God our Heavenly Father has planned for ever believer to live a life of productivity and fruitfulness. We’ve been ordained to bear fruit (Jn. 15:16) and foreordained to do good works (Eph. 2:10). It is the plan of our enemy to neutralize our effectiveness in fulfilling our God ordained purpose in this life and one of his favorite tactics is to get us caught up in an offense. Jesus said we would be exposed to and experience opportunities to be offended Luke 17:1. Offenses are hurts that outrage our senses and ignite our emotions (2 Corinthians 11:29), causing us to be mentally consumed, controlled, and trapped by them.
A good example of someone caught up in an all consuming emotional outrage of their senses is the brother of the prodigal Jesus spoke of in Luke 15:11-32. Comparing the prodigal and his brother we know that The one son who is often described as the Prodigal son got his portion of the fathers inheritance, left his father’s house, began to live wrong, squandered it, and found himself living in a pig pen with the hogs. After He repents and is restored the father has a celebration.
The brother of prodigal got hurt, held on to the hurt, and had an offended heart. What were the signs of his offended heart?
1. ANGER v. 28…And he was angry….
2. WITHDRAWAL/ISOLATION (avoidance/separation) v. 28… and would not go in… He would enter in to the celebration his father was holding for his brother.
3. SELF FOCUS/SELF PITY (I, I, me I my) v. 29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.
4. ACCUSATION/JUDGING v.30 “But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.” How did he know he spent it on a harlot?
What were the results or fruit of holding to the offense?
1. DESTROYS USEFULNESS v.25 – he was no longer working/productive. He quit plowing in the field; he stopped working.
2. DESTROYS UNITY v.28 – he separated and withdrew.
3. DESTROYS JOY v.25, 28 – he would not enter into the joyous celebration. He refused to enter in.
A better response would have been to admit that he was hurt and offended. We get angry because we get hurt but there is freedom from being controlled by it if we first get honest and admit it. The good news is that when hurt we have two supernatural sources of comfort we can go to: God’s Word (Rm. 15:4) and God’s Spirit (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7-13).
It is human or natural to go to people for comfort but every Believer needs to grow in learning to receive God’s comfort rather than people’s comfort. God’s comfort is full of His grace, wisdom, and power. God’s comfort will always align us to the truth which will make us free.
Pastor John Rasicci is the founder and Pastor of Word of His Grace Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where we are building people who are building the Church. Pastor's ministry mission is to help people discover God's dream for their Life, the Local Church, and the Last Days' Harvest. With a strong emphasis on the grace of God and with a prophetic voice, Pastor John preaches and teaches in churches, conferences, and crusades both locally and throughout the world. He has produced books, tapes, and other teaching materials to empower, enable, and equip Believers with the Word of God. Pastor John is married to his wife Candy who with their three children, Krista, Joanna, John Anthony, and two son-in-laws, Matt and Doug, serve together in the ministry. After graduating from Kent State University, Pastor John pursued a career in professional baseball before accepting the call to the ministry. He and his wife, Candy, received their ministry training from Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
John Rasicci 
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