Don't take the bait

It’s funny really if we choose to listen to the still small voice inside, the things we will avoid, be protected from and the revelations we will receive. The Lord has been nudging me to read a book by John Bevere called “The Bait of Satan”. The title kind of says it all, offense is bait and we have the choice whether or not to take it.

I have had many opportunities for offense haven’t you? Seems like I do my best to avoid confrontation so I can avoid offense so I can avoid having to ask for forgiveness, this is a ridiculous cycle which in the end keeps me from connection. This month we will be talking about these issues and we encourage you to dig deep. The problems we have in our relationships stem from lies we believe about ourselves and about other people, as if we can read their minds. Have you ever had a conversation inside your head involving another person who wasn’t even there? Has that conversation seemed so real that you convinced yourself the other person believed your made up imaginations so that the next time you saw them you were offended by something they said in your mind?

The bible is very clear in Matthew 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense."

If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. This one action would solve 99% of problems in our relationships. First of all, it is best if they are a believer because someone who is not may not understand your heart is to love and not to win. Let’s ask ourselves that question first, is our motive to love and not to win? We should not go to the person until our motive is to love.

We are not to go to anyone until we go to our brother. The bible already tells us what to do so if we ask anyone else’s opinion we are putting their word above God’s word. Lots of times when I am in this situation I choice door number 3, AVOIDANCE! I pretend nothing happened and just stuff it. Eventually everything that goes in comes out and the coming out party can be pretty ugly!

As we dig into this relationship series, be brave, be open and more than anything else allow the Lord to heal you.

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