the quiet trap of offense
One of the quietest and most subtle ways the enemy will walk you right into warfare is through: offense.
Offense in our hearts can create a domino effect…..especially when it goes unnoticed. It’s more than just feeling hurt; it’s a seed that if left to grow, will influence your thoughts, words, actions, and even your relationship with God. When offense takes root, it can make you react from a place of pain instead of peace. You begin making decisions based on feelings instead of truth, judging others instead of praying for them, and justifying your actions instead of asking God for discernment.
Feelings can absolutely be indicators that something needs to be addressed, but they should never be the dictator of our choices. Feelings are fleeting, and they can be especially dangerous if our souls haven’t gone through inner healing because our emotions can be magnified and our ‘triggers’ can consume our choices.
The root of offense: is pride. It’s a subtle “me-first” mentality that whispers, “I deserve respect, I deserve fairness, I deserve things to go my way.” Offense loves pride because they form a trap: you believe you’re justified in holding onto hurt, and the enemy can use that to open doors to further conflict, distraction, and even destruction.
A few years ago, I was deeply offended by something someone said to my child. That offense lodged itself in my heart and caused me to make decisions I normally wouldn’t have made. It brought a season of confusion, tension, and spiritual warfare that I couldn’t understand at the time. It was only after I walked through that period that God revealed the truth: offense was the snare, and pride was the trap keeping me stuck. My heart had unknowingly invited turmoil.
If you’re unsure what I mean by ‘warfare’…..you’ve likely experienced it without labeling it because spiritual warfare isn’t always visible; but you can feel it in these ways:
Mentally: Your thoughts spin in a loop. You feel foggy, confused, and doubting your decisions you normally wouldn’t second-guess. You replay scenarios over and over.
Emotionally: A heaviness settles on your heart. Irritability, anxiety, resentment, or fear rise seemingly out of nowhere. You feel on edge, restless, or unable to enjoy the simple things.
Circumstantially: Doors you expected to open remain closed. Conflicts pop up repeatedly. Blessings get delayed or feel blocked. Life seems “off,” even when nothing appears wrong on the surface.
I really believe that if you stay offended, you’ll stay reactive instead of responsive. It takes time to recognize when we’ve let offense come in secretly but it also takes hindsight to see when warfare was the reason that season of life was just plain hard when it was filled with those sleepless nights.
I am building something where we will dive into all of these things from THE GROUND UP; from inner healing, to renewing the mind, to hearing the voice of God, to discerning seasons and walking in clarity. It’s designed to take you from where you are to where you want to be; it’s a cross over type of thing and it’s going to be discounted for those on my email list.
Here is to MORE freedom!
