Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. – Proverbs 4:23
The spirit of offense poisons lives and attitudes. According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, the word offense is derived from a Greek word skandalon, which “originally was ‘the name of the part of a trap to which the bait is attached, hence, the trap or snare itself…” It was the part of the trap that lured or snared an animal.
We easily see that offense is what Satan uses to lure people into full-blown cases of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness. Satan uses offense to cause us to stumble and fail to go forward with God.
The temptation to get offended is a trap that should be avoided like the plague. If we would not take poison, we should not take offense. If we would be champions for God we must not be easily offended.
Many people never become what God desires them to be because they get offended. They get bitter. Offense becomes a stumbling block to them, and they never progress beyond that point. They are the loser and the devil is the winner.
No person can do permanent damage to you if you are willing to be mature enough to refuse offense and trust God. This kind of attitude will make you a winner in life.