The Bait of Satan

I will start with the positives about this audiobook.
The author reads the book with good clarity and I thought it was quite
pleasant to listen to.
Also the overall message about not holding onto offences and being
offended I wholeheartedly agree with. I also believe that this is the
reason why it has garnered so much praise.

Unfortunately John Bevere frequently miss applies the scripture and
takes it out of context.
For example he uses the Old testament example in the book of Samuel
about how God removes Eli's wicked sons from ministry, to support his
point that we should not expose or call out corrupt leaders and that
only God should do this. He gives the strong impression that if you
are offended by abusive false teaching that itself is sin which is not
what the Bible teaches at all.

However in doing so he contradicts the clear teachings of scripture
where we are commanded to rebuke, avoid and expose such people heres a
few scriptures to support this
1 Timothy 5:20
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all,
so that the rest may stand in fear.

Ephesians 5:11
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Romans 16:17-18.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions
and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been
taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but
their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the
hearts of the naive.

Also the author frequently mentions instances of him speaking to God
and God speaking back however if he cannot properly interpret the
plain meaning of scripture I am very sceptical that he is hearing from
God and not his own imagination!

He may be sincere but double check with your Bible and it becomes
clear he is sincerely wrong.
Here is another review that goes into more detail which you may find helpful.
search for it on the crying out for justice blog

Also the overall topic was great so here are some great books that
deal with this topic in a much better and biblical way.
https://christianaudio.com/respectable-sins-jerry-bridges-audiobook-download

https://christianaudio.com/choosing-gratitude-nancy-leigh-demoss-audiobook-download

https://christianaudio.com/choosing-forgiveness-nancy-leigh-demoss-audiobook-download

I will start with the positives of this audiobook.
The author reads the book with clarity and I thought it was quite
pleasant to listen to.
Also, I wholeheartedly agree with the overall message about not holding onto offenses and being offended. I also believe that this is the reason why it has garnered so much praise.

Unfortunately, John Bevere frequently misapplies the scripture and
takes it out of context. For example: he uses the Old Testament example from the book of 1Samuel where, God removes Eli's wicked sons from ministry, to support his point that we should not expose or call out corrupt leaders and that only God should do this. Bevere gives the strong impression that if you are offended by abusive, false teaching that in itself is sin - this is not what the Bible teaches at all.

In doing so he contradicts the clear teachings of scripture where we are commanded to rebuke, avoid and expose such people. Here are some scriptures to support this:

1Timothy 5:20
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all,
so that the rest may stand in fear.

Ephesians 5:11
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Romans 16:17-18.
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions
and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Also, the author frequently mentions instances of him speaking to God and God speaking back. However, if Bevere cannot properly interpret the plain meaning of scripture, I am very skeptical that he is indeed hearing from God and not his own imagination!

Bevere may be sincere, but when you double check your Bible, it becomes clear that he is sincerely wrong.

Here is another review that goes into more detail which you may find helpful:
https://cryingoutforjustice.blog/2015/04/29/book-review-the-bait-of-satan-living-free-from-the-deadly-trap-of-offense-by-john-bevere/

Also, the overall topic was great, so here are some great books that deal with this topic in a much better and biblical way.
https://christianaudio.com/respectable-sins-jerry-bridges-audiobook-download

https://christianaudio.com/choosing-gratitude-nancy-leigh-demoss-audiobook-download

https://christianaudio.com/choosing-forgiveness-nancy-leigh-demoss-audiobook-download

When the word says to be sober minded, it means to be free from a speculative imagination. This book addresses that beautifully, and it's teaching on trusting God to defend and vindicate you pair nicely. Bevere comes from the sovereignty of God school it seems; where God allows some evil for a purpose. It's not how God is. We live in a fallen world. Stuff happens. If we walked with the Lord like we're supposed to, and were sensitive to his voice, we could avoid most of life's evils, that WE allow. It's not hard to reframe what's being said into my own paradigm. Excellent book overall.