Don't Take the BaitSample

It's a Trap

Did you know that offense can lead to unforgiveness – a spiritually dangerous state of heart? In Romans 16:17, the original Greek word translated “offense” is where we get our word scandal. It literally refers to a trap stick or bait stick—the part of a trap that lures and then ensnares the prey. In ancient times, this could be a sapling bent over and triggered by tension, or meat placed strategically to spring the trap. Either way, the result was the same: sudden capture.

Offense and unforgiveness work just like that. They are spiritual bait—cleverly laid traps from the enemy designed to cause our downfall. They may feel justified, even deserved, but holding onto them poisons the soul. As the saying goes, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” The bitterness harms us far more than the person who wronged us.

Jesus, more than anyone, had reason to hold a grudge against humanity. Yet instead, He chose love and forgiveness, and through that, won the victory. Let’s not fall for the enemy’s trap. Choose love, walk in grace and live in the freedom that forgiveness brings.