Spirit of offense: knowing the signs (Pettiness and a Negative Mindset)

December 9, 2022

Spirit of offense: knowing the signs (Pettiness and a Negative Mindset)

What is the spirit of offense?

The spirit of offense is a demonic spirit that can attach itself to someone that is holding onto negative emotions in their heart like anger, bitterness, hate, pride, and especially unforgiveness. Those characteristics are a breeding ground for the spirit of offense. The enemy and his demonic kingdom are just waiting for an opportunity to come through an open door to wreak havoc in your life.

The Word of God tells us in Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.”

King Solomon wrote these verses being led by the Holy Spirit describing characteristics that the Lord hates. That is a strong warning for us to heed to letting us know that we are not to have anything to do with these kinds of attributes. Unfortunately when you have the spirit of offense working in your life unnoticed, you will begin to display these kinds of personality traits without even realizing it.

When you become offended to an extreme it is hard to have a clear conscience. All you can think about it getting revenge on the person that did you wrong by any means necessary: including lying, spreading rumors about them, devising schemes against them, and joining forces with their enemies in order to really make sure that they pay! All the while the enemy and his demons are gladly cheering you on because they know that this way of thinking will give them access to invade your space.

It doesn’t matter whether you knowingly or unknowingly gave them a legal right into your life or whether you are a believer or a non-believer, their goal is the same: to steal, kill, and destroy, John 10:10. Just like God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) Satan will come after you whether you believe he is real or not!

That is why it is so important that you do not allow these adverse characteristics to have a place in your heart. The Word of God tells us in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” As we examine this verse of Scripture we can see that everything that we do and say comes from what is in our hearts.

It is imperative that it is protected at all times. How does one do that? The best way to keep your heart sheltered from the snares of the enemy is to keep yourself in God’s Word. Put on the entire armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-18. I go into detail about the pieces of the Lord’s protective covering in my article: The Armor of God.

We have to remember that there are spiritual laws that the demonic kingdom and the kingdom of God have to abide by. The enemy cannot come into your life and create chaos unless they are given a legal right to do so, Psalm 94:20. You best believe he is roaming the earth looking for ways that he can negatively affect your life in one way or another, 1 Peter 5:8.

When a family member, best friend, spouse, and even a close friend does something that offends you in such a way that you deem unforgiveable, that is the perfect soil to plant the seeds for the spirit of offense to begin to sprout. When you choose not to forgive it is an open door to the enemy to come in and infiltrate with other negative emotions like spite, resentment, anger, and animosity.

Holding onto anger and unforgiveness towards other people will develop the root of bitterness which can easily lead to other strongholds. The more that you allow these adverse feelings to fester in your heart and mind, the more likely you are to invite the spirit of offense to invade and take over. This bait of Satan is one of the many ways that he controls the lives of believers of Jesus Christ.

Luckily there are some signs that you can look out for that will give you an indication that you could possibly be affected by the spirit of offense. I am going to go into detail on two of them here:

Also check out my other articles regarding this topic: Spirit of Offense-Knowing the Signs (Impossible to Satisfy and Filled with Spite) , Spirit of Offense: Knowing the Signs (Taking Everything Personal and Unable to Take Criticism), and Spirit of Offense: Knowing the Signs (Lacking Loyalty and Childlike Behavior).

I am also listing some articles that will help you understand how to forgive and the importance of forgiveness: Forgiveness: Appreciate Your Enemies!, Forgiveness: Recognize the Need to Forgive!, Forgiveness: Learning How to Handle Offense, Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 2, Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 3, and The Importance of Forgiveness!

Pettiness

One of the clearest signs of having a spirit of offense affecting your life is extreme pettiness. In other words you take the smallest most insignificant thing and blow it completely out of proportion. There is always a tit for tat that goes on with you and you can never take accountability for your own actions. You are never wrong and the other person will always be the one at fault in every situation.

You will find that your actions against others are malicious when you feel mistreated. The fact that you have been offended in one way or another means that you are on a mission to make sure that the person pays for what they did. The craziest thing is nine times out of ten the one on the receiving end will have no idea that they did something wrong to begin with.

The unfortunate part is the collection of unresolved offenses because of your unwillingness to communicate the fact that you were offended in the first place, leads to severe strong holds. It will start off as just becoming bothered when someone says something wrong; but the longer this spirit has an influence in your life, the more you will see it manifest. The pettiness will advance and you will find yourself getting irate simply because someone looked at you in a manner that you “didn’t appreciate!”

Your selfish ambition will cause the people closest to you to feel like they have to walk on egg shells so that you don’t become offended. The enemy loves this kind of person because he can plant seeds in their heart to ensure that the spirit of offense is securely established in their life. You best believe demons are just lingering around waiting for you to slip up so that they can create chaos.

The first thing that you want to consider if you feel like you are dealing with the influence of pettiness is inviting the help of the Holy Spirit. He has the ability to change your entire frame of mind, Romans 12:2, but that is going to take some spiritual growth on your part. You have to be willing to admit that you are dealing with the negative emotion that is attached to your petty behavior.

The last thing that you want to do is allow this adverse characteristic to develop into something harder to get rid of. Recognizing that this is a stumbling block to your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ is the first step to overcoming it!

A powerful verse of scripture pertaining to pettiness is:

2 Timothy 2:23 “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.”

As we can see here the Apostle Paul through the leading of the Holy Spirit is telling us straight up that we are to avoid foolish and ignorant disputes. A petty conversation completely falls into that category. When we know in our own hearts that the disagreement that we are engaging in is entirely insignificant and we are arguing just to argue, there is a clear problem going on.

We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but we are fighting demonic forces that cannot be seen by the naked eye, Ephesians 6:12. These malevolent entities have the ability to influence our behaviors if we open the doors allowing them to do so. An offended person is an easy target. That is why it is so important to get into the Word of God, study it, and apply it to our daily lives.

Scriptures that you can meditate on regarding pettiness are:

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.”
James 3:16 “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
Proverbs 20:3 “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”
1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Negative Mindset

People’s lives are not going to be perfect; every one of us has had moments when something happens that causes us to act in a negative way. You experienced an offensive event that happened at your work place, your kids are not listening, your spouse isn’t pulling his or her weight, and life just isn’t going smoothly for you. That can make anyone become negative in that moment. The problem is if you stay stuck in that unfavorable mindset because that is when you risk the chance of permitting strongholds to form in your life.

If you can’t see the positive things in any circumstance, you have unrealistic expectations, nothing ever seems to make you happy, you won’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and nothing is ever good enough; that is when you could be dealing with the spirit of offense. You want things to be done your own way and if they are not, it is not done to your satisfaction.

You think the absolute worst case scenario out of every situation, everyone is out to get you, and nobody likes you. You are quick to blame other people for making you feel “unwelcomed” or “unwanted” and you have the inability to ever see the plank in your own eye, Matthew 7:3-5.

This kind of negative mindset will hinder your relationships, friendships, and most importantly your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you find yourself in a constant state of habitual skepticism there could definitely be some influence by the enemy involved. The Lord is specific on what the fruit of the spirit should entail, “…Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…,” Galatians 5:22-23.

Those are the characteristics that we should be displaying as the body of Christ. The Lord is a God of love (1 John 4:7), a God of great peace (Philippians 4:7), and a God of patience (Romans 2:4). Our actions have to line up to the Lord’s Word which displays God’s love and attributes. So, if everything about you is directly contrary to what the Holy Scriptures say, something is not right.

Luckily, because of God’s grace and mercy we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit Who guides us into all truth, John 16:13. The power of God through His Word has the ability to transform and renew our way of thinking, Romans 12:2. It is living and sharper than a double-edged sword, Hebrews 4:12.

You have to be willing to want to make an intentional effort to change because the Lord will never go against anyone’s free will. The Holy Spirit will bring Scriptures to your remembrance when you need them to lead you in the right direction but you need to have them stored in your heart in order for Him to do so. I can’t tell you how many times the Lord would reel me back in with the Word when I was veering off course.

Some Scriptures that you can meditate on regarding a negative mindset are:

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
Matthew 6:27 “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”
1 Corinthians 15:33 “ Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Proverbs 12:18 “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Conclusion

The spirit of offense is one of the most widely used tactics of the enemy against the children of God. A lot of people are dealing with this demonic spirit and don’t even realize it. All they know is it is difficult for them to forgive and let go when another person offends them regardless of how small the infraction was. There are many signs that indicate whether or not you are being demonically influenced by this negative spirit.

Two symptoms that can point to the stronghold of offense are extreme pettiness and a negative mindset. Once you know what you’re dealing with you can get a hold of these adverse emotions before they begin to cause destruction in your life. That is why it is imperative that you get into God’s Word so that you have the Scriptures to counter attack against the schemes of the enemy attempting to take a root in your life!

I am linking other blogs pertaining to this topic below:

Forgiveness: Appreciate Your Enemies!

Forgiveness: Recognize the Need to Forgive!

Forgiveness: Learning How to Handle Offense!

Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 2

Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 3

The Armor of God

The Power of Your Tongue!

The Importance of Forgiveness!

What does it mean to walk by Faith and not by Sight?

7 Steps to Fighting Spiritual Oppression-Real Talk!

Why Is the Cross of Christ so Significant?

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