Twenty-five years ago, I read John Bevere’s book, The Bait of Satan, after hearing him speak in St. Catherines, Ontario. Here, I analyze John’s teaching on how taking offence at another person can affect your spiritual life in Christ. As we delve into John’s teaching, we will cite scriptures to support his thesis. Note: When you come to a scripture, hover over it, and it will pop up for reading.

John Bevere is an American evangelist, international speaker, and bestselling author known for his bold and Scripture-centred approach to Christian ministry. He is the co-founder of Messenger International, a global discipleship organization established in 1990 alongside his wife, Lisa Bevere.

The central metaphor of his book is the Greek word skandalon, which refers to the part of a trap where the bait is placed. Bevere argues that offence is the “bait” the enemy uses to lure believers into a state of spiritual captivity. ¹

Core Principles of the Teaching

Let’s examine the anatomy of offence through several key concepts:

• The Trap of Offence: Offence is not just an emotional hurt; it is a calculated trap. When we harbour offence, we are the ones who end up in a cage, even if we feel our anger is “justified.”
• Two Types of Offended People:
  1. Those who have been treated unjustly.
  2. Those who believe they have been treated unjustly (misunderstandings). Bevere notes that in both cases, the spiritual danger is the same.
• The Wall of Protection: He teaches that offence creates a “wall” between the individual and God. It blocks spiritual growth, stifles prayer, and prevents the person from fulfilling their purpose.
• The Fruit of Offence: Bevere identifies symptoms like bitterness, resentment, envy, and anger. If left unchecked, these “roots” produce toxic fruit that affects every area of life.

The Remedy: Forgiveness and Humility

• Relinquishing Rights: True freedom comes when we give up the “right” to seek revenge or hold a grudge. Rather, we begin to see the importance of forgiveness as Jesus taught it in Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
• The Power of Prayer: Instead of talking about those who hurt us, he encourages praying for them, which effectively “breaks the power” of the offence over our hearts.
• The Role of Trials: God allows us to encounter offensive situations to expose what is hidden in our hearts, using the friction to refine our character.

“Offence is the tool of the devil to bring a believer into captivity… If you stay offended, you will never fulfill your purpose.” — John Bevere

Feature	The Life of Offence	The Life of Freedom
Perspective	Focused on self and past hurts.	Focused on God and future purpose.
Relationship	Guarded, suspicious, and isolated.	Open, trusting, and community-oriented.
Spiritual State	Stagnant; prayer feels “blocked.”	Growing in grace, characterized by peace.
End Result	Bitterness and spiritual decay.	Tranquillity, maturity and refinement.

 

In The Bait of Satan, John Bevere outlines a path to freedom that is less about “getting over it” and more about a deep spiritual surgery. He argues that since offence is a trap for your soul, you have to actively dismantle it to get out. 

Here are the specific steps he recommends for finding freedom:

1. Acknowledge the Bait

The first step is often the hardest: admitting you are actually offended. Bevere notes that many people disguise offence as “discernment” or “standing up for truth.”

• Action: Be brutally honest with yourself and God. Stop justifying your anger based on how “wrong” the other person was.

2. Shift Your Perspective (God’s Sovereignty)

Bevere teaches that nothing can happen to a believer that God cannot use for their growth: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

• The Mindset: Instead of seeing the person who hurt you as an enemy, see the situation as a “refiner’s fire.” Ask: “What is this situation revealing about the pride or weakness in my own heart?”

3. Relinquish the “Right” to Revenge

True forgiveness, according to Bevere, isn’t a feeling; it’s a decision to release the debt.

• The Debt Analogy: Imagine the person owes you a moral debt for what they took (your reputation, your time, your joy). You must “cancel the debt” entirely, meaning you no longer look to that person to make it right or apologize.

4. Pray for Your “Enemy.”

This is the practical “acid test” for whether you are truly free.

• The Command: Based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:44, Bevere insists you must pray for the success, well-being, and spiritual growth of the person who offended you.
• Why it works: It is nearly impossible to remain bitterly offended by someone while sincerely asking God to bless them.

5. Seek Reconciliation (Where Possible)

If the offence involved a personal breach, Bevere encourages taking the initiative to make peace, regardless of who was “more” wrong.

• Humility First: Approach the person not to point out their sin, but to express your desire for a restored relationship.
• Note: He acknowledges that while you should always offer forgiveness, reconciliation requires two people. You are only responsible for your side of the bridge.

6. Stay “Under Cover.”

Finally, stay in a position of humility and submission to God. Bevere argues that pride is the armour that offence clings to; if you remain humble, the “bait” has nothing to hook into.

Forgiveness is for your sake, not the other person’s. It releases you from the prison of your own making.” — John Bevere

To help you put these principles into practice, here is a breakdown of the specific scriptures John Bevere uses to anchor this teaching, followed by a prayer of release based on the book’s core message.

Biblical Foundations for Overcoming Offence

Bevere builds the entire “Bait of Satan” message on these key passages. Hover over the scriptures to see them pop up.

• Matthew 24:10–12: Jesus warns that in the last days, “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” Bevere uses this to show that offence is the enemy’s primary strategy in the end times.
• Proverbs 18:19: “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city.” This illustrates how offence creates a “fortress” around a person’s heart, isolating them from others and God.
• Proverbs 17:9 NAS: “One who conceals an offence seeks love, but one who repeats a matter separates close friends.”
• 2 Timothy 2:24–26: This passage describes being “gentle to all” so that God may grant repentance to those who have been “taken captive by [the devil] to do his will.” Bevere links this directly to the “trap” (skandalon).
  • Skandalon (σκανδαλον) is a Koine Greek word primarily defined as the bait-trigger, or mechanism of a trap. In the New Testament, it is used metaphorically to describe a “stumbling block — taking an “offence” against any person or thing that causes the offended one to turn away from or miss the guidance of the Holy Spirit, fall into sin, or lose their own joy and peace.
• Matthew 18:21–35: The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. This is the scriptural “hammer” Bevere uses to show that if we do not forgive the small debts others owe us, we lose the benefit of the massive debt God has forgiven us.
• Mark 6:1–4: Here we see how people in Jesus’ hometown became offended at his ministry: “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”

A Prayer of Release (Based on The Bait of Satan)

If you are currently struggling with a specific hurt, you can use this prayer as a starting point to “drop the bait”:

“Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I admit that I have been harbouring offence against [Name]. I have allowed bitterness to take root, and I recognize today that this is a trap for my soul. I choose to stop justifying my anger right now. I release [Name] from the debt I feel they owe me. I cancel that debt completely.

Lord, I ask You to bless [Name]. Soften my heart toward them and replace my resentment with Your love. I thank You for forgiving my many sins, and I choose to extend that same grace today. I refuse to stay in the cage of offence. I am free, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

The Goal: A “Great Escape”

The end goal of these steps isn’t just to feel better—it’s to regain your spiritual authority. Bevere teaches that when you are no longer “bait-able,” the enemy loses his primary hold over your life.

John Bevere applies these principles to specific areas, such as offence within a church or offence toward God Himself.  John Bevere often addresses two specific, high-stakes scenarios where offense is most “deadly”: offense toward God and offense within the Church (often called “Church Hurt”).

Here is how he applies the principles of The Bait of Satan to these areas:

1. Offense Toward God

This is perhaps the most dangerous trap because it causes a person to pull away from their only source of help.

• The Root: This usually stems from unmet expectations. A prayer wasn’t answered the way we wanted, a tragedy occurred, or God didn’t “show up” when we felt He should have.
• The Correction: Bevere teaches that we cannot judge God by our circumstances. Instead, we must judge our circumstances by God’s character.
• The Shift: To be free, you must move from “Why did You let this happen?” to “I trust You even when I don’t understand.”

2. Offense Toward Leadership (Church Hurt)

Bevere is well-known for his teachings on Spiritual Authority. He argues that the enemy loves to use the flaws of leaders to offend believers and isolate them from the body of Christ.

• The Trap: Focuses on the leader’s mistakes to justify leaving, rebelling, or gossiping.
• The Perspective: Bevere points out that even if a leader is wrong, our response determines our future. He often uses the example of David and Saul—David refused to “stretch out his hand” against King Saul, despite Saul’s pursuit of him.
• The Goal: Protect your heart so that you don’t become the very thing that offended you.

Understanding the “Skandalon” (The Trap)

To visualize how this works spiritually, it helps to look at the physical mechanism Bevere refers to. The “bait” is placed on a trigger stick; once the animal touches the bait, the trap snaps shut.

Element of the Trap	Spiritual Application
The Bait	The hurt, insult, or injustice you experienced.
The Trigger (Skandalon)	Your decision to “take” the offense and hold onto it.
The Cage	The resulting bitterness that isolates you from God and others.
The Key	Humility and Forgiveness.

Summary Checklist for Staying “Un-Offendable”

According to Bevere’s teaching, staying free requires daily maintenance:

• [ ] Check your pride: Are you easily insulted? Pride is the “hook” that offence grabs onto.
• [ ] Filter your words: Are you sharing your “hurt” with others (gossip), or taking it to God?
• [ ] Examine your fruit: Is there peace in your life, or are you constantly “at war” with someone in your mind?

 

^{1 Source of Book Report: John Bevere’s classic work: “Bait of Satan.”}