GOD SPEAKS TO US
THROUGH CORRECTION

When we need correction—and there are times when we
all need it—I believe it is the Lord’s first desire to correct
us Himself. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens (see
Hebrews 12:6). God’s correction or chastisement is not a
bad thing; it is always and ultimately only for our good.
The fact that it works toward our good does not mean it
always feels good or that it is something we enjoy
immediately:
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems
grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable
fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it
[a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in
conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action,
resulting in right living and right standing with God].
(Hebrews 12:11)

In the example about the preacher whom I had judged,
God used Dave to bring a word of correction to me as well
as a word of revelation. I needed revelation to know why I
felt so miserable, but to be honest, I was not expecting a
correction about my behavior.
Correction is probably one of the most difficult things for
most of us to receive, especially when it comes through
another person. Even if we have problems, we don’t want
others to know we have them. I believe God prefers to
correct us privately, but if we won’t accept His correction,
or if we don’t know how to allow Him to correct us
privately, He will correct us publicly, using whatever
source He needs to use. In Balaam’s case, God used his
donkey.

Recently we were ministering in a foreign country, and
the food was very unpleasant to us. We were not
accustomed to the type of food served or the spices used
in its preparation. I was in a restaurant where I was
trying to convey to the waiter what I would like to have.
He did not speak English very well, and I did not speak his
language at all. Several people got involved, each of them
trying to help me; but as it turned out, four different
people ordered food for me.
I became frustrated, and my frustration was evident in
my attitude and voice tone. I was behaving poorly in front
of people who knew I had come to minister, and of course,
my example to them was important. I already knew that
my behavior was not very good, but the Lord wanted me
to “really know.” So when we got back to our room, Dave
said, “You really must be careful about how you talk to
people in situations like the one at lunch; your example
wasn’t very good.”
Although I knew he was right, and I also knew God was
using him to drive the point home and make sure I fully
realized how important it was, my inclination was to say
to Dave, “Well, I’ve seen you do the same thing.” Had I
done that, I would not have received the word, and God
would have just tried to reach me another way—possibly
one that would have been even more embarrassing or
painful.

Often our first impulse upon being corrected by someone
is to find fault with him or her. Satan tempts us to do this
so we will divert the conversation away from the real
issue. Being corrected by God through people in authority,
such as the government, employers, parents, and
teachers, is something each of us will encounter
throughout life. We may not always like the source God
chooses to use, but it is wisdom to accept correction in
order to avoid “going around the mountain one more
time” (see Deuteronomy 2:3).
Many think that hearing from God will always be
supremely spiritual, but we can see from these examples
that God uses natural things to reveal Himself to us as
well as spiritual ones. Begin listening and watching for
God to speak or show Himself strongly everywhere (see 2
Chronicles 16:9). You just never know when—or how—He
may show up!