When was the last time you were offended? Jesus said that offenses would come. Luke 17:1. Satan set up an offense against Jesus through Peter. Matthew 16:23 says, “…Get behind Me, satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter had just rebuked the Lord when He told His disciples that He would be killed and raised the third day. Satan was using Peter to bait Jesus. Jesus did not take the bait. What causes us to take the bait?

Proverbs 1:17 says, “Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” In order to catch its prey, the trap’s spring has to be concealed. Any unresolved issues hidden in our heart conceals our discernment. We step right in, take the bait, and get ensnared.

Asaph changed from destructive rut-thoughts to intentionally moving forward. Psalm 77:11-12 says, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” 

Asaph climbed right up out of his mentally destructive rut-thoughts, using the intentional words of “I will” ~ instant freedom to what was binding his heart in anguish. 

David did the same thing on the day that the Lord delivered him from all his enemies. 2 Samuel 22:1. Verse 4 says, “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.”

David wrote several psalms that stated his intention, even though he was languishing from troubles. Psalm 34 was written after he pretended madness before Abimelech. Verse 1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Let verse one be our intention also.

After I fell into the ravine (1977) my mind was consumed with what I could not do. It was shocking. I remember having a mouthful of asparagus. My jaw muscles just quit working. I couldn’t chew anymore. I had to spit it out onto my plate. I could no longer swallow anything that was caky. It just sat in my throat and wouldn’t go down. (note: I didn’t remember that I fell for 3 1/2 years ~ everything was a puzzle as my ‘couldn’t’ list got longer.

If you listen to yourself as you are speaking you will get a clue of what you really believe in your heart. “I can’t” is rooted in a mental roadblock. It is a rut that our thinking processes fall into. “I can’t” kills any motivation. 

Asaph was spiraling down in his thoughts. Psalm 77:10 says, “And I said, This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

What is meaningful to you? What gets you up and out of bed every morning? Psalm 63: 1 says, “Oh God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land.”

Psalm 27:8 says, “When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Verse 13 says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” When we lose heart we lose motivation.

Seeking His Presence in our present ~ longing to long for Him, or desiring to desire Him. David wrote words of intention, “…Your face, Lord, I will seek.” “I can’t” versus “I will” reveals the true state of our heart. “I can’t” is an excuse. “I will” is based on a heartfelt decision to move forward.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Do you hear your thoughts? Negative thoughts come from internal demonic strongholds. The enemy of our soul sends fiery darts to defeat our faith.

If we allow them to penetrate, then inner strongholds will be set up. They are designed to bring us into captivity and keep us there. They are lies that we have accepted and believed were our own thoughts! 

In 1993 I learned that not all my thoughts were of my own origin. If satan can get us to believe a lie, he can control our lives. Our faith is always under attack. We must fortify our minds by filling the reservoir of our heart with Scripture specific to our weak areas. 

Nahum 2:1 says, “He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.” 1 Peter 1:13 says to gird up our minds.

Once I renounced the fleshly internal lies, I needed to rebuild with truth. Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

Jeremiah 1:10 was the instruction of how to cast off and put on. It says, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.”

We renounce (disown) the lies that we have believed, and affirm the truth of God’s word that endures forever. Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”

We foolishly give ground over for satan to build lying strongholds in our thought processes. Though we can quickly renounce them, it takes enduring diligence to rebuild with strongholds of truth that will stand in counterattacks. Bold the last sentence and read it again.

In Romans 7 Paul was comparing the Law pre cross to post cross. Here is my personal application. Verse 6 says, “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by…” The Amplified says, “…having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve…(under obedience to the promptings) of the Spirit in newness (of life).”

Many years ago the Holy Spirit pointed out to me that I had written laws in my heart. They governed what I did or didn’t do. They were based on maintaining my independence. Anything that we do independent of the Lord is from our flesh. 

Internal fleshly laws keep us bound. Here were some of mine. Lies that I believed, self-preservation, man’s doctrines, trusting in myself ~ believing I knew what was best for me. They were all based on deception. How did I get free? I renounced them. What I used to embrace, I cast off.

This is my online devotional today posted through The Life online devotional ministry that I write for once a month. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.HEBREWS 1:3

We are created to exemplify the Lord, to have his image stamped deep into our hearts. We certainly cannot represent him in our own strength.When metals are heated in a crucible, the dross comes to the surface so it can be skimmed off. The dross is not exposed until it faces the intensity of the fire. The same is with our hidden sin.He purifies our faith purified in the crucible of our trial. Through the refining fire, he brings our sin-dross to the surface and removes it. He exposes our ‘alloy’ of buried lies that we have believed. These lies lose their power and control when brought into the light. We then renounce them and affirm the truth. Here is a verse of a song called “Nothing Is Impossible”: Your character is forged in me. Your anvil strong and true. You bring me through the fiery trials—my faith refined-secured. Your will is accomplished as I yield to your hand. My thoughts are united with your purpose and plans. As I walk in the path you choose You establish my heart. I serve you with thanksgiving and praise. You alone are worthy, O my Lord. Fiery trials are essential tools that God uses to forge his character in us. Hidden sin-dross weakens our faith and tarnishes our witness. The more we embrace the Lord in our trials, the more we will reflect him to those around us. Father, thank you that your presence is with us in our fiery trials. As we cling to you, you expose and remove our dross of hidden sin from our hearts. I am so grateful that you are absolutely trustworthy. When my faith is weak, you remain faithful because you cannot deny yourself. Song of Encouragement: “O to Be Like Thee” https://youtu.be/-94zKQ8dSwg

Offenses is another word for transgressions. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” Verse 11 says, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.”

Iniquity ~ anything that we do independent of God. Just think for a moment how many sins you committed ~ countless offenses that He bore on the cross for you. His free gift of grace abounds to all who will believe.

Jesus bore our offenses so that we could be justified. Salvation means that we stand right now before a holy God blameless ~ as though we never sinned. As I type this, these truths are reverberating in my mind. We have been absolved of all guilt. If you carry guilt for something in the past ~ it is a lying burden that you can cast off right now! Let these truths set you free!

Reading in context, Romans 4:23-24 was written about Abraham believing. It was accounted to him for righteousness. It says, “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. “

Verse 25 says, “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and raised because of our justification.” Then speaking of Adam, verse 15 says, “…For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

Verse 16 says, “And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.”