GUARD AGAINST OFFENSE TOWARD GOD AND MAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 28, 2024.

SUBJECT : GUARD AGAINST OFFENSE TOWARD GOD AND MAN!

Memory verse: “And blessed is he who is not be offended because of Me." (Matthew 11 vs 6.)

READ: Job 9 vs 4; Isaiah 45 vs 9 - 10:

Job 9:4: God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him, and prospered?

Isaiah 45:9: “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ 

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

45:10: Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

INTIMATION:

Everything that moves you to question the integrity of God, or His love for you must be avoided and destroyed, so that the altar of your heart can be prepared for the fire from heaven. While preparing your heart to approach God in prayer, one of the things you must guard against is offense. So many have their conscience ensnared with offenses toward God or man, and all they do in prayer is nothing but complain, and murmur. When you are offended in God, you turn Him against yourself; and if God is against you, who will save you? If you despise Him, who will lift you?

When you are offended in God or man, you bear iniquities in your heart that inhibits God from hearing you (Psalm 66 vs 18). Many are stranded because of offenses. When they stand in prayer, they justify themselves against God. They say, "Lord, I've paid my tithe, I have done everything that You commanded. Only You haven't done your part." In other words, they count themselves faithful and God unfaithful. But the Bible says, "...Let God be true but every man a liar..." (Romans 3 vs 4.) Anything that makes you to murmur against God is moving you against your destiny. You can't expect Him to answer your prayers when your heart is full of complains and offenses toward God or man. 

If He withdraws His breath from you for three seconds, you will be dead. If you have lost anything, God is the reason you didn't loose everything. May be the enemy's intention was to take your life, but God stepped in and you only lost your car. But here you are, offended and complaining against Him in prayer. If He withdraws His hand from your life, can you imagine what will become of you?

In our memory verse, Jesus said that those who do not take any offense in the Lord are fortunate and blessed. Jesus said this when John the Baptist who was in prison, and began to have some doubts about whether Jesus really was the Messiah. John thought in his heart that if his purpose was to prepare people for the coming Messiah, then why was he in prison when he could have been preaching to the crowds, preparing their hearts. John expected that the coming Messiah should be able to save him from prison. 

When John the Baptist’s disciples came and put his question before Jesus,—"Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus knew that he was already offended in Him. He asked those disciples to go back to him with the good news of His exploits—The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Obviously, that would have offended John the more because he already had heard all those evidence that indicated the real identity of Jesus, and wondered why He didn't want to save Him from prison. 

The wise and right thing to do when you are in doubt because of happenings around you is turn to Him, and not turn away from Him. Remember, it was in the same prison and the same Jailer that held Paul and Silas. They were doing the work of the Messiah when they were arrested and jailed. But they didn't get offended, both toward God or the men, but instead sang and praised God while in there, and God came in His Might and saved them. But for John, he was eventually beheaded when the King's daughter, on the advice of her mother, the king’s wife, asked for his head in a platter.

Romans 8 vs 28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." So, set your heart right before Him. Count Him faithful in all things. Refuse to complain, but rather let God know that you have no alternative beside Him, and that you are ready to hang on till your answer comes from Him. Any attempt to step away from God, is stepping into doom for you. Certainly, there is no unrighteous with God! (Romans 9 vs 14.)

Let your conscience be as that of the apostle Paul who said, "This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 24 vs 16.) Give your destiny motion by clearing off every offense from your heart, to establish a thoroughfare to heaven in prayers. This is the way to maintain a good communication line with God.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are the Lord, the Creator of all things for Your purposes. You are the All-knowing God, and the end known to You from the beginning. Give me the grace to have a conscience without offense toward You or men, that You may hear me when I call, and I will be worthy of Your blessings accardingly, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!