We were listening to one of my messages at home where I mistakenly said, “God created man on the seventh day.” My daughter responded; “No, Daddy. God created man on the sixth day and rested on the seventh day.” Actually, she almost gave me a whole sermon on the Creation Story. Well, I humbly accepted I was wrong, and I thanked her for noting my error and correcting me.
Friend, how do you receive correction? Do you react or respond? You see, God knows that you are not perfect so He has made allowance for your mistakes. But the question is, are you willing and ready to be corrected? Your attitude towards correction is a reflection of your level of humility. You must be teachable and correctable.
“Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head…” (Psalms 141:5). This scripture has shaped my heart in my walk with the Lord. I see righteous corrections as blessings. I see them as kindness. I see them as an excellent oil upon my life that oils my wheel of progress and position me for the highest level of success and productivity.
Until you are corrected, your life cannot be correct. The truth is, you would not always be right but you must always want to be right. The moment you think that you cannot be wrong, you are already wrong. We must embrace the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in their entirety. Part of such ministry is correction and reproof. Don’t only enjoy the encouragements and instructions while jettisoning the correction (2 Timothy 3:16).
The opposite of love is not hatred. It is indifference. How do you know who truly loves you? He does not leave you to yourself, he corrects you. Whoever leaves you to yourself or is indifferent about you does not actually love you, the person hates you. “For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives” (Hebrews 12:6). God corrects us out of love and for our advantage (Hebrews 12:9).
Most times, God will use a human being to correct you. You must learn to see God in the act, not the man. Like Jacob, a lot of us think we are “wrestling” with man (our parents, pastors, friends, Boss, etc.) when we are being corrected, not knowing that it is God coming in the guise of those people. We must learn to respond and not react so that we can break forth into our destiny (Genesis 32:24, 30).
As you go into this week, I want you to take the right posture that can make God (and man) to correct you. Don’t be left to yourself. Respond, don’t react. Sometimes, it’s painful, but yielding would produce the harvest of a blessed life (Hebrews 12:11). Pay attention to those stuff that God has been correcting you about. Ask God for Grace to yield. Your next level of greatness may be tied to such. You will succeed!
© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria