Start Deleting

"Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying 'I repent,' you must forgive him." Luke 17:3-4 ESV

Good Morning Girlfriends:

Oh my goodness, who can give a shout if you have never been offended at one point in your life, yeah I'm sure that everyone can say that they have at least once or twice in their life time. I once had this friend, so many years ago who loved coming over to my house to visit and whenever she would get an idea for us to do something, she would want me to join along with her. My children were very little at the time, so they were always tagging along with us in the back seat as we would be off on a little excursion.

There was even one summer she had the idea that we should go on a vacation together with the children, as my husband was always working around the clock, since we owned our own business, so we took a few days to make our plans to go camping and made a list of all the things that we would need for the weekend. It was suggested by my friend that we should take my van, since there would be two adults, three children and all of our luggage and camping gear. Now, mind you I didn't mind taking my van at all, I felt a little funny when she had asked if she could drive, because she knew where to go and could get us there quickly. A little hesitant at first, but it wasn't long before I had given in and we were on our way for a fun weekend with our children.

Things like this continued to happen, whenever we went somewhere, it was her idea, and she drove to each place, but it all came to a crashing halt the day that my family's house caught on fire and my children and I were re-routed to a different living place. One day I was doing some banking and there she was standing right beside me, letting me know that she had heard about the fire and wondered if there was anything she could do. I responded that a couple of my other friends were putting on a burnt out shower for the girls and I, as I continued to fill her in that I had finally found a new place to move into and that she was more than welcomed to come visit. Her reply was not one that I was expecting, but it was one that closed the door to that relationship that should never have lasted as long as it did.

Girlfriends, there are times in our life that we may have a friend, or think that we have a real friend, but over time we start to see some patterns and red flags going up, that makes one wonder is this really a friendship or one that just wants to take control of everything. Now as I look back to this incident that happened so many years ago, I realize that with the response she gave to me at the bank that day that closed the door to us ever getting together again, was a good thing. I did not react to her response in any way, and I had never received an apology from her from any of the times that she was a little out of line, but I can say that I had never held anything against her from that day to this, why...because I had went to the Lord and gave it to Him. I knew that I had not done anything wrong in our friendship, but I had shown her kindness and my friendship that was true, so I had nothing to feel guilty over for not reaching out to her after that day.

Oh I have other stories that I could share on this same topic, but we can leave it for another time. Let me share 7 simple ways to overcome the spirit of offense:

1. Recognize when we are hurt. First, it's important to realize when we have been or felt offended...

2. Bring our hurts to God and not to others...

3. Quickly forgive the other person or persons...

4. Ask for God to reveal any unresolved issues in our own hearts...

5. Pray against future offense attacks...

6. Close the door if boundaries have been crossed...

7. Pray for them...

Romans 16:17-18 tells us, "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught, avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery the deceive the hearts of the naive. This is when we truly do need discernment about who people really are and what they are up to.

Let's also not forget that when we keep going back and think of a situation where someone offended us, this is called the devil's playground, and this is exactly where he wants us to camp out at instead of letting it go and forgiving and moving on. Our mind is a place where all these thoughts can go around and around if we don't take care of it quickly. It is the enemy who uses people, people who are open to be used of the dark side, who may have said things like, you are not good enough, you will never measure up, you are not smart enough, what are you thinking who would ever want you, you've been married too many times. These are all labels that may have been spoken over every one of us at one time, and we need to kick the devil off of the playground of our mind, as we start deleting all of these memories of words that have been spoken over us.

Remember as you delete these words from your memory bank, it is very important to input or download the words that God has spoken over you, such as you are enough, you are made in my image, you are a child of the most high God, you are loved, you are precious, you are strong and yes you can do it.

So, let's get you on the road to recovery by doing these seven simple steps and then start deleting everything that God brings to your memory that has been spoken over you, as you let it all go with forgiveness, and God will toss it all into the sea of forgetfulness, Amen, Amen!

Let's Pray,

Father God, I thank you for your wonderful grace and mercy to forgive when actions and words are spoken that ought not be said. I thank you for the power of forgiveness, and that it is up to each one of us to forgive instead of taking offense. Thank you Lord, that we can be as quick to shake off the spirit of offense so that it will not get its ugly clutches on us. Let us always remember that you forgave us from all of our sins, so we must forgive others who do us wrong, speak against us, hurt us or disappoints us in any way. I thank you for the power to forgive in the Mighty name of Jesus as we move on to a better and brighter day, Amen.

Be blessed sweet girlfriends and pass the blessings on. Thank you for passing this message on.