Discussion question your group will work through:
1.Bevere opens by stating that offense is one of Satan's most successful and most-used traps against Christians today. Before reading further, why do you think offense might be more dangerous than more obvious sins like violence or addiction?
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About This Study Guide
John Bevere's The Bait of Satan exposes one of the enemy's most effective and most overlooked traps: offense. Bevere argues that Satan baits believers with wounds, slights, and betrayals — often inflicted by people close to them, sometimes even by leaders in the church — and waits for them to pick up that offense and carry it. Once held, offense hardens into resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness, slowly cutting the offended person off from God's grace, fruitfulness, and destiny. Drawing on Jesus's warnings in Luke 17 and the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, Bevere makes the sobering case that the greatest danger is not the initial wound but our response to it — and that refusing to forgive ultimately imprisons us, not our offender.
This study guide is designed to take you through The Bait of Satan one chapter at a time, over twelve weeks. Each week, read the assigned chapter (or section) before your group meets or before you sit down to journal. Then work through the discussion questions slowly and honestly — some will ask you to recall what Bevere argues, others will press you to examine your own heart, and others will invite you to connect what you're learning to the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are encouraged to keep a personal journal alongside this guide, writing out your answers to the more probing questions before sharing them with a group. End each session in prayer, using the closing prayer provided as a starting point.
By the end of this study, you can expect to identify the specific ways Satan has used offense in your own life, understand why forgiveness is not optional for the follower of Christ, and take concrete steps toward freedom. Many readers have found that The Bait of Satan surfaces wounds they had long buried and names patterns they had never recognized — that discomfort is part of the process. Press through it. The freedom Bevere points toward is real, and it is worth the cost of honest self-examination.
12-Week Schedule
- Week 1Introduction — Knowing the Enemy's Tactics7 questions
- Week 2Chapter 1 — The Bait8 questions
- Week 3Chapter 2 — My Father, My Father7 questions
- Week 4Chapter 3 — The Danger Zone7 questions
- Week 5Chapter 4 — How Could This Happen to Me?7 questions
- Week 6Chapter 5 — Spiritual Betrayal7 questions
- Week 7Chapter 6 — Escaping the Trap7 questions
- Week 8Chapter 7 — Revenge: The Trap's Final Lock7 questions
- Week 9Chapter 8 — Forgiving the Unrepentant7 questions
- Week 10Chapter 9 — Recovering Sight7 questions
- Week 11Chapter 10 — Watch and Pray8 questions
- Week 12Review & Reflection8 questions
Week 1: Introduction — Knowing the Enemy's Tactics
Free sampleRead the Introduction of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Luke 17:1; 1 Peter 5:8.
1.Bevere opens by stating that offense is one of Satan's most successful and most-used traps against Christians today. Before reading further, why do you think offense might be more dangerous than more obvious sins like violence or addiction?
2.The title The Bait of Satan uses the image of a fisherman setting a lure. What does the "bait" represent in Bevere's framework, and why is it significant that the bait is often something that seems justified — a real wound, a genuine injustice?
3.Jesus says in Luke 17:1, "It is impossible that no offenses should come." How does this statement reframe the question from "Will I ever be hurt?" to something more important? What is the question Bevere says we must actually be asking?
4.Bevere notes that many Christians are living in a spiritual prison they don't even recognize — one they built themselves through harbored offense. Have you ever looked back on a season of your life and recognized that bitterness or resentment was limiting you spiritually, even though at the time it felt completely justified?
5.The introduction establishes that this book will be difficult to read because it challenges our instinct to protect ourselves and to see ourselves as victims. What is your honest reaction to being asked to examine your offenses rather than your offenders?
6.1 Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a roaring lion "seeking whom he may devour." How does the image of Satan as a predator hunting for vulnerable prey connect to the theme of offense? What makes an offended Christian particularly vulnerable?
7.As you begin this study, is there a specific relationship or situation in your life where you sense the issue of offense might be at work? You don't need to share details, but simply acknowledging it to yourself (and God) is a meaningful first step. Take a moment to do that now.
Week 2: Chapter 1 — The Bait
Read Chapter 1 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Luke 17:1-2; Matthew 18:6-7.
1.Bevere explains that the Greek word for "offense" in the New Testament is skandalon, the word for the trigger of an animal trap — the stick that holds the bait. Why is this word picture so important to understanding what offense actually does to a person?
Week 3: Chapter 2 — My Father, My Father
Read Chapter 2 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: 2 Samuel 15–18 (Absalom's rebellion); Psalm 55:12-14.
1.Bevere uses the story of Absalom — who was genuinely wronged by his father David, then allowed offense to grow into murderous rebellion — as the central illustration of this chapter. What steps did Absalom take that turned a real injustice into a full-blown trap?
a.How did he go from being wronged to recruiting others to his offense?
b.What did his rebellion ultimately cost him?
Week 4: Chapter 3 — The Danger Zone
Read Chapter 3 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Hebrews 12:15; Matthew 18:21-35.
1.Hebrews 12:15 warns against a "root of bitterness" that springs up, causes trouble, and defiles many. Bevere emphasizes the word "root" — something below the surface that is invisible until it has already done damage. Why is that underground quality of bitterness so dangerous?
Week 5: Chapter 4 — How Could This Happen to Me?
Read Chapter 4 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Genesis 37; 39–41 (Joseph's story); Psalm 105:17-19.
1.Bevere holds up Joseph as the defining biblical example of someone who endured massive, repeated injustice without becoming offended. Why does he consider Joseph's story so instructive — and so rare?
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Spiritual Betrayal
Read Chapter 5 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: John 13:18-30; Psalm 41:9.
1.Bevere opens this chapter by examining the betrayal of Jesus by Judas — someone Jesus had personally chosen, discipled, and trusted with leadership responsibilities. Why does he call this the ultimate example of spiritual betrayal, and why does he say it is especially instructive for the church today?
Week 7: Chapter 6 — Escaping the Trap
Read Chapter 6 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15-17; Luke 17:3-4.
1.Bevere argues that the first step to escaping the trap of offense is acknowledgment — we must be willing to admit that we are holding an offense rather than defending our right to hold it. Why is that first step so difficult, and why does Bevere call it a form of humility?
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Revenge: The Trap's Final Lock
Read Chapter 7 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Romans 12:17-21; Proverbs 20:22.
1.Bevere argues that the desire for revenge is not just a moral failing but a spiritual indicator — it reveals that we have decided we are better judges of justice than God is. Do you agree? What does the desire for revenge reveal about our functional beliefs about God?
Week 9: Chapter 8 — Forgiving the Unrepentant
Read Chapter 8 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Luke 23:34; Stephen's prayer in Acts 7:60; Romans 5:8.
1.Bevere addresses the common objection: "I can't forgive until they apologize and make things right." What is his response to this, and what does he say is at stake spiritually if we adopt this position?
Week 10: Chapter 9 — Recovering Sight
Read Chapter 9 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Matthew 7:3-5; 1 John 2:9-11.
1.Bevere argues, drawing on 1 John 2:9-11, that a person walking in hatred toward a brother is actually walking in darkness — they cannot see clearly, even in spiritual matters. Have you observed this spiritual blindness in someone who was deeply offended? In what ways did their offense distort their perception of reality?
Week 11: Chapter 10 — Watch and Pray
Read Chapter 10 of The Bait of Satan. Key Scripture: Matthew 26:41; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9.
1.Bevere closes the book not just with a call to forgive past offenses, but with a call to vigilance — to "watch and pray" so that offense does not find a foothold again. Why is ongoing watchfulness necessary? Is forgiveness a one-time event or an ongoing posture?
Week 12: Review & Reflection
Review your notes and journal entries from all ten chapters of The Bait of Satan.
1.Looking back across the whole book, which chapter or illustration affected you most deeply? Why do you think that particular content landed the way it did?
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