look at it. Allowing students to pray in school causes offense to others. Why does this offend them? The ONLY reason it offends them is because THEY DO NOT WANT TO DO IT! They have rejected the One whom has created them, and therefore they reject anything about Him. It is called rebellion and our world is full of it. When you read the 10 commandments, I think almost everyone can agree that they are all good rules to live by. To not kill, not to covet, not to be adulterous are all things that benefit US. God is trying to show US how to have a better life. Everything He says is for our good. But as the bible says in the end times they will rebel and turn their hearts away from the truth.

Offended by trouble/circumstances

Mark 4:14-17
The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

This truth is an important one, you see it happening everyday especially in our churches. If someone is not deeply rooted in God’s word, when trouble comes, they fall away. This is a big testimony that I know I have encountered many times throughout my life. I see wives and teenagers that grew up in the church and when something happens badly in their lives, instead of digging deep into God’s word and turning to Him for strength and guidance, they crumble and fade away. It is a sad reality. But God’s word tells us about it so that we can be aware and be careful not to do it.
When we are faced with trials or bad situations they can either make us stronger or they will make us resentful. When bad things happen, if we take offense at the situation we start to blame others for it. We may blame God for disrupting our cushy lifestyles. We may even blame the devil—and that is rightly so. But we can also take offense at other people who seem to be more blessed then we are. Sometimes it is just resentment. That resentment takes root to form bitterness towards life and the situations that come our way. But we must be made aware of resentment. This is part of not taking offense.
When we are faced with these trials or bad situations we need to look at them from a whole new perspective. We need to think, that by going through this, it can actually helps us get deeper and stronger roots in the Word. I know for myself, when I have gone through trials, the more I was alone and away from others I had only one person to hang onto, and that was God. But during those times is when my faith was strengthened. I realized that once I gave over my situations to Him, He could do far greater of a job then I could do. Then to watch it unfold, strengthened my faith hugely. Seeing His hand do the things that for years I tried to control and change.
When times of trial arise you can really see how faithful you truly are to God. You can see if you are more of an emotional person or if you are truly committed to the faith. Emotional hearers of the word always fall apart during times of trial. You have seen people being unstable in times of trial. They get angry and make accusations against others, instead of rationally looking at the situation.. This is only a sign of spiritual immaturity. Not that you can’t get emotional during times of trial—but what I am saying is that inside, your faith will help you stand the test of your trials. Knowing that God is in control of everything and that he will work ALL things out together for your good. Being careful to guard, to not let your emotions take charge of your faith.
As a side note, you want to avoid people in life that are given to change. However the wind blows through their life that is how they bend, sway, and react. These types of people you cannot count on. They usually have a bad influence and it is just better to stay away.

When bad things or situations happen in your life don’t blame God.

Lamentations 3:25-28 says that God lays the yoke of divine discipline on us for our benefits. Sometimes it is good for us to experience disappointment. We learn to just shake off the dirt, get back up and go on. We learn not to place our hope in things but to place our hope in God. When we don’t get our way all of the time, we learn to appreciate things much more. We grow very thankful for the things that we do have.

God is at work ALL OF THE TIME. Just like on a movie, we only see what is going on right here and now. But God is working behind the scenes and we know nothing about what He is doing behind the scenes. We must trust God and NEVER accuse Him of not caring for you. God is good all of the time—I like to say “no, God is GREAT!!”

Being offended by the Holy Spirit??  REALLY, who in their right mind would want to offend the Holy Spirit?? Find out tomorrow….

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