Offense

So, I've been at a Leader's Conference - thus the lapse in my blogging - sorry.
Our guest speaker has been on about Unity - the purpose and power of it for mission. I'm sold.
If you haven't checked out the Transformation series of DVD's - they are powerful evidence of unity being a means of winning whole people groups to Jesus.

Today was about offense - and it was a good word. Worth sharing:

The reality of OFFENSE:
1. We give offense - we try not too but it's inevitable really - we are all people and we are all different... we give offense.
2. We take offense - this is where some choices come in - we don't have too but we often TAKE offense. Justyn Rees (the speaker and reconciliation expert) suggests that offense is a bait that satan uses to trap US... that's the rub - we think taking offense will 'get' the other person back but in the end it is a trap for us. It's satan's way of ensnaring us.

So what to do?
3. Be QUICK to forgive offenses... don't let the sun go down/love keeps no record of wrongs/forgive one another and bear with each other in love/ etc... (you get the idea).... scripture is clear that the way we battle offense is to forgive it QUICKLY and COMPLETELY.

easier said than done. I want to live offense free. Not in some weird reality where I think I'll never be offended or ever cause offense... but I want to be like teflon - where the offense is given but not taken... I don't want to fall into the trap of take the bait. Want to join me?