We are supposed to be a nation who believes in God—the one true God—but as a nation and as individuals, we don’t follow His instructions. That has led us down a dark path (the bait of Satan) and God is not with us. I’m not just pointing a finger, because I am also guilty.

A couple months ago, while having our usual lunch after church with some close friends, I was introduced to the truth that will change my life and hopefully others. Another couple had joined us for our meal, and she mentioned that she was leading a study on the book The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. This book is about being offended, and how Satan uses that to separate us from God.  Immediately I felt God in my heart, saying “This is for you, Linda”.

I had not forgiven the people who ruined my life and my career. I had told myself that I never would forgive them, in spite of knowing that was God’s instruction to us—to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. They were evil and didn’t deserve my forgiveness.  I know that the Bible tells us we have to forgive our enemies, and even love them and pray for them. I’ve always been a Christian and led a Christian life, and I believed that they would reap the justification from God for their actions. But my forgiveness they would never have.  God even put one of them—the USA that got me convicted in 2012—in my path at our recreation center.  She would walk past me and smile, saying my name and hello. I rejected her and told her to stop talking to me. I felt no forgiveness or love, only hatred.

So what has this lack of forgiveness and not following God’s word done? Well, it has prevented all that I’ve worked for from being accomplished. Basically, until I can forgive and do as God commands, my work is nil. I do feel forgiveness in my heart now for those who have persecuted me.  I have taken all of the negative posts against these people off of Doctorsofcourage, including the board of medicine members that denied me my license. I forgive them. I’m still working on forgiving Jenny Waering, but I know I will. And God is already opening doors that had been closed. I feel that the purpose that He put me here for will be accomplished, through Him, not through anything I do.

So how does offense separate us from doing God’s work with His blessing?  Take the story of Cain and Abel.  I always wondered why God didn’t bless Cain’s offering of the fruit from his vineyard while he did bless Abel’s offering of the choice firstborn of his flock. After all, Cain had to put a whole lot more work into his offering than Abel did. But that is the point, as Mr. Bevere points out in chapter 5.  Abel’s offering was of obedience while Cain’s was of his own sacrifice, not obedience to God.

“Cain had tried to win God’s acceptance apart from his counsel. God responded by showing He would accept those who came to Him under His parameters of grace (Abel’s sacrifice) and would reject what was attempted under the domain of the “knowledge of good and evil” (Cain’s religious works).

Cain was offended with the Lord. Rather than repent and do what was right, allowing this situation to strengthen his character, he vented on Abel his anger an offense with God. He murdered Abel.

The thing Cain feared most, to be rejected by God, he brought as a judgment on himself.”

I am also guilty like Cain. Granted I haven’t murdered anyone by the sword, but I have tried by words and thoughts. So now I repent, and will work on righting the wrongs I have done. I truly believe that God has put me where I am for a purpose. My verse that has guided me since the attacks on me in 2010 is Jeremiah 29:11:

“ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

But now I read past that verse to what Jeremiah said after that, because that is the basis for having that hope:

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

And so, in order for my work to accomplish God’s purpose, I must work on myself to follow His word, forgive the offenses done to me, and reconcile with those I have estranged due to feeling offended by them.  I have cut off several people due to offense. I will reach out to them and forgive them for what they’ve said or done, and hopefully by following God’s word He will anoint my work to His glory.

I pray that this post strikes your heart into forgiveness and connection with God like the conversation I had with my friend did for me.