Hebrews 6:9
We thank God for taking us through the year 2012 and bringing us to 2013, the year of BETTER THINGS!  I have been spending some time thinking about this theme and like I always first do with any promise of God, because I know that God will always want to fulfill His promise to us, I check myself in regards the promise to make sure I am in line to receive the promise.
I found out that better things means that things may have been good before, but this year they would be better. Things may have been bad before, but this year, they would move from bad to better in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Better things means that we will connect with the supernatural to make natural things SUPER! in our lives.  When natural things become supernatural, people forget about the natural in it, they focus on the super that is there. That will be our testimony this year in the name of Jesus.
One thing that we need to watch out for in this year that the devil has brought out to use as a weapon against the children of God from experiencing better life is offense. Offense is a weapon that I have seen the devil use successfully to trap Christians because we are really oblivious to the fact that it is the devil behind it, we most of the time, unless the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, think that it is the other party that is in the wrong and they need to know it and repent.
Offense has been a weapon of the enemy since the time of Cain, who killed his brother because he was offended that the Lord accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not his (Genesis 4), to the new testament when John the Baptist was offended because he felt Jesus neglected him.
If you look at the stories of those who allow offense in their lives, they miss the better days and better things promised by God.
 
What offense does
1.       Cuts off supernatural power supply
2.       robs of anointing
3.       kills
4.       blocks the flow of blessing
5.       derails from destiny
6.       shifts focus from God and from Love
7.       Hinders from seeing Jesus
 
How offense comes
1.       Feeling of being unappreciated: Cain in Genesis 4:3,11
2.       Feeling of neglect: John the Baptist in Matthew 11:4-6
3.       Feeling of insecurity with God: the ten spies and the children of Israel in Numbers 14:1-45
Jesus had opportunity to be offended too. In Mark 3:21-35, His family and the whole community told Him He was crazy to be doing all the miracles He did, but He chose not to be offended.
 
How to deal with offense
As children of God expecting better days and better things this year, we need to constantly check ourselves to make sure that offense is not gaining root in our hearts. The moment we begin to feel bad about a situation, we nip it in the bud right away because it takes the root of offense. Here are some practical ways to deal with offense:
1.       look unto Jesus as our example...1Peter 2:21-23
2.       Meditate on and speak love scriptures when offense comes...1Corinthian 13, Philippians 4:8
3.       Forgive immediately...Ephesians 4:31-32 (amp), 1Peter 4:8, Proverbs 17:9
4.       “Shave” it off. Like Joseph when he was taken out of prison, shaved off the offense of his brothers selling him as a slave, Portiphar putting him in jail and the cupbearer forgetting him in jail.
According to my husband, Pastor Yemi in his first message of the year, “the grapes are for the hungry”; we have to be hungry enough for the grapes of the blessings and better things in 2013 to get over offense and move unto our joy.
I will see you at the top in Jesus Name
 
 
Blessings,
Pastor D