Chapter 1
Massive Offense
·
Pray: In
this foundational session, it is vital for everyone to be open to the voice of
the Holy Spirit and allow Him to reveal any offenses they may be holding on to.
Pray that He enables them to identify and surrender any unforgiveness in their
hearts to Him, so that the process of healing can begin
·
Discussion:
What is your gut reaction to the teaching you just heard? What Parts Challenged
you most?
·
Read: This
week we recommend that you read chapters 1-2 in “The Bait of Satan book
·
Devotions: This week’s devotions focus
on the condition of our hearts, our expectations, dealing with wrong thinking
and pursuing oneness. Encourage the group to invest just a few minutes daily to
carefully read through each one, answering the questions honestly.
·
Journal:
Take time to jot down personal thoughts and feelings while watching the
teaching, participating in group discussions, and walking through the daily
devotions. Anything the Holy Spirit brings to life is priceless and worth
writing down.
Group Discussion Questions
1.
Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you
…seven times in a day, and seven times in a day -returns to you, saying “I
repent” you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4) What repeated offenses do you find
hardest to forgive? Why do you think this is the case?
2.
When we’re hurt and /or offended, we usually
begin to build walls to protect ourselves from further pain- often without even
thinking. Describe some of the barriers we set up in our relationships to guard
and insulate ourselves from additional heartache.
3.
Offense often comes indirectly as result of
unmet expectations- we expect someone to say a certain thing or act a certain
way, and when they don’t we get offended. How do you normally react when you’re
disappointed by someone’s actions? What do you think is a healthy, godly way to
respond?
4.
Have you ever become immediately suspicious or
frustrated when someone unexpectedly did or said something kind to you? Maybe
you questioned their motives or even became irritated by their actions? Why do
you think we sometimes respond this way?
5.
When our hearts are free of offense and filled
with God’s love, we’re willing to give to others without expectation anything
in return. On the other hand, if we’re offended, we seek to preserve and
protect ourselves. The longer we hold onto offense, the more inward our focus
becomes. Describe what this inward, self-focus looks like. Why is it so
dangerous to us individually and as the Body of Christ ?
Consider reading
James 3:16-16 as a group
Activity
When a person gets sick, he or she often goes to the doctor
to find out what’s wrong. In order to properly diagnose and treat the sickness,
the doctor asks them to describe all of the symptoms he or she is experiencing.
Get together with two or more people (or you can do this by yourself) and write
down as many symptoms that you can think of.
Make the top part of your list the “early warning signs” a
person would feel and the bottom of your list the symptoms they would
experience after allowing offense to fester in their heart for months, years
and even decades. This activity will help open your heart and mind to the
searchlight of God’s Spirit and prepare you for the upcoming devotions.
Session Summary
v
The word offense
is the Greek word skandalon, which is the part (or trigger) of a hunter’s trap
that holds the bait. When we take the bait of offense, we trigger the enemy’s
trap and (Knowingly or unknowingly) become captive to his will.
v
The people who can hurt us most are those
closets to us. The greater our expectations, the greater potential we have to
become offended.
v
Once we’re offended, we begin to build walls in
our relationships to protect and insulate ourselves from additional wounds. Ove
time , these walls become mental and emotional strongholds that do us more harm
than good.
v
Holding on to offense activates a progressive
chain of pain in our lives. Offense leads to betrayal, betrayal turns into
hatred, hatred gives way to deception, and deception opens the door to
lawlessness.
v
In these last days before Christ’s return ,
offense will become widespread, specifically among believers. We must be on
guard and careful not to fall into this deadly trap
