Judge not....

In an age where everyone is offended at everybody (just look at any of the cable news shows) how do you keep your heart free of logjams, like offenses, judgements, unforgiveness, and other sins of the heart that will cause one’s heart to be hardened toward God, if not dealt with properly?

Lots of prayer and the word. I think being honest with ourselves and our own need for His mercy, helps us to extend mercy. I think the more we renew our thoughts, focusing on Him and scriptures like Phillipians 4:4-9 we have help. Good question because it calls us to examine our hearts and minds in Him.

Getting offended is a sign of a provocative generation who do not know who they are.
Culture develops agreed positions on everything in the public space so it is known what
is dangerous and what is safe.

When offence is happening all the time, people are demanding a shift in what is acceptable.
If the boundaries know no limits, then one just ends up continually upset, which is pointless.

Jesus said simply, ignore it, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, show love that overcomes
this hurt and domination, but rather reach out to people as who they really are and not the
group persona.

Today people can become so "fluid" they have no identity or place. Rather than exercising care
and support for others, they desire definition and recognition of what they are as individuals
because the world is such an aggressive, power hungry world that is putting them down.

But the truth is we now live in the most privileged society ever, and you can define yourself as
you want, which is the real problem. Jesus and the cross defines us, roots us, focuses us on the
path and how we have obligations to God and to one another.

Hi wordsone, and welcome! Truth is i hardly watch cable news shows now=)).

Like others, i also am hurt, i get offended, and judge once in a while. But when i realize thats what i'm doing, i have to turn to God and His word again to see and remind me what He has to say. To me too. Someone used to say how i see others' faults when i refer to some Scripture, so i have had to be more cautious that i judge myself first, before seeing, and wanting to correct others' faults.

One, I don't watch op ed political commentators, nor do I read their propaganda. This does not mean that you have to go uninformed. You can get the news without the propaganda.
Two, stay immersed in God's word. I love to get lost in apologetics, and theology and Christology. I love to watch YouTube videos of theologians answering crowd pool questions.

The personal relationship with Christ is first and above all earthly ideas. You have to liberate yourself from socio-political identity by understanding that I'm Christ it's the individual that is loved by and loves God, identity politics is full of lies that must be perpetuated in order to maintain the social construct of the oppressed seeking retribution and "equality". In Christ we have no need of such contracts.

Hi Wordsone, if I keep verses/passage like the ones you see below in my signature line in the front of my mind .. cf Deuteronomy 11:18-21, and I'm following the lead/trusting in the HS to guide me, I may still end up being offensive to unbelievers (because the Gospel itself can be offensive to them, just like trying to live a godly life, like a Christian is supposed to do, can be .. 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14; 2 Timothy 3:12).

I always attempt to take temptations/sinful thoughts "captive" (before I end up sinning because of them) whenever they come my way and give them over to the Lord to deal with instead .. 2 Corinthians 10:5. If I end up sinning, because I haven't listened to/followed the HS's lead .. cf Proverbs 3:5-6, I repent as soon as I realize that I've sinned, ask God to forgive me, and then believe that He has done just that by taking Him at His word .. e.g. 1 John 1:9 (even though I may not "feel" forgiven at times/in the moment because of the shame I feel, and/or because the enemy is trying to get me to doubt God, His word, and/or the promises that He's made to us).

God bless you!

~Deut

Hi again @Wordsone, I noticed that you are pretty new around here, so I thought I should also say, welcome to CChat

God bless you! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

~Deut

Going down the path I did, I looked like a complete fool in the eyes of all around me. Almost went to jail for my dumb mistakes BUT,......

Going through all that shame, reduced my self image to a level that allowed me to stop seeing myself as better than others for whatever reason. I now have the choice to fall into the same trap or immediately recognize that voice, and shut it down with repeating something like, “That person is a child of God just like me and as foolish as I was, who am I to look down on them?”

The test still comes once in a while but remembering where I came from should keep my ego in check.