There are people who use the excuse that they are working at overcoming offense. But that’s not what the Bible instructs us to do. James 1:23-25 clearly states that only the doers of the Word will be blessed.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
A doer of the Word is not someone who merely listens to what the Word says, but rather applies what he has heard to his life. How do you suppose it would sound if someone said, “I am working at not lying”? No, if you simply tell the truth, you won’t lie! It’s not those who are working at not lying who are blessed, but those who speak the truth.
God doesn’t accept the idea of “working on it” any more than you would if your spouse said he or she was “working on” being married. Your spouse would get the slack jerked out of him or her very quickly!
When someone states that they are “working on it,” what they are actually revealing is that they are not yet willing to obey God. Isn’t that right? It’s a whole lot easier to justify yourself by saying that you are working on something than it is to implement the Word of God or to admit you’re in sin. Many times you can con people with such statements, but you can’t con God because He looks upon the heart.
There is not one sin that the blood of Jesus cannot eradicate. His blood is all-powerful. And as a result, there is no excuse for a Christian to be offended. No one—no matter how heartbreaking, horrific, or desperate the situation—can develop an excuse for being offended that is acceptable to God.
You may have convinced yourself that your basis for offense is a worthy one, but you will never persuade God. He gave His Son to die so that all of humanity could be forgiven of their shortcomings. If you have accepted God’s forgiveness, then you must be willing to give it to others. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matt. 6:14)
There is no permissible excuse for disobeying God. When you stand before Him, and He asks, “Why didn’t you obey My Word?” you cannot come up with an excuse that will satisfy God. You may offer an excuse, but He will reply, “I empowered you with supernatural ability to do all that was written in My Word. All you had to do was make the decision to obey.” And the bottom line will be that you simply made poor choices.
In the same manner, there is no acceptable excuse for harboring unforgiveness because of an offense. Although someone always tries to defend their reason for being offended by saying, “But you don’t know what they did to me, or how many years I have had to put up with it.” However, the Lord didn’t exclude anyone when He said, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)
So, apparently it doesn’t matter what the offense was, you are still required to forgive.
Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of eight books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.