Nothing Shall Offend Them (Testimony)
I (Sabrina Reedy) had the privilege of sharing a Sabbath testimony with our local group, and am impressed to share it also with our broader family in Christ, that any who Father wills may be blessed and edified, by His grace. Much love to you all ♥️
08/16/2025 - Nothing Shall Offend Them
Over the past two weeks, we've had the tremendous blessing of reading through Steps to Christ with my brother Joshua. I am so grateful that God inspired Pastor Adrian to encourage us all to read it, as I'd forgotten what an incredible book it is, and how it was surely a critical influence towards my own heart conversion in 2014. Now I've seen it working the same miracle within my brother, and my heart is overjoyed. Though I had offered to read just once a week with him, after the first chapter he asked if we could read again in a few days, and from that point onward he desired to read every single day, expressing much love and appreciation for the book.
A few days ago, as we neared the end of the book, he was beginning to experience something that was making him very emotional. He was finding that certain things he once really enjoyed he was no longer enjoying, but that he was being more drawn to spend time alone with God out in nature. I encouraged him that this was very normal, and a wonderful sign of God giving him new desires. But as we discussed why it was so hard for him emotionally to make this change, we recognized that he was being drawn away from something he had once found his value in, and this is a scary thing to do. In order to do this, we have to truly believe that the value God has placed upon us is infinite and unconditional, but having all been raised in the performance kingdom, where our value is tied up in all manner of things that we think make up our identity, this is a huge leap of faith to take. It is the definition of self-crucifixtion.
So last night, right before going to bed, God gave me an experience that revealed an area of my life where I still need to take this leap myself. Something was said, and I became deeply hurt and offended. Everything in me was blaming the other person for causing me pain, and wanting to lash out, but God was convicting me to hold my tongue, so I began to wrestle internally with the Lord. I don't know that I've ever fought so hard against my emotions. I wanted to scream, but I clung to God's Words against all the anger swirling in my mind. By God's grace I chose to believe that it was not His will for my Sabbath rest to be ruined by this, and I determined that I would not let go until He blessed me. The person had already apologized and asked for forgiveness, but it was painfully evident that I had no forgiveness of myself to give them. So, in my mind, I then braced myself against every emotion trying to prevent me from saying the words, and spoke to God, one word at a time, through spiritually gritted teeth, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do..." As soon as those words ascended to God, I felt a sudden shift, and my heart was uncontrollably compelled to utter, "Father, forgive ME, for I know not what I do." In that moment I saw that all the cause of my hurt and offense was within my own heart. I saw that the cause of ANY offense is always from within our own hearts. A piece of my former identity, a place where I had once found my value, had been challenged, and I was unknowingly still hanging on to it. It was an idol I had not yet given up. In deep sadness to see my condition, but sweet relief as the anger and bitterness lost its power, I finally fell asleep.
I then had a dream, where pastor Adrian was addressing the worldwide church family through Zoom. There was a giant screen where I could see each person's individual screens as they were listening. He was sharing on how the latter rain will come upon us. As he spoke, a whiteboard traced each of the points he was making so that we could see the connections visually.
I couldn't describe the whole message, but the take-home point was that we must let go of everything that we have EVER found value in outside of Christ, recognizing that nothing we do can ever make us good enough to earn the outpouring of His Spirit; but that it will be purely in knowing Him as our Father, as the OWNER of that Spirit, and resting in the value of being His child--that we will be able to receive it. Because why would a true Father withhold from His true children anything that He owns, as He has every right to share it with them? As he shared this point especially there was great rejoicing, and in the dream I was excited but I couldn't quite connect all the dots.
As I woke up, a Scripture song was playing in my mind, "If a son shall ask bread, of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
The pieces then clicked in my mind. It is only our lack of belief that we are God's unconditionally invaluable children that is keeping us from receiving the fullness of this gift. We close ourselves off by clinging to our old identities and value systems. If God has given His Son for us, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things? A father, if he is a good father, would not withhold anything he owns from his children, it is their inheritance. The only thing that can prevent them from receiving it, is to doubt their identity as his sons and daughters, and close themselves off to the gift.
Another Scripture song then came to mind, "Great peace have they which love Thy law and nothing shall offend them." But there was a shift. I saw that His law was His character. "Great peace have they which love Thy CHARACTER, and NOTHING shall offend them." But what does it mean to love His character? God impressed heavily upon my mind that when we truly know Him as He is, as our Father, as one Who does not condemn us, and in whom we have infinite value as His beloved children, NOTHING that anyone else ever says or does will be able to offend us. He showed me that offense ONLY comes when we feel unappreciated for something that we think makes us valuable, but if being God's child is actually the ONLY thing that makes us valuable, then no one else ever has any say in that matter. It is wholly between us and God, and nothing can take it away.
When we feel offended by something someone else says or does, it is evidence that we are still clinging to a false identity and placing value where it doesn't belong. When we cast the blame on others it is evidence that we are hiding what is in our own heart because we are afraid that God will condemn us for it. But when we know God as our Father and have no fear of condemnation, we will be humble and eager to view all the evil still lurking within our own hearts, and have perfect peace in our Father's power to heal us and free us from it. We will cease to feel any need to blame others for our own negative emotions, as we will recognize them as a sign that we need deeper cleansing. And we will be able to joyfully rest in this cleansing experience, because our value doesn't come from having any goodness within us. The wickedness of our hearts can be thrown open to our sight without any threat of losing our value.
And it is when we are thus empowered to release every element of our past identities--resting wholly in our identities as God's beloved children, whom He delights to give ALL that He owns--it is then that every idol of finding worth in SELF will be removed from our hearts to make room for that gift which He longs to give us, of the fullness of His Spirit.
