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Breaking The Power of Offences
©2012 James K. Saah
Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4659-3636-3
Published by Digital iNQ (+ 233 243 652 700)
All rights reserved. Excerpts may be quoted in reviews.
All scriptural quotations are from King James Version of the Bible unless stated otherwise.
Other books by Same Author
1. The Finger of God
2. Seize Your Moment
3. Give Me Back My Baby
4. Understanding The Issue of Life
5. The Mystery of Success
6. Road to the Double Portion
Preface
‘Positive emotions empower, negative emotions disempower’ Gary Zukow
Above the door entering the U.S Congressional Reading Room of the Library of Congress are nine paintings. Famously known as the Hall of Heroes, they paintings represent episodes in the lives of mythological figures. Jason, Promethus, Theseus, Odyssues, Hercules, Belerophon, Paris and Achilles are all represented in the Hall. You may want to know what the moral and purpose is?
These episodes actually exist as allegories. Interestingly, each one speaks to an aspect of the human condition. Each painting has a central them that revolves around risk, fear, courage and human weakness and faults. Each is intended to teach a lesson about confronting danger and facing fear or adversity.
It is worth of note that these stories demonstrate that the adversities and challenges that stand between all great men and their destinies are indeed the anvil upon which their character is shaped and dreams fulfilled.
These paintings thus serve as reminders and sources of inspiration to the Members of Congress, as they pass through those doors, of what will be demanded of them as leaders of the American nation.
In my opinion, it is not too late for someone to add to these paintings above the doors entering the Congressional Reading Room of the Library of Congress the words ‘beware of offences’.
If any negative emotion can stop a leader from achieving his goals, it is offence and all that comes with it. The truth is that many people, including leaders, know little or nothing about offence and its causes and effects. Alcohol and sugar, salt and a number of artificial preservatives are considered ‘slow poisons’ or ‘silent killers’ by some scientists. That is why some processed foods are marked as ‘no preservatives’, ‘no sugar added’, ‘no salt free’, ‘alcohol free’, etc. These edible chemicals don’t necessarily kill one instantly. However, unbridled consumption of any of them could , in the long-term lead to medical complications with potentially fatal consequences. Manufacturers of food products who mark them as free of these additives therefore seek to ensure consumers, especially the more health-conscious ones, about the safety of their produce.
There is another slow poison on the emotional side of life that shares these characteristics with the chemicals mentioned. That is the powerful, pervasive and potentially-destructive force known as offence. It subtly operates in the lives of people from all walks of life, many of whom are either unaware or unwilling to accept that they suffer from it or have been enslaved by it. Offence is defined by The Concise Oxford Dictionary as ‘resentment or hurt’. A person is therefore said to be offended when something is displeasing to them or makes them feel resentful or hurt.
The church of Jesus Christ is referred to in different ways at different points in the scriptures. It is variously referred to as family, an army or a team and also as a solder or individual, among others. At another point, the church as described as the bride of Christ. Whichever way you choose to look at it, one thing that has been proven over the years to be harmful to the church as a collective body and as individuals is the emotion of offence or uncontrolled anger.
Offence - not for sale
I once read a make belief but revealing story in a book about Satan and his schemes. The story stays that Satan once held a fair and had many and diverse items like fornication, stealing, alcoholism, homosexuality, dishonesty, witchcraft, etc., exhibited for sale. Among the items on exhibition were two special gadgets clearly labeled not for sale!!! These gadgets were discouragement and offence. One surprised onlooker went to inquire why those items were not for sale. With a wry smile, Satan replied that those gadgets were not extremely special and he had particular people he sold them to. The revealing eye-opening answer shocked most of the people present.
Satan further explained that he had used these instruments over the ages to destroy many destines with 100% success rate. Irrespective of race, age, economic status, educational attainment, political affiliation or religious inclination, millions have fallen victim to these almost fail-proof instruments of destruction. Satan intimated that offence and discouragement were premium weapons in his arsenal. The two items had consistently yielded tremendous dividends for Satans’ company over the years. That was why they were marked ‘not for sale’. There are several recorded instances of offences in the scriptures and each of them gives us a peek into the causes and dynamics of offence.
Cain kills Abel
One of the earliest recorded instances of offence and its consequences can be found in the story of Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4:8, Cain killed his brother Abel because his sacrifice was rejected by God. He was ostensibly angry with God and kept asking himself, ‘how can my junior brother’s sacrifice gets accepted while mine is openly rejected’. Confused and angry, Cain did the unthinkable by clubbing his unsuspecting brother to death. Harboring offences can drive a person to premature death. Offences can destroy lives and block God’s blessings. It is the will of God for man to be blessed. However, succumbing to the negative emotion of offence can destroy all of the plans of God for your life. We will analyze the story of Cain and Abel in further detail in this book.
The men who killed their kid brother
‘They said one to another, behold, this dreamer cometh’, (Genesis 37:19)
This is what the sons of Jacob said among themselves. Joseph’s brothers were offended because their father seemed to love him more than them. They therefore conspired to deal with Joseph and his dreams of greatness. ‘Over our dead bodies’, the sons of Jacob may have sworn. In a fit of anger and jealousy, they took a fatal decision, ‘we will kill him and see what becomes of his dreams.’ Envy led to offence against all the dreams of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery and shipped to Egypt. Offences that are not dealt with can escalate till they lead to criminal actions including betrayal, mutiny or even murder.
The treasurer goes mad
‘There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying ‘To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.’ (Matthew 26: 7- 9)
Judas, who was the financial controller of Jesus’ ministry, was particularly enraged by the seeming waster of this woman. When you read the account as captures in John 12: 5-6, Judas queried Jesus on this issue. Judas was offerended by what he saw as Jesus condoning the waste of the woman. A few verses later in Matthew 28: 14 – 16, Judas went to the chief priest and bargained to deliver the Master to them for thirty pieces of silver. Verse 16 confirms that Judas betrayed Jesus. Watch it, offence could lead you into betrayal.
Offence is deadly
Offence is one of the deadliest weapons in Satan’s armory. It is a powerful emotional mover. It can be said to be one of his most effective weapons of mass destruction. Our common human experiences suggest that offence is a very hard emotion to overcome or master.
It must be stated that offence is inevitable in life and opportunities to get offended are commonplace. Offences arise from different sources; business, marriage, family, politics, church and corporate settings. Wherever human beings live, you can come across grounds of offence.
Possibilities of offence everywhere
One of the hazards of the boxing ring is the distinct possibility of getting physically hurt: a broken nose, being knocked down or even risking permanent brain damage.
Dr. Timothy Cross, a notable Bible Scholar says, ‘The hazard of life generally though is also the distinct possibilities of getting hurt someway.’ He states further, ‘Here I am not referring to something as unsubtle as a black eye but the more insidious pain of inner hurt and that crushing feeling of inward offence.’
Dr. Cross hits the nail on the head. To be human is to be sensitive. Being on the receiving end of the deliberate or accidental offence and eventually feeling hurt inside can be a great problem for us all at some time. What this means is one can easily be drawn into offence. Everyday, anywhere and anytime, something happens that invites you to be offended. The possibilities for offence are numerous and common. No matter how simple or complex a society you live in, it can easily become a ground for deep hurt and conflict of varying degrees of severity. Interestingly, the natural situation is that we get more easily offended by close associates than by people we have not relationship with. This is because we naturally expect more from our friends and loved once. The higher our expectations, the greater the tendency there is to get hurt. It seems to be that the more you trust, the more you can be let down. The more you love, the more vulnerable you become. The fact is that we do not live in an offence-free world. So how can one live above it. You can, and provides answers to this emotional cancer.
Close-circuit feuds
In many families today, blood relations are at each others throat for various reasons. Some of the reasons for which people fight each other can sometimes be so trivial, often bordering on the absurd. Ministers of the gospel cite offence as causes of some of the dreadful and acrimonious rifts in the church. Members of political parties defect because of offence and in some instances; even parliaments take offence and resort to fisticuffs. We have heard bizarre cases of offended couples living in different rooms of the same house and yet dedicating babies amidst the impasse. Sad to say, many swear to take their offences with them to the grace. You don’t have to. It is not worth it, my friend.
Offence and wars
Political tensions many times culminate in long fought civil wars with dire social and economic consequences. Over eight hundred thousand Tutsis and moderate Hutus perished in what was ridiculously tagged ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Rwanda in 1994. That was the result of escalation of offence in mass scale. Happenings in the past seemed to have set one clan against the other. Failure to manage the resultant inter-clan offence culminated in the horrific massacre of an entire generation in a few weeks of violent clashes.
Similarly, tens of thousands died and many more were displaced in the Liberian civil war due to an unresolved grudge between Charles Taylor and the late Staff-Sergent Samuel Doe. A number of military takeovers are clear outcomes of offences that were poorly managed. Offence indeed is a deadly weapon in the arsenal of Satan. Failure to master offence could lead to dire consequences for your future.
The subject of offence cannot be taken lightly in a hypersensitive society filled with many wounded individuals. Horror stores emanating from offences leave frightening trails in churches, marriages, homes, families, business, and nations. The big question this book seeks to answer is, ‘what is God’s mind on offence?’. If offences are indeed a life and death issue, then its in our best interest to arm ourselves with all the information we can to forestall us falling victim to it. The point is, offences will come whether we are prepared for it or not. This book provides the reader with requisite knowledge to confront offences on the basis of God’s word and turn what could otherwise be stumbling blocks into stepping stones for advancement in life.
Enjoy the read!
Bishop James K. Saah
2010AD
Chapter One
THE QUESTION OF OFFENCE
‘But he turned, and said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offense to me; for thou savourest not the things that are of God, but those that are of men.’ (Matthew 16:23)
‘Jesus said to His disciples, it is inevitable that cause of stumbling should come; but alas for him through who they come’. (Luke 17:1, Weymouth NT)
The issue of offence is a subtle one that does not lend itself to easy identification. The person who is not discerning doesn’t realize the deadly consequences of offence. This explains the apparent carefree approach many people, especially Christians adopt towards it. There are many wounded people parading about in the church and the larger society whose predicaments are largely due to the a lack of understanding of the subject. This must be corrected in view of the fatal effect of offences.
Offence is a trap
Many Christians are sadly ignorant of some of the devil’s devices. However, we are admonished in the scriptures not to be ignorant of his devices. Satan is able to use offences to destroy many lives because of the general lack of knowledge on the destructive tendencies of offence. The word translated ‘offence’ in the bible is from the Greek word ‘skandalon’ which is the root word for the English word ‘scandal’. The word literally means a snare, noose or trap, a device that is usually laid to catch an animal. By extension, it also means a device that make a person stumble or fall into a scandalous act. In a broader psychological sense, offence is hurt or the development of a vindictive tendency due to what someone did or said. This tendency can lead a person to commit any crime imaginable.
The common understanding of offence is injury or wrong done to one (1 Sam 25:31, Rom. 5: 15). Also, offence is a stumbling block or cause of temptation (Isaiah 8:14, Matt. 16: 25 and 8:17). The Greek word ‘scandalon’ properly refers to that which one stumbles or take offence. The ‘offence of the cross’ (Gal. 5:11) is the offence the Jews took of the teaching that Salvation was by the Crucified One and by Him alone. Salvation by the cross was stumbling block to their natural pride. Etymologically, ‘scandalon’ describes the part of a trap where the bait is attached. As the prey takes the bait, it sets off the trap and the ‘taker’ is trapped or becomes a victim. Once trapped, the victim becomes subject to the intention of the trapper. From this definition, we can see that Satan uses offence as a trap to capture many people, especially Christians. In 2 Timothy 2: 26b, the scripture pints out that we can fall into the snares of the devil who takes us captive to do his will. Once trapped, Satan then controls the victim who then manifests anger, resentment, wrath and criticism which ultimately lead to deep divisions, rebellion and full scale wars. Offence robs Christians of true joy and spirituality. The Christian then must learn to always recognize Satan’s baits in offence situations and adopt ways to overcome it. Swallowing his bait makes one a victim.
Trapped by the devil
‘And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient. In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the demon, who are taken captive by him at his will’. (2 Timothy 2; 24 - 26, NKJV)
The following sequence can be deduced from this scripture: The devil-trapped-captive does his will. There are times, when Satan surreptitiously gets into your life. It does not matter how long you fast and pray, if you fail to deal with the issue scripturally, you are bound to be trapped by Satan. The devil first ensnares you through offence, captures you in the offence can causes you to do his will. At the point of your captivity, you become his agent freely doing his bidding. You do the devil’s business by breaking relationships, walking in anger, fighting, insulting, attacking, slandering, sharing secrets, going to court, backsliding and entirely going out of God’s will. This is how Satan’s sets up people through offence and eventually destroys them.
Great men and women in history have perished on the altar offence. These have sadly missed golden opportunities to impact their world because they allowed offences to dictate their responses and actions at crucial points in their lives. Satan may not get people to fornicate, commit adultery, use drugs or indulge in some other obvious sins but the weapon of offence could great even greater damage. According to Hebrews 12:15, offences springing out of bitterness can cause great trouble. Not only that you may fall short of the grace of God. Worse of all, one’s bitterness and offence could defile many. This is frightening indeed.
The offence cage
Some believers have built a fortified cage in their hearts, locked certain people in there and thrown the key away because they were offended. Offence makes Satan catch you like a ‘prisoner of war’ to serve his will. People get offended for various reasons. Somebody can even get offended about the word of God being preached in Church. Some people get offended with God because a friend died. That is how ridiculous the issue of offence can get. Hatred, betrayal and any such emotion that is not from God is the word of the devil. Yielding to offences according to 2 Timothy 2: 26, is therefore tantamount to yielding to the devil.
You are not an island
We all interact with people on a day-by-day basis. It is estimated that more than 70% of our waking hours are spent interacting with people in one way or another. That is a whooping 12 out of the 24hours each day spend in the company of people. You will have to appreciate that there are no lone rangers in the world. Human beings are social beings which cannot do without the company of others. Even among the so-called social outcasts like beggars on the streets and the homeless, there is some social contract of one type or the other.
Interestingly, the people who offend you most are those closest to you; like members of the family, work mates, neighbours, church members, etc. These are people we want to confide in or even share the same bed with. Issues of deep divisions and hatred more often than not happen among close associates. The institution of marriage for instance, which is supposed to be the most intimate and enjoyable of all human relationships has become a place for limitless offences and unending battles.
Entry points of offence
The list of reasons why offence may originate could be endless but I wish to present a few scenarios that may easily trigger offence in people.
1. A friend buys a new car and forgets to inform you – you could get offended!
2. A friend gives you a lift in his car and cautions you to shut the door gently - you could get offended!
3. A friend gives you a lift in his car and drops you off before your very final destination - you could get offended!
4. A friend comes to your house late at night due to an emergency you need - you could get offended!
5. Your spouse informs you late about a schedule PTA (Parents Teachers Association) meeting - you could get offended!
6. Your boss disrupts your lunch break and instructs you to complete an emergency assignment - you could get offended!
7. A subordinate inadvertently calls you by a wrong designation or title - you could get offended!
8. An usher in church gives you a crumpled envelope for your offering - you could get offended in the presence of God!
9. Your Pastor preaches a sermon that exposes your sin - you could get offended!
10. A neighbor travels abroad and brings you an expensive cologne you’ve never been able to afford and you think he is flaunting his blessing - you could get offended!
11. Your friend, out of love, serves you far more food at the party than all the rest and you think he sees you as a glutton - you could get offended!
12. You open the door for your spouse who forgets to say thanks - you could get offended!
13. A friend in a discussion mentions the illustrious qualifications of your dead competitor - you could get offended!
14. Your wife refuses to have sex with you due to a had cold - you could get offended!
15. Your friend’s friend is your friend, or so you think, so then your friend’s enemy becomes your enemy or so you perceive. So you take on the offence of your friend against his enemy even though you don’t know the details. You could be offended for the wrong reasons.
In hi exciting book ‘He-motions’ TD Jakes wrote, ‘years ago at a Back to the Bible Conference in Cincinnati Ohio, I invited Jim Bakker, former head of PTL club and a recently paroled inmate to speak to the men in attendance. Jakes sated., ‘it was a controversial decision, and quite a few people were offended at my choice’. You can easily be offended by leadership decisions.
Chapter Two
COMPLEXITY OF OFFENCES
‘The time to love is not the time to win an argument and appropriate our rights. You don’t have to win an argument and lose a sole: Don’t entangle yourself in litigations to gain houses, lands and money, only to hurt many people in the process and lose them.’ Rev. Eastwood Anaba
Jesus shared many things about the end time. He took time to teach about the effects and dangers of offences in detail in his discourse on the end time. Jesus took a panoramic view of the end time and all its ramifications and specifically warned His disciples about the dangers of offences.
‘As he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things be? And what shall be the sign of they coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no man deceive you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and will deceive many. An dye shall hear of wards, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there will be families, and pestilence, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you: and ye will be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then will many be offended, and will betray one another and will hate one another.’ (Matthew 24: 3 – 10)
The backdrop to the above account is that Jesus is actively involved in teaching, healing and deliverance ministry with His disciples. With some deep apprehension, He posed a question, ‘What shall be the sign of the end-time?’ There is a common agreement that there would be a period in time called the end time. Bible scholars seem to agree that it is the period we live in today. In answering the question, Jesus minced no words in stating, ‘offences will come’. If anyone would know about conditions that will prevail in the end time, it should be Jesus the Son of God. That is the reason why we cannot treat what Jesus says about the end time lightly. From the day Jesus prophesied about the end time, offences have increased, betrayals have multiplied and hatred seems to know no boundaries.