The Gift of Offense: How God Uses People to Make Us Spirit-Led
“So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak… then I am strong.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:10 AMP
There’s a strange kind of freedom in learning that offense is a choice—and that we can choose to respond in the Spirit instead.
If you’ve ever had a friend disappoint you or an employee frustrate you, welcome to the fellowship of Christ’s refinement.
It’s not random. It’s formation.
Becoming Unoffendable
To be unoffendable is not to become passive or avoidant. It’s to become rooted in the Spirit of God, so deeply, that offense cannot find a place to grow. The world teaches that offense is a form of power—"how dare they?"—but Jesus teaches that forgiveness is the greater power.
“Friends are afflictions and trials. Employees are people who make you respond in the Spirit of God.”
It’s not that people cause your anger or hurt. It’s that they reveal what’s already there—and give you a chance to respond differently.
From Human Strength to Divine Strength
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:10 are shocking if you read them slowly:
“I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, and difficulties…”
Why? Because they expose the limits of our own strength.
And that’s where God’s power shows up. When we’re no longer trying to win, defend, control, or retaliate—we finally have room to receive.
Work Is a Spiritual Formation Ground
If you’re in leadership, you know this truth intimately: employees will push you. Not just in deadlines or performance—but in patience, compassion, humility, and wisdom.
They become your teachers—not by how much they know, but by how much they require you to lean on the Spirit rather than your emotions.
What if every tough work conversation was an invitation to display the fruit of the Spirit?
Love instead of withdrawal
Kindness instead of sarcasm
Self-control instead of proving your point
What’s Your Response Saying?
Ask yourself:
Am I quick to take offense—or quick to forgive?
Do I view people as problems—or as opportunities for spiritual maturity?
Do I allow Christ’s strength to be seen in my weak moments?
Closing Thought
God doesn’t waste affliction. He uses friends who press your buttons and employees who stretch your patience to produce something eternal:
His nature in you.
So today, when offense knocks—don’t answer in your own strength. Let the Spirit open the door.