Releasing Offenders...
Offenses are Illegal acts, insults or breaches that violate or show disregard for a person or a person's standards and/or principles; actions of attacking someone or something (Dictionary.com). Nowadays, you can offend someone by what you say, what you do and even just by minding your own business. Offenses hurt and can cause great danger. In reality, some folks lose limb while others lose their life because of offenses. It is no wonder that Jesus, in Luke 17:1 said, “... it is impossible, but that offenses will come but woe unto him through which they come”. Furthermore, Matthew 18:7 states, “Woe unto the world because of offenses, for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man, by whom the offense cometh”. Of note, to Peter’s question to the Lord, “how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” The Lord said, “70 times 7” (Matthew 18:21-22). In a practical sense, to get rid of something, we trash it, right? When we clean up our yard or our house, we throw those things we no longer have use for out in the trash. So, when people offend us, we need to do the same thing with those offenses. We need to trash them.
Here's my recommendation:
This is one great way to get rid of an offense that has been caused against you.
You're going to:
1. Get into your prayer closet
2. Begin to pray. Use “ACTS or the acronym of prayer
- Adore the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.
- Confess all wrongdoing to him and ask him for his forgiveness.
- Thank him for forgiving you and washing you clean; thank him for his grace and his mercy; you can thank him for other things too. For example, you can thank Him for waking you up, giving you strength, you know enough strength to just get up out of bed, use the bathroom, go to the kitchen to make breakfast so you can eat, get dressed, and all these things which we should not take for granted. He has afforded us such great privileges, so thank him. Then you get to the point where you are going to
- Supplicate for others.
As you begin to supplicate. You may choose to begin with the offence and the offender first or you may want to pray about somebody else like your husband, your children, your church, your ministry or whatever the situation.
However, when you get to the offender/offence you will include the name or names of those who have hurt or violated you.
3. Call the name of the person (s) and do not just browse over it or sweep it under the carpet. I want you to tell God everything that occurred and be honest.
4. Tell it to him in just the same minute details as you would if you were relating it to your closest friend.
5. Tell him all you feel about the offender and why you feel the way you feel about the offender; yes, tell him.
6. Express the difficulty you find in loving this person.
7. Ask him to forgive you and help you to extend his love for you to that person. God's love fills us up so, this love, His love toward us will be what you are going to extend or expend to others – more so the offender.
8. You feel like crying? … cry! You are pouring out your soul, so don't stop, just cry and keep crying because crying is going to help to heal you.
9. Continue to pray on this offense until you get that sense that you have successfully handed it over to God. This may take several prayers, of course, but you are dumping and remember, some garbage need a longer time and more effort to be completely gone. So come back several times per day, and more, if needs be.
This is the Litmus Test.
If you see or think about the person and you are still feeling or having a tinge of animosity, hatred, malice, anger… then you haven't fully released the offender.
- Start all over again.
- That's what you're going to do.
- Go back to basics and begin to pray again.
- Pour out and cry before the Lord.
It will be worth it all because in the end, you would have released yourself from sicknesses or diseases that are stress-related, most of all, you will be walking in love - the love of God. Amen and God bless you.