From Offense to a Sound Mind:

Walking in the Presence of Adonai

Please note, this is a repost of an older post. I’ve had a couple of people offended about some of the things I have said recently. One got banned for cussing me out. But then, in the process of processing all this, I realized I was getting offended at their being offended. Ain’t that a weird twist? SO I am reposting, tossing out about a third of the old post in the trash can, and rewriting all of this post. Partly for myself and partly for anyone else who might need this.

  The Pernicious cultural programming our world has gone through has taught us to insulate ourselves not only from various groups but also from patterns of thoughts and realities we do not like. Most of us are unaware of just how badly we have all been insulated from each other. Unchecked, these things continue to fracture us until we become fully unstable in all things in life. This is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, manifested as double-mindedness in our modern world.

Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that some groups have embraced all they can to include everything. Embrace all things that happen like a big hug until your life means nothing. You stand for nothing because nothing is wrong and everything is now lukewarm truth. This is the Pollyanna, hyper mushy, grace mindset that has infected many corners of Christianity, including the Charismatic.

Learning to draw boundaries in life is a good thing. This is learning to judge correctly, as Jesus commanded us to do. This often means your actions will offend others, especially within the Body of Christ. The Polly Anna attitude of hyper-grace teaching can not comprehend that you will not participate in their drinking and Halloween parties, masked under the name “harvest parties.”

To such people, you are under a religious spirit. But when the true legalist observes your behavior, you are declared to be a lawless child in danger of the gates of hell.

Living a life of holiness by the Holy Spirit will offend all people. This is because we are all growing, and the current degree of Holiness the Spirit has you walking in will always seem inferior to someone else’s eyes.

As an example, here is part of a communication between the Lord and me that happened not long ago.

I was taking the dog for a walk up the hill, grumbling over some Christians’ attitudes; they all seemed to be like a bunch of kids, they needed to grow up!

Then the Holy Spirit said, “They are walking in the degree of faith I gave them.”

Ouch, that made me stop.

Then the Spirit continued. “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

Yep, that was a rebuke.

Now, please don’t read into this that we ignore the actions of people, especially in leadership. Leaders who are in rebellion, who deceive with intent, who secretly embody Proverbs 6:16-19, these should be called out. I am speaking about the average Christian who is in the process of maturity.

The Moment of Offense.

But what about offense when it happens to you? This is when we must not cast it to the side but examine it carefully. For in that moment could possibly be a pearl of truth hidden under the gunk of our soul. One question that should be asked: Is this offense cultural or scriptural? In my 40-plus years as a Christian, I’ve seen several people offended at things they ASSUMED were scriptural.

When the moment happens to you, and you carefully examine it. Does this mean that you must agree with the person’s point of view? The accusation could be complete gibberish, or it might have shreds of truth to learn from, so walk carefully. A quick question to ask is, is this something that is offending your flesh, and therefore masquerading as the Holy Spirit, or is it really the Holy Spirit within you? How you answer that question will determine your next steps.

If you have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ, then you are no longer alone. There are now two of you living in one body of flesh. There is the old you, and now there is the new you, and they are at war with each other. One pulls left, the other right. One seeks the old ways while the other whispers hope from a world we have not seen yet. This is the mystery of the ages Paul spoke of.

This mystery is the drop of Holy Royalty now living in you. As a result, the new within you desires a home, not of this world. That part of you that is never satisfied with the things of this world because.

You know there is something better waiting for you. It is that “tug” you feel in your spirit that moves you forward and creates a trickle of hope in your life for the people around you who are yet to wake up. So, if the offense is offending the Holy Spirit within you, then let me be blunt… what is your Royal responsibility at this moment? (1)

Does the moment require a word or an action? I am saying, do not make a whip and drive people away if the moment requires you to speak with care to the broken heart before you. And don’t use words when you need to break something and let people (and the spiritual realm) know you will not participate.

But if the offense offends you, not the Holy Spirit, well… then you have a decision to make. Is your sense of culture, life, or personal value in need of correction, or do you just need to walk away? I have had to walk away from conversations and things. I’m sure some people will not understand why I did, but that’s fine; they’re not my God.

Culture

I have lived in several areas of the United States now; I can tell you every culture has its good and bad aspects. This often reflects in how people dress, act, and think towards each other. Over the years, I have known people who have had a more “Victorian” mindset on what is offensive. That mindset was for a past era, and if these same people realised how some of our own brothers and sisters dressed in the first century, I’m sure that might offend them as well.

The reality is that culture is fluid. When it flows slowly over the decades and centuries, it and people have time to adjust and make corrections in a healthy way. When it’s pushed on people like a flood, some embrace the wave, destroying themselves, and others try to fight the wave. Because of this, Culture changes values, and a generation can feel lost in the flow. ALL generations experience this to some degree, and over a large period of time, the presumption that can slip in can be deadly. So don’t assume your values are the same values they had in the first century or even a couple of hundred years ago.

Words of Life

At the end of all things, we want to walk and act like Jesus. Yes, I know many interpret that to look like healing and prophecy, but those are the flashy things. Flashy things are signs that draw, but they don’t always keep the people. In the book of John, Jesus had just offended everyone when he asked, “Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you?” John 6:61

After a little talking, Peter responded, “Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of Adonai.” John 6:68-69 That kind of stuff does not come from spiritual degrees you can hang on a wall or endless bible studies. It comes from hanging out in the presence of God (Adonai)

The presence of God brings a slow, steady change within our souls, laying the groundwork for a sound mind, AND IT WILL ALSO OFFEND PEOPLE. This is the steady work of the Holy Spirit that brings the evidence of a sound mind. With a sound mind, things are traded out, and offenses of the world start to mean little to us. It becomes a gift, a jewel of great price, to those who recognize what they now have.

What starts as an offense for us can lead us to greater depths of a sound mind if we allow the Holy Spirit to walk us through the process of going deeper in him. I know that may sound like an alien concept if you think your job is to use a whip and expose the darkness so that Justice may happen. But have you considered that by being faithful to God at this moment, he will bless you with a greater degree of Himself?

There is an old saying, “It is better to fall on the Rock and be broken than to have the rock fall on you and be crushed to powder.” The truth of Jesus offends all, and sometimes, he uses you to flip all the tables.