The WOFOYO Podcast
The WOFOYO Podcast
WOFOYO SHORT: Understanding God's Purpose: The Key to Avoiding Offense
Ever noticed how easily we become offended when God doesn't operate according to our expectations? This episode tackles a profound spiritual truth that's been weighing heavily on my heart: if you don't understand what God is doing or His purpose, you'll inevitably be offended at His process or method.
Drawing from Hebrews 1, we explore how God speaks "in various times and various ways" – He's not cookie-cutter in His approach. There are Biblical examples where this principle plays out dramatically: John the Baptist confused the religious leaders because they couldn't grasp his purpose. Jesus constantly faced opposition from those who didn't understand His mission. Even His closest followers – Judas selling Him out after the expensive perfume incident and Peter being called "Satan" moments after divine revelation – demonstrate how missing God's purpose leads to taking offense at His methods.
I share our personal wilderness experience, when leaving the institutional church triggered judgment from those who couldn't see what God was doing. Yet that same process, misunderstood by many, was precisely what God used to expose hidden issues and develop authentic relationship with Him. The solution to avoiding unnecessary offense is refreshingly simple: ask God what He's doing. During prayer, with pen and paper ready, directly inquire about His purposes. Write down what you hear, test it against Scripture, and watch how it unfolds – even when it doesn't match your expectations.
Ready to stop being offended by God's methods? Listen now, and discover how understanding His purpose transforms your spiritual journey. Then subscribe, share with someone who needs this message, and remember to get in the Word for yourself!
https://wofoyo.org/ #wofoyo
Hey everybody, welcome to another Wofo Yo Short. This is C-Dub. We are going to continue next week talking about what Proverbs says about fools, but every now and then the Lord has something a little bit more urgent. So in this short I want to share that more urgent thing. During the last three days this is something that's just been bugging me, so I'm going to share it and I want to give a little basis in this in scripture. And sure enough, we're going right back to Hebrews, like we've been doing in some of our fuller episodes.
Speaker 1:Hebrews 1. God, who, at various times and in various ways in times past, spoke to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he is appointed heir of all things, through whom he also made the world to being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had, by himself, purged our sins. I really want to focus on how this letter starts out. I really want to focus on how this letter starts out. God who, at various times and various ways. What does that mean? God has integrity. God is not cookie cutter, and what was spoken to me that has not left me alone recently is simply this. I heard him say if you don't understand what I'm doing or the purpose I'm doing, or the purpose, you will always be offended at the process or the method that God uses to perform his will. And okay, what's this going to? You know what's all this about, but I look at it and I look at it some of the things going on in the news and are you on this side? Are you on this side of this? This side, this? No, the question is people want to get all offended about things. The real question is is what is God doing? If you know what God is doing, you won't be offended by the process. And I just want to show where this pattern here is so biblical. I even checked it with some folks that I trust and they go oh man, that's scripture right there.
Speaker 1:But I was thinking about John the Baptist. John the Baptist arrives on the scene. He has a very distinct purpose to prepare the way in the wilderness, to make ready a people for their God. Very distinct purpose to prepare the way in the wilderness, to make ready a people for their God to clear the way for Jesus to be the predecessor. That is his very distinct and specialized calling. And what happens? All the leaders from Jerusalem come down and they ask him who are you? What are you doing? What is this? Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah the prophet? Come back. What are you? What are you doing? So they don't know. And because they don't know, even though he tells them what he's called to do, because they don't know, they're offended at how he's doing it.
Speaker 1:When jesus comes on the scene, you have the exact same thing. Uh, whose authority are you doing this? Under? Who? Who? Who told you you could do this? Nobody can forgive sins. What are you doing? What's going on with you, man?
Speaker 1:Because they don't discern what he's there to do, they're offended. Even those close to Jesus get offended because they don't understand the purpose. You know, jesus responded to the Pharisees and the scribes and all those that were coming to test him with theoretical questions, and he just goes baptism of John, was it from God or was it from men? They go, we don't know. If we say this, we're wrong. We fear the people. If we say this, then he's going to tell us why didn't you believe him. They're offended because they don't understand. I mentioned those closest to Jesus.
Speaker 1:Judas is offended with Jesus. It isn't just because he's a thief, but you look at the exact moment in some of the Gospels that Judas makes up his mind to sell Jesus out. To sell Jesus out. It's right after the woman comes and anoints Jesus for his burial with the expensive nard, the expensive perfume. And when he sees this and is rebuked by Jesus, judas goes to sell him out. To sell them out, peter, right after getting the divine revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and gets all the attaboys you know, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father in heaven has revealed this to you. Thou art, peter. On this rock I shall build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Speaker 1:Well, follow a couple verses down. He begins to speak of the things he must suffer and he's rebuked. Oh, these things can't happen to you. I just had this divine revelation that you're the Christ, the Son of the living God. These things can't happen to you. I just had this divine revelation that you're the Christ, the son of the living God. These things can't happen to you. Get thee behind me, satan. Thou art an offense to me, for thou hast in mind the things of men rather than the things of God. So you know there's some scriptural basis right there for this idea, for this, that if you don't understand what God's doing, you're going to be offended by the process and the method in which he does it. And I'm seeing a lot of that going on.
Speaker 1:When Bones and I got called out of the institutional church and into the wilderness for the purpose of God developing us in us, that when Bones and I got called out of the institutional church, you know pretty close together and for pretty similar reasons, a couple of years apart, you know there were those that didn't understand and therefore we're wrong and we're in error and all this stuff. Hey, you know what. God bless them. They were going with what they knew, but they didn't understand what God was doing in us. Now that whole process is what worked out, the relationship with God. It exposed all of our ugliness that we had masked very well in the religious system, us to some degree, a willingness to follow God, to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit and honor Jesus Christ in even some of the most nasty environments you can be in without being concerned about what the institutional church or those with the big ministry titles thought of us. So that was used to make us mission effective and people didn't understand, and that's fine.
Speaker 1:But to not be offended, which we're not supposed to be an offense, to not be offended, it behooves us to know what God is doing. It behooves us to know what God is doing. And this is going to upset some of you because it's really this simple how do I know what God is doing? So I'm not offended by the process. Ask him in your prayer time, asking Lord, what's going on, lord, what you doing? You know what are you doing. What should I be on the lookout for? And the other thing is, during this prayer time, have a pen and pad ready, write it down, organize it. You might want to save it on your computer. I still like having mine on a legal pad or some small notepad and then just pay attention.
Speaker 1:This is also a way to develop your hearing spiritually. Pray about it spiritually, pray about it. Find backing, an example for this in the Word and then watch, wait, pray, be expectant and see. Here's a way to mature. See how, what you heard, how God backed that up, what he said, but somehow it doesn't go exactly the way you expect it to go down, but it goes down exactly the way he said. And guess what? Another possibility is you might miss it, and that's okay.
Speaker 1:This is how you discern the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. And once you know what that voice sounds like this that gave you the bad information you know not to listen to it anymore. Lord, how did I miss that? And he'll reveal it to you. You think I haven't missed it, and one of the reasons that I missed it and this was part of the wilderness process for me was to and part of Bones too you hear something. It wasn't a God, but boy, it sounded good. So you write it down and rather than go and declare I got a promise from God over in the church, like everybody wants to, you test it and then, when it doesn't, when you find out either that's scripturally wrong or it just don't come to pass, or you find out later on a lot of times, you find out that there's a little bit of your ego and a little bit of your preconceived ideas that are getting in the way of you properly hearing from God. So, again, I would encourage you to ask God in these times especially. Ask God what he's doing, write it down, pay attention, walk in the kingdom, walk in the love of Christ, walk in the power of the Spirit, but don't be offended.
Speaker 1:Wofo Yo. Hey everybody, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you and causes you to grow. You can always check us out at wofoyoorg or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify or Audible. Even check us out on YouTube. For bones and myself, this is CD reminding you that if you're going to grow, you've got to. Wofo yo. Get in the word for yourself.