Offended

Matthew 24:10-12 (KJV) Says, "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

The above passage of scripture is spoken by Jesus as he answers the question posed to him by the disciples as to how they will know when the end of time nears. This passage makes clear that toward the end of time many people will be offended, and we are without a doubt seeing this come to pass. We are living in a world where people are not only easily offended, but they seem to purposefully seek out reasons to be. We are even seeing this in individuals who are self-proclaimed Christians.  If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, walking around with a spirit of offense does not fit who you are in Christ. As Christians we should not be easily offended, but rather we should look at all situations with a Christian worldview, and handle all things in a Christ-like manner. People should see in us love, kindness, meekness, understanding, compassion, and other like traits not someone who's walking around with a chip on their shoulder because they have allowed the spirit of offense to consume them. I'm by no means saying that there won't be times when someone says or does something that could result in our being offended. However, when this happens, it is not mandatory that we take the bait, and become offended. As Christians God has given us all we need through prayer and his Word to practice self-discipline, and to control how we receive, and respond to all situations.

The above passage of scripture also warns us that there will be many false prophets who will rise up in the end of time, and deceive many individuals. The Word of God tells us that these false prophets will deceive even some Christians. This is why it is so vitally important that we read and study God's Word for ourselves. When we read and study God's Word then we come to know exactly what it says, and will not be swayed from it, but rather will stand firm in it in it's entirety. We are seeing even Christians falling prey to false teaching in the world today. One example is found in some coming to believe that only a select few will make it to heaven, and those individuals have been chosen. This belief is easily disputed by many verses of scripture found in the Bible, and one example of those verses is John 3:16. This is a verse most learn as a small child, and it clearly states that WHOSOEVER believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. When you are listening to someone teach or preach or you are reading any religious based material other than the Bible make certain that what you are hearing or reading coincides with the Word of God.

The above passage of scripture also tells us that in the end of time the world will be so full of sin that the love of many will wax cold. This is also something that we are witnessing in abundance. This too is seen among many self-proclaimed Christians, and that is a dire shame considering God by definition is love. We are seeing the love of many spouses waxing cold toward one another, we are seeing  love between some family members waxing cold, we are witnessing love between friends waxing cold, and we are even seeing love that should come naturally between parents and children fading into what seems to be non existent.

As born again believers in Jesus Christ, we should not allow offense to enter our life and consume us; rendering us useless as his disciples. We must study to know the truth of God's Word, and stand firm in it so we don't fall prey to false prophets. We should have no problem loving others as we should have the desire in our hearts, having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, to love everyone as Christ loves us. In fact, the second greatest commandment given to us, out of the mouth of Jesus himself, is to love one another as he loves us.

I urge you to avoid allowing yourself to be offended, and to remind yourself that walking in the spirit of offense destroys your effectiveness as a disciple of Christ. I urge you to read and study God's Word for yourself and to stand firm in it in order to ensure you do not fall prey to a false prophet. I further urge you to remember that as a born again believer in Jesus Christ you are commanded to love others as Jesus loves you. You don't have to take my word for the fact that we are living in a world where these signs of the end of time are taking place, but rather all you have to do for confirmation is to look around.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.