Bitterness rarely enters loudly. It settles into conversations, reshapes memories and changes the way people view churches, pastors and even God Himself. Pastor Landon Schott warned that many Christians are carrying offense without realizing how deeply it is affecting their spiritual lives. He described offense as a trap that slowly hardens the heart and pulls believers away from intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
During a recent episode of his “Spiritual Leadership” podcast, Schott focused on what he called “10 signs you may be offended.” He said offense is far more dangerous than hurt feelings or personal frustration. “It is one of the greatest demonic traps that Christians fall into today,” Schott said. “An offense is what takes most emerging leaders out.”
- Every church feels unhealthy
Schott said some believers move from church to church carrying the same frustration into every new place. “If every church is toxic, if every pastor is controlling, if every leader is abusive, at some point you have to look at the common denominator,” he said. “The common denominator is you.” He explained that offense can distort discernment until healthy leadership looks threatening.
- You keep repeating, “I’m not offended”
Schott said many offended people deny their bitterness while constantly returning to old wounds. “If you told the same story of what people have done about you over and over and over for years and years, you haven’t forgiven them and you haven’t moved on,” he said. The story stays alive because forgiveness never happened.
- You replay arguments in your head
He described people mentally revisiting confrontations long after they happened. “You’re in the shower winning arguments with people who you aren’t even in the room,” Schott said. He warned that imagined battles often create deeper resentment.
- Correction immediately feels personal
“The moment someone challenges you, all of a sudden, suddenly you become a victim,” Schott said. He explained that offense can make accountability feel hostile instead of helpful.
- Someone else’s failure feels satisfying
Schott said bitterness can twist the heart until another person’s hardship feels deserved. “Your heart rejoices when people go through trials, you got a spirit of offense,” he said. Instead of compassion, offense produces quiet satisfaction.
- Hurt becomes your main testimony
“If your biggest testimony is about people who hurt you, offense is running rampant in your life,” Schott said. He challenged believers to stop centering their identity around betrayal and return their focus to “the goodness of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God.”
- You leave instead of resolving conflict
Schott said offended people often avoid honest conversations. Instead, they “change churches, change teams, unfollow people, and disappear from community.” He warned that isolation never heals offense.
- Everyone else becomes the problem
Schott warned that offense changes the way people tell their stories. “If you cannot honestly evaluate and say, ‘Hey, I made mistakes here,’” he said, offense has already taken root. Humility disappears when bitterness takes over.
- You gather people onto your side
Schott described offended believers building support systems around their hurt through conversations and private messages. “You’re building a case because it is a demonic ploy in a demonic courtroom,” he said. He warned that offense spreads quickly once it is shared.
- Joy begins disappearing
“Offended people are rarely joyful because bitterness and joy can’t live in the same heart,” Schott said. He explained that unresolved offense drains spiritual life and replaces peace with heaviness.
Schott said forgiveness is the only way out of the trap. “You are never more like Jesus than when you’re forgiving,” he said. He encouraged believers to examine their hearts daily and release offense quickly before it settles deeper. “Where you stop forgiving, you stop spiritually growing.”
The Bible continually points believers back to forgiveness because unforgiveness keeps the heart stuck in old pain. Jesus forgave while hanging on the cross after betrayal, rejection and suffering. His example still calls Christians toward mercy today. Offense keeps people chained to yesterday, but forgiveness opens the way for healing and spiritual growth.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
