Don’t get Offended! by Elaine Davenport (Tuesday, September 18, 2007)
17 Sep 2007 Leave a Comment
in 1 Corinthians 10: 2, 1 Corinthians 11: 28, Don't get offended!, God loves me, I'm So Offended, Luke 17: 1, Offense, prideful, Proverbs 18: 19, self examination, self protecting, THe bible is a good counseling guidebook, Top Ten record
One of largest stumbling blocks to healing is offense whether you go to church or not. Offense is really a sign of pride; it’s a sin. We need to talk about it and learn to recognize it and let it roll off of our backs. It is a fact that someone is going to offend you…if you let them. You control it. You’ve got to change your thinking. When the tape plays that says: “I wonder what she meant by that?” You’ve got to say: “I don’t care!” “All I know is that God loves me!”
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Proverbs 18: 19
Woe unto the world because of offenses Luke 17: 1
Give none offense 1 Corinthians 10: 2
Most people are sensitive and self protecting. We have to be mindful of that. Even in the body of Christ where we study and understand how Satan would like to distract us; we fall victim to his tactics sometimes. I’ve met people who have switched churches a lot and sometimes it’s the result of offense. I even recall being at a church years ago where one of the mothers in the church insulted me. Or at least that’s what I thought at the time. I didn’t leave the church, but I stayed away from her and when I did see her, I forced a smile and said hello while I thought: “I’m staying away from you Tiger.” However, I’ve come a long ways since then.
I had a good friend years ago who said: “Do you think I should marry Frank?” (I changed his name) I decided to tell the truth. “Of course not.”
I proceeded to give her the long list as to why not. I thought that I could be honest; that wasn’t smart thinking. My friend seemed to agree with me at the time; (she knew he was bad news but she was flattered by the attention). I later found out that was the day the friendship died. They married and had a wonderful life filled with ups and downs and it ended in divorce years later. I learned a lesson and that is to remain neutral when asked for my opinion unless it’s my children. That worked for a while. Actually, we’re in touch now but we both lead vastly different lifestyles. She’s a very good person and I think highly of her.
THEN I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH
There is no better Counseling Guidebook than the B-I-B-L-E. The bible makes a great referee and prayer is always a good solution as well. Just like a car has a manual and a game has a rulebook; the bible is a good guide for us to live by.
SELF EXAMINATION
Sometimes it is hard to take a close look at ourselves and to be truthful about it. However, it helps us all to examine ourselves. That is self help. The bible endorses this action.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 1 Corinthians 11: 28
PART TWO TOMORROW
That is what we must do before we take communion. Examine ourselves.
Believing the Best! by Elaine Davenport (Saturday, June 9, 2007)
06 Jun 2007 Leave a Comment
in Being Misunderstood, Believing the Best!, Hurt, Offense, Try Forgiving, Try Love Tags: believe the best about other people; not the worst!, Get a Fix!
We can all be easily misunderstood and we can all misunderstand. The bible says that Satan is the author of confusion so we have to be on guard for him. However it goes, before we ever jump to conclusions, it’s best to believe the best of others and pray that they will believe the best about us.
THAT”S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE IN LIFE (LEARNING THIS) AND IT DID NOT COME EASILY.
Pressure, confusion distractions. slights, offense comes to us all. Silly as they are; they can cause you pain and sickness if you hold on to them. I LET THEM GO! ALWAYS, but I can’t do it by myself. When we “handle” it right, that’s good. To be able to do that, you have to love. You have to love other people and believe the best for them and about them. It’s hard sometimes. That’s when you can find out what you’re made of.
A few weeks ago, a faith friend said something to me that cut me to the core. It was something that shouldn’t have it was so simple. As I stood there trying to keep a straight face, fighting back tears that were determined to come, I realized that I was struggling with my own vulnerability. I was disappointed that I wasn’t stronger than that. It took me ten minutes to get over it. I didn’t allow it to ruin the rest of my day. It wasn’t an intended slight. Today, I see it as a lesson and I’m glad that I had it. I love my friend and all is well. That friend has been and continues to be a Blessing in my life.
BUT WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE SLIGHT IS INTENDED?
We do the same thing. We are REQUIRED to love people who hate us, hurt us. slight us and misunderstand us. Don’t try to explain yourself even if the answer is simple. Give it to God. He’ll take care of it. You’ll be stress free and thankful at the same time. I pray for God to Bless people who misunderstand me or my intentions. As soon as I do it, remarkably I feel better. At first, it was hard for me to do it, but now I do it routinely and I mean it too! I also ask for forgiveness just in case I’m misunderstanding or misinterpreting anything. It’s so easy to misunderstand things.
YOU NEVER HAVE TO STRESS YOURSELF.
Stressing yourself happens when pressure comes and you just can’t seem to cope. Some people drink because it’s a way out. Some people eat or do various other things that offer short term fixes.
Get a long term fix…try God.
Try Love. Try Forgiving.
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