The world is highly offendable, even people at church! Proverbs 19:11 says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook offense.” The Bible says something here that the world ignores, to the point that they do the opposite of what Jesus does.
“…blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:6). You cannot live a victorious life if you’re offended and bitter, which is something I’ve been going over these last couple of weeks! The world tells you to use your anger. GOD tells you to lose your anger! There are several types of people I call “Fake People.” They can fall into seven different categories: the complimenter, the manipulator, the social climber, the fake friend, the pretender, the cheater, and the rival. People who fall into any of these categories tend to take offense and do anything to reflect who the world wants them to be.
The problem with this is that it’s the opposite of the Christ-like behavior you’re to model. When you tell people what they want to hear instead of the truth—or do what people want you to do instead of what’s right—you deny them the opportunity to hear truth and see God’s light shine through you. Being authentic is crucial, and it’ll also help steer you clear of offense. This isn’t about not getting angry; anger is something that even Jesus experienced in His ministry. Rather, it’s about knowing what to do with anger and not letting it manifest into any form of bitterness, un-forgiveness, or offense that distracts you from your ministry.
Satan is going to try to turn you toward offense. He wanted Jesus to get offended enough that He’d give up (or forget) His ministry. Can you imagine if He had given up on the world—given up on you—because of the betrayal, abuse, and persecution He faced? When you’re tempted to be offended, remember the great gift that Jesus gave you by NOT being offended and choosing to stay true to His ministry.