The Bait of Satan, 20th Anniversary Edition: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

I really enjoyed the structure of the book in keeping chapters short and manageable to use as a daily reading with declarations. I highly recommend the companion study guide for reflective questions that deepen our understanding of where we are in our walk with God and how we are living each day. The topic of offense is very relevant today. How many times are we offended by someone or we offend someone? It really makes you think and highlights the biblical importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. This can be a life changing book for many. Highly recommend.

John Bevere’s “The Bait of Satan” dives into how holding onto offense can harm relationships and spiritual growth. He warns that it’s a trap set by the enemy to divide believers. Using Bible verses and personal stories, Bevere shows how unforgiveness can poison the heart and hinder spiritual progress. Forgiveness is essential for freedom and closeness with God. The book encourages readers to check their hearts for hidden bitterness and offers practical steps to let go of offense and embrace love. The writing is clear and engaging, making it impactful for believers at any faith level. It effectively combines biblical teachings with real llife advice. While some might find the tone intense, the message is hopeful and freeing. Overall, it’s a valuable resource for those wanting to overcome offense and live fully surrendered to God. I recommend this very popular book!

Deception is so...unfair! A deceived person, by the very nature of deception, has no possible way of knowing they are being deceived. That is, unless someone shines a light onto the issue, revealing the truth to them and exposing the lies for what they truly are...lies and deception. I was given such a revelation this past week, when I read "THE BAIT OF SATAN: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense" by John Bevere. If you had asked me two weeks ago if I was offended by anybody, or if I was holding onto any offense, I would have honestly said, "No...not that I know of." Not because I would not want to share that information with you, or recognize I had any faults but, simply because I am a pretty laid-back person and I tend to easily forgive people. Yet, before even finishing the first chapter of this book, I was already in tears as God began showing me people whom I had allowed to offend me. For the first time, I was able to see through the enemy's deception in this area and could recognize where I had stepped in his traps. I was, in fact, holding onto some offenses, not allowing God's work to be as effective in those areas of my life and ministry. THE TRAP Right at the very beginning of the book, John teaches that the Greek word for "offend" is skandalon, which refers to the part of a trap where the bait is set. So, even just by looking at the word "offend", we can see how an offense can be a tool that Satan, our enemy, will lay in our path to catch us, or trap us. Our enemy wants the trap to remain hidden, so we will be unaware of the danger we are headed toward, and even more importantly, he wants us to remain unaware of the very fact that we have been trapped, therefore, keeping us from even attempting to free ourselves from the trap at all! How easy the hunter's job is, if the animal he has trapped does not even realize he has been trapped and does not fight or struggle to get free! "Well, that doesn't make sense!" one might say. "How could a person be trapped and yet not even realize it?" Bevere addresses this when he writes, "One way the enemy keeps a person in an offended state is to keep the offense hidden, cloaked with pride. Pride will keep you from admitting your true condition." (p. 7) Pride then leads to selfishness, as we become more concerned with the preservation of ourselves than with the well-being of others. This selfishness causes the offended Christian to become focused inward and we lose sight of what God is doing in and through others. We become guarded and defensive; seeking to protect our "rights", rather than with open arms being ready to embrace others and come to their defense! This selfish pride causes us to view ourselves as victims, but just because we may have been mistreated does not mean we suddenly have the right to hold on to an offense! For as Bevere writes, "If we don't risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us." (p. 16) THE RESULT OF OFFENSE When people get offended, and hold on to the offense and let it grow and fester, it will infect them like a poison. They begin to believe everyone is out to get them. Obviously, this attitude makes it even more difficult for them to see where in their lives they need to grow, change and mature. As they continue to isolate themselves, seeking their own protection, they end up inviting abuse. If they do not soon recognize and put a stop to this destructive mindset, this can quickly become a circular pattern; take an offense, become defensive, seek isolation, invite abuse and then back to offense. Proverbs 18:1 says, "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment." But, as Bevere writes, "God never created us to live separately and independently of each other. He likes it when His children care for and nurture each other. He is frustrated when we...feel sorry for ourselves; making everyone else responsible for our happiness...an isolated person seeks only his own desire, not God's. He receives no counsel and sets himself up for deception." (p. 55) Further on he adds, "When you're out of the will of God, you will not be a blessing or help to [others]...even the good relationships will be strained...Offended people react to the situation and do things that appear right even though they are not inspired by God. We are not called to react but to act." (p. 50) However, when we read Psalm 1:1-2 and 119:165 we see that it says, "Blessed is the man...[whose] delight is in the law of the Lord...great peace have they which love [or delight in] Thy law; and nothing shall offend them." Bevere points out that when we choose to delight in the Word of God, even in the midst of adversity, we avoid being offended. IS OFFENDING SOMEONE EVER ACCEPTABLE? One of the many things I liked in this book was when Bevere showed, in chapters 9 and 10, the difference between: (a) Jesus being WILLING to offend various people because He knew it would either expose a deception or lie they had believed in error, or because He was not willing to bend or avoid the truth, and (b) Jesus being UNWILLING to offend someone if it would not have served a greater purpose...even if he would have been fully justified in doing so! It showed me: There is both a time to offend and a time when it is wiser not to offend. I think most of us tend to avoid offending people at all costs, myself included. However, sometimes the action which would be the most beneficial for everyone may very well be taken offensively. The question is, "Are we more concerned with truth and the ultimate well-being of others, or with our reputations and what people think of us?" Yet, on the flip-side, there are other times when we act out of selfish, prideful motivations and put our "rights" before the needs of others and risk offending people unnecessarily, with no higher motivation in mind aside from our own self-centeredness, thus no benefit to anybody is gained. As Bevere points out, we would do well to learn from Jesus' example in this regard: "...He chose to use His liberty and freedom to serve...He never wanted freedom to be a license to demand our rights and cause another to be offended and stumble" (pp. 113, 116) NO GRAY AREA, NO MIDDLE GROUND, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT One of the strongest statements John Bevere makes in this book, and possibly my favorite quote in the book, simply because of how bold and shocking it is to our western, privileged way of thinking, is on page 137 when he says, "Jesus eliminates any gray areas for grudges. In fact He says that our attitude is to be so far removed from avenging ourselves that we are willing to open ourselves to the possibility of being taken advantage of again." Wow! There is no playing around with this statement, is there?! It flies right in the face of our culture's popular, "Look out for Number One," mantra, doesn't it?! But, when we stop and think about Bevere's statement...it is exactly the attitude of unconditional love Jesus took with us. He willingly went to the cross; laying down His life, though He was innocent. He took all our sin upon Himself; suffering through the worst possible torture and death. He paid the highest price...even while we rejected Him and His gift to us! (Romans 5:8) Now, if THAT was not love, what is? One of the last things Bevere says in his book is this: "If we keep the love of God as our motivation, we will not fail. Love never fails. When we love others the way Jesus loves us, we will be free even if the other person chooses not to be reconciled to us...the love of God is the key to freedom from the baited trap of offense. This must be an abounding love...that continually grows...so many in our society today are deceived by a superficial love, a love that talks but does not act. The love that will keep us from stumbling lays down its life selflessly--even for the good of an enemy. When we walk in this kind of love, we cannot be seduced into taking the bait of Satan." (pp. 162-163) ON A PERSONAL NOTE At the time of writing this, I have only just finished reading THE BAIT OF SATAN and have not yet had an opportunity to speak with the people with whom I have held the biggest offense. I have, however, gone before the Lord in prayer; admitting my offenses to Him, forgiving those people who had hurt me, releasing them from any blame in my heart and cancelling any debt I felt they owed me. Almost immediately I began feeling the weight of my offenses lifting and a peace and joy fill my heart as I thought about each person and prayed for them and for our relationship to be healed, restored and strengthened. I know to see the full work of this restoration is a process and may take some time, but I am encouraged to feel such a difference already in my heart over the last two days since finishing Bevere's book. I am now praying as God provides the opportunities, I would be able to speak with each of these people, to confess my offenses to them and seek their forgiveness. Hopefully, we will see our friendship strengthened and our ministry together bear fruit again...yet, even if they don't receive my attempt to mend our relationship, I will know I have been freed from the trap of offense in which the enemy once imprisoned me! I have been so blessed by the message of John Bevere's book, THE BAIT OF SATAN, and hope to see God's work of deliverance set many more people free from the trap of offense. I plan on recommending this book to others at my church, in my ministry and in my family. May God bless John Bevere for writing this timely and powerful book, and may God bless every believer who reads it and chooses to obey the Word of God and the principles in this book. May you find freedom and healing from the hurts and offenses of this world; and may you stay freed from the trap!

This book is exactly what I needed to read. I've struggled all my life with abuse, trauma, and resentments. I was labeled with PTSD and when that happens, one doesn't have to look at themselves because someone or something else caused your pain. Sure you can go to therapy and learn some coping skills, but God is never a part of it. I did exactly what this book describes: isolate, moving every time something bad happened, blaming others for my inability to make any type of progress. Like he said, everything becomes filtered through the resentments. I've read hundreds if not thousands of books trying to find why I've been unable to "produce fruit." I've had this book in my library since 2019 and I did read and highlight parts but it didn't click like it does now. Now I see so clearly how I have contributed to my own misery and what to do about it. If you've struggled at all like I have, I highly recommend you read this book. It truly will change you on the inside. I feel so much lighter, and free. Now I am OK with adversity because it gives me opportunity to "produce fruit." Other people's behavior does not mean anything about me. My own behavior does though. And because of reading this book, I see how I can have a happy & joyous life. Now everything gets filtered through the love of my Father, God! Thank you Mr. Bevere, for allowing God to use you to write this healing book. You are gifted with writing. I believe God lead me back to this book in answer to my prayers.

After walking through a season of deep church hurt, I found myself battling feelings I didn’t fully understand — pain, distrust, and even offense that I thought I had already laid down. I was still triggered by memories and interactions, even though my heart longed to heal. When I picked up The Bait of Satan, I didn’t realize just how much truth and freedom were waiting for me in its pages. John Bevere writes with biblical wisdom and grace, exposing one of the enemy’s most subtle traps: offense. He explains how easily believers can take the bait of resentment or disappointment, allowing it to separate us from others and even from God’s purpose for our lives. Through Scripture, personal stories, and revelation from the Holy Spirit, Bevere walks readers through the process of recognizing, releasing, and forgiving — not from a place of weakness, but from spiritual maturity and obedience to God’s Word. What stood out most to me was the reminder that forgiveness is not a feeling — it’s a choice. Healing begins when we surrender our right to be offended and trust God with our pain. The book gently convicted me to stop replaying what happened and start inviting the Holy Spirit to renew my heart. Each chapter gave me language for what I was feeling and hope that I could walk in freedom again. I’m still healing, still growing, and still learning to let the Holy Spirit touch those tender places — but I’m so thankful for this book. It’s been more than just a read; it’s been a tool for transformation. If you’ve ever been hurt — especially within the body of Christ — I can’t recommend The Bait of Satan enough. It’s not always easy to face offense, but the truth in this book will lead you to restoration, peace, and a deeper relationship with God.

Hello, I read this book because it was given to me by a Christian friend. I'm so glad she did, and I'm so glad I read it! It has brought a balance to my recent reading about "Spiritual Abuse". I think we need to read about both topics in order to obtain a balanced viewpoint on how to handle offense and spiritually abusive situations as we walk-out our Christian experience. Spiritual abuse won't happen if you don't allow yourself to become offended! I didn't know this truth when I first become a Christian in March 1977. If I had of understood what John was talking about in this book, and the other books I've been reading lately, about Spiritual Abuse, I doubt I would have walked at a distance from God for many years, after being offended by a "Spiritually Abusive" Christian group when I was "born again" in March 1977. If you have become offended there are serious consequences to be reaped in your life, such as anger, outrage, backsliding, division, broken relationships. All of which prevent a close walk with God. I know about these things because I have experienced them all in my Christian walk. John's book only verified what has been true in my Christian walk. Get this book to understand what it means to be offended as a Christian in your walk with God. You might be surprised about what John say's is an offense but you won't be able to disagree with what he says is an offense because you will know that what he says's is true because it is what you have experienced. That was what it was like for me as I read John's book. I could relate to a lot of what he was talking about because I was an offended Christian for many years but was healed in 2006 as I began to address the areas of offense in my life. I addressed these offenses in my life not because I had read a book but I believe it was because God had decided it was long enough for me to be walking at a distance from Him. So He ever so gently began to heal me from offenses in my life. Some of those offenses had been caused by myself and others were caused by Christians and some were caused by Christian Teachers who had become legalistic on matters of faith. Offenses caused by me and or by others had to be acknowledge to God as just that, offenses to God and forgiveness asked, which I did and when I did, healing and restoration began to occur in my walk with God and I was close to Him once again, though He never left me nor forsook me all those years! He was there, very close but I was the one walking at a distance so to speak. Not any more though. Get this book even if you've been healed of your offenses, like I had been. Get it because it will just further your understanding about the trap Satan is using to keep people from being effective in the Kingdom of God and why the bait of Satan has become so rampant, even 20 years after the writing of this book. Get this book if you need to see what your offenses are, get this book to understand what it means to be offended. Get this book if you want to know how to get a tender heart towards God again and help His people who have become trapped by the bait of Satan - offense. Definitely a must read for all Christians who are seriously considering to have a closer walk with God and are interested in helping others to recognise the bait of Satan which they have taken into their lives. This book was first written in 1994 but it is still very, very relevant for today and I think it will continue to be a must read until Jesus returns. I plan on reading John's other book about "Breaking Intimidation". Judging by this book, I'm sure it will be a another great read too! Thank God that He has raised up teachers like John Bevere, who are able to show us what a practical walk with God looks like and how to recognise the offenses we have taken which have been none other than taking "The Bait of Satan" rendering us infective in furthering the Kingdom of God. After you have read this book you will pull strongholds down in your life and be in a position to do so for others as you help them from being snared by the hidden bait of Satan - taking offense.

It's ok

Very insightful book. I enjoyed how practical the recommendations are and how rooted in scripture they are. Additionally, the stories that were shared are extremely relatable. Highly recommend this book.

Ce livre est une merveille de l’Esprit de Dieu. La question de l’offense y est magnifiquement abordé au travers des Écritures. Avec des situations réelles et parfois très difficiles que l’on peut expérimenter pendant notre vie. C’est un superbe livre pour la guérison des cœurs et pour la restauration de l’âme. Beaucoup d’outils sont donnés aussi pour vivre une vie alerte par rapport aux stratégies de l’ennemi et une vie libérée de l’offense. Ce livre est un livre qui se lit et se relit lorsque l’offense frappe à nouveau à la porte. Beaucoup de conseils pratiques pour une mise en application efficace. Je recommande intensément !!!

My approach and appreciation of offence has definitely taken a turn for the better after reading this book. So insightful. Highly recommend if you want to break from letting offences hold you back from the freedom Christ has for you.

Bought this for new believer! This book is one of the best books I have read about forgiveness. It taught me to put God's word into practice and helped me forgive my father I didn't talk to for 17 years.

The best book to deliver yourself from the bondage of offense

Shows you how getting offended is a trap and gives many examples of how we are doing it without even realising...(he recounts the people he met and what they shared..their different experiences)