The Bait of Satan, 20th Anniversary Edition: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

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And the peacemaker wants also peace, but a peace with truth in it.. that's the kind of peace that I want to have with these disturbed entitys!!! There were so many stories of freedom in this book, including the author's personal stories from his own life, but the bottom line and the conclusion of the matter is that we require to deal with offense in the right way to maintain our freedom and joy. This is done by walking in the love of God and forgiveness. I really liked the title, The Bait of Satan. It’s a catchy title but very true on how Satan tries to separate us from God. As the author, John Bevere points out that the things in life that seem so innocent, really aren’t very innocent, but are Satan’s lies and traps. I heard an unusual testimony about a minister in the Philippines. Friends of mine who had known him from a previous ministry showed me an article telling about his experiences. I’m a person who will essentially do anything God wants if it’s framed under the category of responsibility to others. I’m also a person who hates dealing with conflict. God at the time was showing me that as I take care of myself, stand up for myself and say what hurts me and what I don’t like, others are blessed.

He was amazed. She had said the “sinner’s prayer,” confessed to being a Christian, and had attended church. “Why is she in hell?” he asked the Lord. If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire." It is the revelation of truth that brings freedom to us. When the spirit of God shows us our sin, He always does it in such a way that seems separate from us. This brings conviction not condemnation" (Chapter 3)And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

The knowledge of God’s Word without love is a destructive force because it puffs us up with pride and legalism” I think most of us tend to avoid offending people at all costs, myself included. However, sometimes the action which would be the most beneficial for everyone may very well be taken offensively. The question is, “Are we more concerned with truth and the ultimate well-being of others, or with our reputations and what people think of us?” Yet, on the flip-side, there are other times when we act out of selfish, prideful motivations and put our “rights” before the needs of others and risk offending people unnecessarily, with no higher motivation in mind aside from our own self-centeredness, thus no benefit to anybody is gained. As Bevere points out, we would do well to learn from Jesus’ example in this regard: “...He chose to use His liberty and freedom to serve...He never wanted freedom to be a license to demand our rights and cause another to be offended and stumble” (pp. 113, 116) No one has said or taught this better than Bob Mumford in his book, "The Prison of Resentment"; http://lifechangers.org/teachings/the...As time passed, because of my position of serving the pastor, I was close enough to see his flaws. I questioned some of his ministry decisions. I became critical and judgmental, and offense set in. He preached, and I sensed no inspiration or anointing. His preaching no longer ministered to me." A deceived person, by the very nature of deception, has no possible way of knowing they are being deceived. That is, unless someone shines a light onto the issue, revealing the truth to them and exposing the lies for what they truly are...lies and deception. I was given such a revelation this past week, when I read "THE BAIT OF SATAN: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense” by John Bevere. There is just no question that for the Christian we are required to forgive, it's simply not optional. John Bevere does well by citing the numerous passages in the Bible that say this. And, yes, the Bible is clear that unless and until we forgive it's like we're put into a prison of resentment where we hold the key[1] And yes, the Bible is clear that if we refuse to forgive then a root of bitterness can set in that may defile many. And yes, forgiveness is like forgiving a debt that's owed you - it is YOUR choice to give that gift to your debtors. Forgiveness IS a choice.[2] All this is good and true. And you now have the nuggets of truth that this book contains. If the foot shall say, “Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body”; is it therefore not of the body? So many in our society today are deceived by a superficial love, a love that talks but does not act. The love that will keep us from stumbling lays down its life selflessly-even for the good of an enemy. When we walk in this kind of love, we cannot be seduced into taking the bait of Satan." (John Bevere, The Bait of Satan)