Don’t Take the Bait
We live in a world addicted to outrage. Scroll your feed for five minutes and you will see it. Political rants in ALL CAPS. Selfies that leave you feeling left out. Vague posts that feel like a jab in your direction. One comment, one picture, one careless word can hijack your whole mood.
That is the world we are living in. And Jesus was not surprised by it. In Luke 17:1 He said, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (CSB). In other words, offense is inevitable. But living offended is a choice.
The Bait Is Real
When Jesus used the word “offense,” He used the Greek word skándalon. Originally, it referred to the bait stick in an animal trap. Hunters would place food on the stick, and when the animal grabbed it, the trap snapped shut.
That is the picture Jesus gives us. Offense looks like something you want. Justice. Vindication. The satisfaction of being right. But when you take the bait, the trap closes. I call this offense, “the bait of Satan.” It is one of the enemy’s most effective weapons for division. Proverbs 18:19 puts it this way: “An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified city, and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.”
When you take the bait of offense, you do not just build walls to keep people out. You lock bitterness in. That is why even small, unaddressed offenses can fracture friendships, marriages, workplaces, and even churches.
The Bite Is Deadly
Offense does not stay small. It multiplies. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:10–12 that offense leads to betrayal. Betrayal leads to hatred. Hatred opens the door to deception. And deception causes love to grow cold.
That is the deadly bite of offense. What starts as a sting becomes bitterness. And bitterness is never content to stay put. It spills out. Hebrews 12:15 warns us: “Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.”
Bitterness poisons not just you but the people around you. Satan’s goal is not just to irritate you. It is to isolate you. And offense is his favorite tool.
The Choice Is Yours
The good news is this. You do not have to take the bait.
Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with one another and forgive one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.” Forgiveness is not saying what happened was fine. It is refusing to stay trapped. It is choosing to release the offense before the offense takes hold of you.
James 1:19–20 reminds us: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” Living offended keeps us stuck in anger. Living unoffended keeps us open to God’s presence.
This is not just about better relationships. It is about intimacy with God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:15, “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” When we cling to unforgiveness, we are not just shutting the door on people. We are shutting the door on God.
That is why John 13:35 says the world will know we are Jesus’ disciples by our love for one another, not by our grudges.
The Way of Jesus
If anyone had the right to live offended, it was Jesus. He was falsely accused, betrayed, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross. Yet from that cross He prayed, “Father, forgive them.”
That is why we can choose forgiveness. Not because it is easy. Not because we are strong. But because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.
Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” That freedom includes being free from offense. So the choice is yours. Rehearse it, replay it, relive it, or release it into God’s hands and walk free.
What offense are you holding on to today? What walls have you built? Maybe today is the day to lay it down. Refuse to take the bait. Step out of the trap. Choose forgiveness. Choose freedom.
