One of the devil’s most insidious, effective offensive spiritual weapons is offense.
 

• When people become offended, love, unity, and peace fly out the window.

 
Jesus told us in Matthew 18:7 “stumbling blocks” (offense) would come. Sadly, offense is part of life.
 
“Woe To the world because of stumbling blocks, for it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; BUT WOE TO THAT MAN THROUGH WHOM THE STUMBLING BLOCK COMES!”
 
Did you catch what the Lord said? WOE! YES WOE! When Jesus says WOE, TIME TO LISTEN UP! The Lord’s word to those who offend, causing others to stumble, was WOE! In my itty-bitty brain WOE sounds like a huge NO!
 

• The Lord knows how damaging and destructive offense is to healthy and happy relationships.

 
Our scripture for this week directs us how to avoid the negative aspects of offense.
 
“Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.”   Psalm 119:165
 
The King James Version of our verse states “Great peace have they who love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them.”
 
What a clear word from the Lord. Those who love and live by God’s law will have great peace (on the inside) and NOTHING (zip, zero, nadda!) will offend (cause them to stumble). According to this truth, we can lead a life that is above offense.
 
Offended people stumble through life.
 
Bless their little offended hearts! They stumble from one offense to another to another. Their narrow, self-centered life resembles a rock pathway with each stone marked “This is how they offended me.” Living this way they never experience peace.
 
In my forty plus years of ministry as a Pastor, offended people are the most difficult to deal with in the church. They wear an invisible button that screams offend me and I will offend you. Sadly, in all my ministry, I never once could win an offended church member over to the side of love, forgiveness, reconciliation and a new beginning in relationships. Not one!
 
Humanly speaking, it is hard for all of us to not be offended when people offend us.
 
People living with a spirit of offense live by a lower law than the higher law of God’s love. People who refuse to be offended choose to love others and forgive them when an offense comes. They know that to harbor an offense in their hearts only reaps unrest, bitterness, and discord with others.
 

• Offense robs our spirit of the peace of God that passes all understanding.

 
When we live by God’s law, man’s breaking of it will not cause us to stumble. If we live by the higher law of God’s love, man’s lower law of offense will not disturb our peace nor steal our joy.
 
Observations About Offense
 

• Offense will come. It is an inescapable fact of living.
• Offense springs from a spirit of self-centeredness and personal insecurity.
• Easily offended people never experience inner peace.
• We rise above offense when we do not take it personally.
• Anybody can become offended. I CHOOSE TO BE OFFENDED OR NOT.
• Christ-like people choose love over offense.

 
Three Tips For Not Tripping Over Offense
 
1. Walk in God’s love. With His help, do your best not to offend others. Offense free living is a mark of maturity.
 
2. Walk in God’s love. Forgive those who offend you. Forgive. Forgive. And forgive again those who offend you. They will not like it when you return their offense with forgiveness and willingness to reconcile your relationship. Forgive anyway.
 
3. Walk in God’s love. Do not let offended people get to you. Some folks, bless their hearts, are professional offenders! Warm heart. Thick skin is the best defense against offense.
 
My friend do not be naïve. Offenses will come. If you want great peace, look to God’s Word. Then choose to not be offended…and do not be an offender!!!
 
Bottom line: Christlike living is not offended and does not offend. Pretty simple!
 
“A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle.”                                                                                   Proverbs 18:19
 
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
                                                                                                             Philippians 4:6-7      
 
A Word For Your Week: If y

​Personal issues. Family matters. Financial pressures. Business or ministry stress. Sadly, many good-hearted, well-intentioned, hard-working people are desperately holding on to a thin thread of hope that their life situation will improve.
 
Sound familiar? I have been there, done that, and have burned the Tee shirts!
 
Our word for this week features a desperate, determined lady in the Bible who was hanging on to a thread of hope.
 
Her heart-touching story is recorded in Matthew 9:20-22 and Mark 5:25-34.
           
“And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.” Matthew 9:20
 
Scenario: This precious lady suffered for twelve long years from a chronic medical condition. Doctors had no cure. She exhausted all her finances. Alone. Hurting. Penniless. Anxiously holding on to the rope of hope, she heard about Jesus.
 
She needed a miracle. She liked what she heard about the miracles Jesus was doing.
She believed if she just touched Christ’s clothes, she would be healed.
 
Hopeful and courageous, the desperate woman pushed through the surging crowd surrounding Jesus. She reached out with faith, touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. Immediately, Jesus felt healing power flow from Him. Upon identifying the woman, He said to her “Daughter, take courage, your faith has made you well.”  
 
Note: Her faith made her well. She acted on what she believed. Amazing! She convinced herself if I just touch His garment, I will be healed!
 
·       Her courageous faith challenges my faith to the core.
 
Maybe you can identify with this precious woman. You are facing a seemingly impossible situation. You have done all you know to do. Consulted with everyone you can. Sought out so-called experts. You have spent all the time, energy and resources you can afford. Exhausted and frustrated, you have nothing left to give. You are spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially bankrupt.
·       Hanging on by a thread.
 
 My friend, I know you are tired. Worn out. Stressed to the max. Throwing in the towel on your unresolved situation seems so desirable. You just want this to end. Come to a conclusion. Find closure to your adverse circumstances. Tossing the covers over your head, hoping the situation will go away, looks rather good!
 

• Hold on to your faith.

 
Holding On To Faith When Hanging On By A Thread
 

• Admit your helplessness. Surrender your struggle to the Lord. Release it. Let it go. Jesus knows what you are going through.
• Commit yourself to seek God’s help. Do whatever you have to do. Whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do, do it.
• Submit. Humble yourself to God’s healing, restoration and renewal.
• Reach out with faith. Simple. Childlike. Biblical trust in Jesus.
• Push through doubt. Shout down unbelief. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
• Touch the heart of Jesus. He is waiting to do a miracle for you!
• Leave your “thread” with the Lord. Do not look back. Your future is forward.
• Receive Christ’s solution to your problem. He knows what to do when we don’t.
• Rejoice in your victory over your thread of desperation! Shout His praises!!!
• Share your “miracle” with others who are looking for their miracle from Jesus.

 
Hurting? Hanging on? Hanging in there? Hoping? Maybe hoping against hope?
 

• If you are at the end of our rope, tie a knot, and hold on to faith.

 
My friend, push through pain. Do whatever you need to in order to come into the Lord’s presence. Do not let discouragement, doubt, fatigue, depression, despair, anyone or anything prevent or stop you from receiving the healing, restoring, renewing power of God.
           
Reach out to Jesus. Right now. Receive what you need from your Lord and Savior.
 

• When Jesus is around, healing and restoration is just a touch of faith away!

 
A Word For Your Week: Hang on to your faith when hanging on by a thread.

​As I am writing here in Tulsa the sky is azure blue and cloudless. The sun is shining brightly. New grass and vegetation carpet the landscape. Spring flowers are blooming. Bright red cardinals are singing their melodic song. Frisky squirrels are feasting on acorns. The temperature will be a perfect 72 degrees today! Picturesque day in Oklahoma!
But for the previous four days (April 25-28) the heavens were dark, dismal and dangerous in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. Severe weather paid an unwelcome visit to our neighborhoods.
Thunderstorm Warnings. Tornado Watches. Tornado Warnings. Flash Flood Warnings.
Local and national meteorologists logged overtime hours warning of the potentially life-threatening storms descending upon us from on high.
Massive, daunting, scary storms. Howling winds. One system after another after another inundated our city with record rainfall. Sheets of rain spawned flash flooding. Booming thunder and streaking lightning lit up the sky, interrupting sleep. Tornadoes lurked within the massive wall clouds rumbling over the plains. Animals hid in their hidey holes. Tulsans and Oklahomans took shelter and cover in their homes while the storms did their thing.
Sadly, lives were lost. People were injured. Property damage was inestimable. Thousands of people were displaced. Within a few short moments, the storm victim’s future changed in dramatic fashion. Folks are holding on to the rope of hope that there will be a better day as they begin to rebuild what was destroyed.
Thankfully, the wicked weather has passed. How different today is from yesterday.

• After a natural storm, we regroup. Venture outside. Assess damage. Clean up debris. Return to our “normal” lives. Then we reflect on the storms. Thinking about how we will prepare for the next one that rumbles over the rolling plains of the Midwest.

Storms.
In Mark 4: 35-41, Jesus and His disciples were caught in a sudden, dangerous storm on the Sea of Galilee.
“And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace (hush) be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” Mark 4: 38-39
Their boat was quickly filling up with water. Sinking looked like a real possibility. Peter thought they were going to perish. While Peter panicked, Jesus slept peacefully in the back of the boat.
Waves tossing the boat around rocked the Lord to sleep. Peter woke Jesus up, expressing his concern that they might perish. The Lord took command of the situation. He got up, rebuked the wind and sea with a “peace be still”….and the crisis ended. The wind died down, the sea was completely calm, and the disciples were amazed. “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Jesus not only rebuked the wind and sea. He rebuked the disciples with “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” I believe Jesus expected Peter to rebuke the storm while the Master enjoyed His nap!

• I am also convinced Peter and the disciples were different men after the storm.

Who wouldn’t be having witnessed Jesus wake up from taking a few “ZZ’s” to calm the threatening waves with His word? During and after the storm, Jesus’ followers learned something about faith. How to trust in the Father when storms swirl around us. I am sure they also thought about not panicking again when storms blew into their lives!
Smack dab in the middle of a life-threatening storm, Jesus declared “Peace be still.” What do you think about His faith? How about your faith? Would you panic like Peter because of the waves or trust in the Father like Jesus did?
The point of the scenario on the Sea of Galilee: FAITH. Trust in God during a storm.

• Life’s spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, health and financial storms, like natural ones, come and go. Life storms have a life span.
• THEY TEST OUR FAITH IN JESUS! How you and I respond to them is a mark of our maturity in the Lord.

I believe that once a life storm has passed, there are numerous things we can reflect on regarding the storm.
Reflections After Life’s Storms

• We can give God praise and thanks for protecting and caring for us during the storm.
• We can learn life lessons from the storm. Especially lessons about faith.
• We can glean and gain wisdom from God.
• We can put our faith in Him to meet our every need as we rise above storms.
•  We can prepare ourselves for the next storm that will inevitably blow our way.
• We can share with others how we passed through the storm successfully.
• We can rejoice that storms do not last forever. Storm-less days do return!

Rubber meets the road. When storm clouds hover over your life, what will your Christian profession look and sound like? Will faith in God carry you through? How will your behavior in Christ mature through and after the storm? Will others watch you pass through life’s storms victoriously in Christ?
AFTER THE STORM is a comforting place to be when we know that we managed the storm well with faith in Jesus Christ.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
A Word For Your Week: Our attitude during and after a life storm is a predictor of how you and I will manage the next one.

​Our run, gun, gotta-get- it- done culture contributes to running on the ragged edge of life. That ragged edge can be a frustrating and dangerous place. You and I are not at our best when running on the ragged edge.
 
The ragged edge looks something like this. Life is running ahead of your energy level. You are huffing and puffing just to keep up. You feel physically pooped out and emotionally strung out. Burning the candle at both ends leaves you burned out. Relationships are stressful. You feel spiritually dry and empty. And you wish someone would stop the carousel for a moment so you can get off!
 
The prophet Isaiah, who wrote 2,800 years ago, understood that you and I need renewal.
 
“Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:30-31
 

• God’s solution to the problem of ragged edge living is RENEWAL.

 
Study Isaiah 40: 25-31 in its entirety to grasp what God is saying about renewing our strength. Please note that Isaiah said young people, vigorous young men grow weary, tired, and stumble badly. Not being as young as I once was, and tiring more than I used to, this encourages me to know that even the young whippersnappers still get tired, fall from time to time, and need renewed.
           
Running on the ragged edge is not God’s best for His children. Running our faith race renewed and refreshed in the Lord is His will for us.
 
The key to renewal from the ragged edge is waiting on the Lord.
 
Those who choose to wait on the Lord for strength will receive it. We erroneously think that renewal comes from doing more on our part. The Word says waiting is the gateway to spiritual renewal. Waiting, not wishing, working or worrying brings renewal.
 
The promise to those who wait is “will gain new strength.” When you and I are weary from running on the ragged edge, new strength and power is what we need…. strength that is fresh from the Lord who never gets tired or weary. God is never weak or lacking in strength and power. New strength is what you and I gain when we wait on the Lord.
 
Running On The Ragged Edge
 

• The ragged edge is a place of weariness and weakness.
• The ragged edge produces a negative attitude and pessimistic outlook.
• The ragged edge stifles ideas and quenches creativity.
• The ragged edge makes possibilities look impossible.
• The ragged edge discourages us from taking steps of faith.

 
Running Renewed In The Lord
 

• Renewal in the Lord is a place of strength and refreshing.
• Renewal in the Lord produces a positive attitude and outlook.
• Renewal in the Lord inspires ideas and stimulates creativity.
• Renewal in the Lord makes the impossible look possible.
• Renewal in the Lord motivates us to move forward in faith.

 
When we wait on the Lord, gaining new strength, three things happen. First, we mount up and soar like eagles. Second, we run and do not tire. Third, we walk and do not become weary (faint is the word in the King James Version.).
 
I have been a Christian for fifty-two years. One of my favorite things is to get away to be alone with the Lord in nature where people cannot find me. I love to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 is my life verse. Lo and behold, without failure, God sends eagles, most often hawks, to soar over me when I am praying. Soaring. Gliding effortlessly on the wind. No wings flapping like ducks, geese and other birds.
 

• My spirit soars and I am renewed when I watch the hawks soar overhead!

 
I don’t about you, but I like that soar like an eagle deal. And you can sign me up for running without getting tired and walking without weariness or fainting. That’s the way I want to live my life in Christ.
 
My friend, please listen to me. Why be worn out when you can be renewed daily with God’s strength and power?
 
If you are running on the ragged edge right now, make a quality decision for yourself. Get off the fast track. Slow down. Catch your spiritual breath.
 
Wait on the Lord. Get alone with Him. Draw from His power. Mount up with God’s strength. Rise up above the ragged edge of weariness. Live each day renewed in the Lord.
 
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”                                      I Corinthians 9:24
 
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have finished the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”                                                                              II Timothy 4:7-8                                        
A Word For Your Week: Run your race renewed in Christ.