II Corinthians 2:11 is a familiar verse that people quote. It says, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." I'm highly in favor of Bible memorization; I know hundreds of verses. However, when we quote verses we ought to remember the context in which they occur, especially when the first word is "lest." "Lest" is a conjunction that my Webster's New World Dictionary [WNWD] says means: "for fear that; in case; or so that…no" In the Greek text it is "hina mē" which occurs in the Stephens text 97 times, and it is translated in the KJV "that not” (45 times) and "lest” (43 times). The point I want to make is that if people do not want Satan to get an advantage of them, they ought to read the context in which it is written.

2 Corinthians 2:7b-11:
… ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
⁸ Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
⁹ For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
¹⁰ To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
¹¹ Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

  The greatest way Satan gets advantage over God" s people is with unforgivness. When we do not forgive we play right into his hands. Surely we are tempted many times to cling to our hurts and hold grudges indefinitely. We might as well set a place for our adversary at our dinner table, if we do. Of course we justify ourselves and have extremely good reasons for doing so.

  Jesus spoke the parable of the "good Samaritan” to the lawyer who had all the answers. It said in Luke 10:29 that the lawyer asked, "Who is my neighbor?” He did so, the text says, because he was "willing to justify himself.” He knew the answer… He knew what was right… He was just looking for a way to avoid doing it… He would rather present excuses for himself than simply do what he ought.

  If we are offended by what people do, we will not go very far in our walk with God. If you want to progress in your relationship with God, you cannot let your journey be side tracked every time someone hurts your feelings. So, we take offence or we get offended, so what? Get over it! How long are we going to let stuff bug us? Unforgivness is a trap of the devil, and he catches people all the time.

  One of the Greek words for "offence” is skandalon, from which we get our word "scandal." Again my WNWD says "scandal” originally meant "unseemly conduct of a religious person that discredits religion or causes moral lapse in another.” Skandalon was the movable stick or trigger of a trap and was used of any impediment placed in the way causing one to stumble or fall. It was often the part of the trap on which the bait lies to lure in its victim. Offense is part of the devil" s trap to keep us from moving ahead in our walk with God.

  The next time he tries to catch you, don" t take the bait. You are smarter than that, and now you are not ignorant of his major device of unforgivness. Rise above the offence. We don" t forgive others for what it does for them. We forgive others for what it does for us. It keeps us safe and out of Satan" s trap.