If you allow yourself to focus on an offense you have suffered, it will become a trap that distracts you from doing what God would want you to do.

The truth is, an unforgiven offense can hinder you from accomplishing God's will for your life.

When you become offended by something a person says to you or about you, your mind can become consumed and distracted by that offense if you are not careful.

That's why Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee."

Captive Thoughts
You see, the mind is where the real battle takes place. Therefore, in order for us to live full of peace and free from offense the way God intends, we have to continually focus our thoughts on God and His Word.

Second Corinthians 10:5 explains what we are to do with our thought life:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

That means when an offense comes, it's our responsibility to take captive every thought about that offense; bringing it into obedience to the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ.

But all too often instead of taking our negative thoughts captive, we allow those thoughts to take us captive! We allow wrong imaginations to cast us down.

It's time to put a stop to that. We need to take hold of all our resentful, angry thoughts and make them line up with the Word of God.

Source: Get Over It! by Kate McVeigh.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers