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

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The knowledge of God’s Word without love is a destructive force because it puffs us up with pride and legalism” Pride then leads to selfishness, as we become more concerned with the preservation of ourselves than with the well-being of others. This selfishness causes the offended Christian to become focused inward and we lose sight of what God is doing in and through others. We become guarded and defensive; seeking to protect our “rights”, rather than with open arms being ready to embrace others and come to their defense! This selfish pride causes us to view ourselves as victims, but just because we may have been mistreated does not mean we suddenly have the right to hold on to an offense! For as Bevere writes, “If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.” (p. 16) We’re called to be faithful in what we’ve been given, fulfilling His mission, but first it must be given to us – all by the grace of God. “He Who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 MKJV). God never created us to live separately and independently of each other. He likes it when His children care for and nurture each other. He is frustrated when we...feel sorry for ourselves; making everyone else responsible for our happiness...an isolated person seeks only his own desire, not God's. He receives no counsel and sets himself up for deception." (p. 55)

Now, the bad. This book epitomizes everything that's wrong with the Charismatic Movement - and I say this AS a Charismatic Christian. And if the ear shall say, “Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body”; is it therefore not of the body? Freedom in serving, but bondage in slavery"..."A slave HAS to, a servant GETS to; a slave does the minimum requirement, a servant reaches the maximum potential; a slave goes one mile, a servant goes the extra mile; a slave feels robbed, a servant gives; a slave is bound, a servant is free; a slave fights for his rights, a servant lays down his rights" (Chapter 12) Second, the author's hermeneutics and exegesis are downright awful! Consider the "proof text" that he bases the thesis for the book on:Medical doctors & scientists have linked unforgiveness and biterness with certain diseases" (Chapter 13) 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) John Bevere speaks smooth words that men love to hear, because they cater to their fleshly works of self-willed ambition to be like God – even to the taking of His place.

Acquiring an offense keeps you from seeing your own character flaws because blame is deferred to another" (Chapter 7)When you join the All-Access Family, your membership helps helps us provide translated discipleship resources for free to millions of Christians in developing nations.So far, we've been able to give away over 30 million resources! I cannot give it higher than a 1⭐️ because John preaches that you most definitely can lose your salvation, which is NOT Biblical….. In this new twentieth anniversary edition, John Bevere shows you how to identify the traps ahead of you and escape the victim mentality. With declaration-style prayers and testimonials from people whose lives have been changed by his message, this book will inspire you to stay free from offense and its destructive power. Where does it say in the Bible that men determine the level of their relationship with God? Satan twists the Scriptures to make it sound this way, but we know full well this isn’t what God says or does. He has shown us Who is the Potter and who is the clay. We know that He determines the relationship we have with Him. He draws us to the Son and assigns us our positions in His Body.