- LET IT GONative hunters in the jungles of Africa have a way of trapping monkeys.They slice a coconut in two; hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut ahole just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. Then they placean orange or banana in the other coconut half before fastening together thetwo halves of the coconut shell. Sooner or later, an unsuspecting monkeyswings by, smells the fruit, and discovers its location inside the coconut.The monkey then slips his hand through the small hole; grasps the fruit,and tries to pull it through the hole. Of course, it’s too big for the hole. To noavail the monkey continues to pull and pull.As long as the monkey keeps his fist wrapped around the fruit, the monkeyis trapped. It’s too bad the poor monkey could save its own life if it wouldlet go of the fruit. But they don’t.We can face the same dilemma. We won’t let go. Even if holding on tosomething may cause us injury or psychological distress even to the pointof losing our well-being. But many times, we won’t let go.Letting go is particularly difficult when we feel we have been offended.Someone has committed an offense against us. The word offense means aviolation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc. / a lack of politeness; afailure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings of others.This is something that has a great potential of robbing us from the life thatwe are promised. The offense. Matthew 18:7Woe to the world becauseof offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whomthe offense comes!In this scripture, Jesus is warning about the offense. He is saying thatoffense not only will come but that offense must come. So, it’s how yourespond to the offense.There are people who respond to an offense by entering this state of woe.Sadness, depression, gloom, heartache. The “woe” could be causedbecause of an offense. Now offense is something that we are allsusceptible to. I have had my moments where I’ve been offended bysomething or someone. And there’s a good chance that I’ve causedsomeone to be offended. But what I know about offense is this: Thedamage of offense doesn’t necessarily fall on the one who caused the
- 2offense but instead it falls on the one who suffered the offense. This iswhere the damage comes into play. On the harboring or keeping theoffense in your heart. Hanging on to it. Not letting it go.Offense is tricky. You can function in your life and no one may never knowthat you are carrying an offense in your heart. But while everything looksgood on the outside, the offense is poisoning your spirit. It’s toxic. But wekeep a tight grip and won’t let go. Anger, depression, and hostility can bringon a multitude of ailments including heart disease which can shorten outlives dramatically.We think about the offense a lot. It keeps us up at night. Sleep aids don’tget rid of the offense. It takes a hold of us. It grows from a root deep withinus. We can plant that offense within our children and it can pass down fromone generation to the next. It alters how we think and reason.I knew a man living in Enfield who worked side by side with his Father mostof his life. One day the father and son had a falling out. The son wasoffended. They didn’t speak again. Years passed. When the father’s healthdeclined and he reached his last days, he sent word to his son asking tosee him one last time. The son refused to grant him that request. Iappealed to him. This was a decision he was going to have to live with. Hechose not to see his father again. Very sad. How many people live with theregret every day that someone has passed on and an offense was neverworked out?Proverbs 18:19“A brother offended is harder to win than a strongcity.”Offense is Satan’s most effective tactic to keep you from what God haspromised you. John Bevere wrote a book called The Bait of Satan. Hedescribes how offense is the bait that Satan uses to trap us. Offense is theone trap, that when it traps us, it has the potential of trapping us for a longtime. It is impossible that no offenses should come. Luke 17:1Offense is the hidden trap and the irresistible bait that Satan uses to pull usinto captivity. We feel hurt, hatred, anger, bitterness, resentment, jealousy,and envy. These are not fruits of the Spirit of God. These are the baits ofSatan.
- 3We can choose to let go of the offense. But, how do we do that? What dowe need to do to be free of its hold on us?First, we need to stop arguing our case as to how and why we wereoffended. We stop giving it a hold on us. Stop giving it authority over you.Let go of it. By justifying the offense, you give it life. Stop re-living it! Stopgoing over it, over and over. The offense will never ever go away if youdiscuss it all the time.Remember the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:15But if you do not forgive people their offenses, your Father will notforgive your sins?” We have to let it go. God is here to set us free fromthe offenses that has ruled our hearts. Talk to God about it and then let go.Leave it with Him. Pray that God will remove any thing from your heart thatis not of Him.In 1956, five American missionaries to Ecuador were brutally speared todeath by a savage Stone Age tribe of Indians. Two years later, the wife andsister of two of the murdered missionaries walked into the jungle to live withthe same people who had murdered the men they loved.In 1956, Steve was five years old when his father, Nate, flew a PiperCruiser plane with four other missionaries into the jungles of Equador anddared to make contact with the most dangerous tribe known to man, theWaodani (whoa-DONNY) also known as “Auca,” or naked savage.After several months of exchanging gifts with the natives, the five men werespeared multiple times and hacked to death with machetes. One of themen in the tribe that fateful day was Mincaye (min-KY-yee). Years laterSteve found out that Mincaye actually delivered the final spear thatultimately killed his father. Today they consider themselves family andharbor no resentment. Steve says he has never forgotten the pain andheartache of losing his dad.Many are confounded by the relationship Steve has with Mincaye. Stevesays that their relationship doesn’t make sense unless you put God in theequation.2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us that, “The Lord is the Spirit, and where theSpirit of the Lord is, there is freedom”
