Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me. Luke 7:23.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
I don’t get offended. Love doesn’t take offense. You get offended. I don’t. Do you know why? You are not sure of who you are. I AM.
Offense is an ugly thing. It can ruin a house, a workplace, a family, a gathering, a friendship, a marriage, a ministry, and it can even ruin a congregation of believers. It caused havoc as the Israelites came across the wilderness to the Promised Land. And finally their fearless leader, Moses, took offense at them and for that I took him out of his leadership role. If you lead others, you cannot take offense. Do all you can on your part to keep a united front.
Keep yourself in My love and do not permit yourself to be offended.
And please also be aware, that the offender who leads others to rebellion against the one I have placed in the role of leadership, I will remove. As I did with Korah in the desert.
Rebellion, offense, jealousy, strife are ugly things that will tear down a house. Avoid them like the plague.
It is up to the leader to not join in such things but to quench these fires from hell, these fiery darts of the evil one, before they set the whole forest ablaze. If not stopped immediately others join in the gossip and complaints against the leadership and will burn down the work that was so carefully built. It can turn a joyful group into a house divided.
Unless I build the house, they labor in vain who build it. And how do I build a house? I framed the world by My Words. Hebrews 11:3. And My Son told you a parable of how to build a house that will last: on the solid rock of keeping My Words. Do you recall? “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not done them, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:47-48.
There will be wolves who seem as meek as lambs that work their way into your midst, but they are out to “fleece” you. They are takers, not givers. You will know them by their fruit, and, as a leader, you must recognize them to save your sheep from the traps of division. Even some hold themselves out as prophets and strong believers, but beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Even if those around you take offense at you driving out the wolves, for they see the sheep’s clothing, you must do so anyway. When the Pharisees were offended at the teaching of Jesus about eating with unwashed hands, Jesus’ disciples were starting to side with the Pharisees and question Jesus’ stance. Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:13-14.
Not everyone that appears to be of the faith, is truly of the faith. If they cause division among you, beware, you may begin tearing each other apart. You, therefore, My beloved children, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let your lives give Him the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. 2 Peter 3:17-18. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. Hebrews 13:9.
Paul even ran into this offense among the household of faith. He shared, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” Galatians 2:11-14.
Yes, build the house on the rock of My Word. I am My Word and I am Love. So the house must be built on love, maintained by love, and sustained by love. And what are the building stones of love? Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant. It isn’t rude. It does not take offense. It doesn’t think about itself. It isn’t irritable. It doesn’t keep track of wrongs. It isn’t happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
And how do you arrive at this perfect love that keeps you from the danger of offense? My servant Peter set them out for you. Devote yourselves, watch yourselves, keep yourselves in My love by building yourself up in My Word, supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness add understanding, and to understanding add the strength of self-control, and to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness, and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love—pure love that is focused on the good of all and not just yourself. If you do these things you will not take offense. For there is no room for it in a heart filled with love of Me and neighbor. And since I have planted these virtues deep within you already when you were born again in Christ, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately. But he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, be all the more diligent to make certain about My calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way your entrance into My eternal kingdom will be abundantly supplied to you. 2 Peter 1:3-11.
So walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (which is to My own Kingdom and glory), with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, keep that oneness intact. Let no bitter root rise up to poison others and bring in the evil of offense.
I love you. Watch out for the little foxes that destroy your vineyards. Sometimes they gnaw away very slowly but eventually everything will collapse if they are not taken out sooner than later. Abhor so much as their flesh stained clothing. Be on guard against taking offense. Watch out for the tempests in the teacup.