Hey Everyone,
What is it like for you when God corrects you? Does He normally correct you through others? Or do you usually experience some sort of sharp sting in your conscience?
Does it feel like God is lecturing you? Yelling at you? Looking at you quietly? Or is He standing there harshly chewing you out because you've blown it... yet again...
I'm really interested in hearing what it's like when God convicts and corrects you, and how do you usually respond?
The reason I ask is because I've been noticing it a lot in myself lately. Recently I was in a real-life conversation in which I said something very hastily that I should not have said, and I INSTANTLY felt convicted. I felt as if the Holy Spirit just put a big red check at the top of my paper. But at the same time, I didn't know how to correct it or what I could say to undo the damage. (I don't want to go into details because it's of a personal nature, and it wasn't something that could b It was more be fixed with just an apology. It was more like someone was making a negative comment about someone else, and I agreed with them.)
I didn't know what to do. It's not like I could say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I actually think so-and-so is a stellar person," because that would have been untrue and insincere. But, I should not have been so ready to agree with such a negative assessment either.
In a separate incidence, I also wrote in Streams about having a free trial to Sirius Radio for over a year that's never been turned off--I've had this nagging feeling for weeks that I should call to check up on it. Truthfully, I just tried to ignore it, but my conscience got the best of me! (Oddly enough, they told me that the trial doesn't even exist, but when I turn on my radio, there it is--then they told me that when the time was up, it would turn off automatically. Ok. But it's been 14 months!!!)
And even though it looks like I'll continue to enjoy this free run for as long as it lasts, I'm sorry to say I didn't call as soon as I knew God was convicting me.
Do you ever have times in your life when you feel God's convictions and corrections are sharp and biting as well? I have personally found that my perception of God is often affected by what I'm currently reading. For instance, when I'm reading stories of God's harsher disciplines: not allowing Moses into the Promised Land, telling David to choose between 3 punishments that results in thousands of people dying, striking down a king with worms--I tend to see God's confrontations as being much more intense.
I can remember times where I distinctly felt--though I'm sure, incorrectly (?), that God was literally slapping me in the face for something I did or said wrong. And this makes me think too of how many people, because it's all we know, view God as an extension of our earthly fathers--if your earthly Dad was harsh or neglectful, do you often see God as being that way too?
For some reason, I have a much harder time seeing God in the same light as my earthly parents. They were very strict when I was growing up, but now when I do something wrong (and yes, even at 41 I still apologize to my parents when I know I'm at fault), my Dad will often say something like, "Well... what did you learn from it?" I have a hard time picturing God being so loving and forgiving with my mistakes, because a harsher answer is what truly changes me, and God wants change. I've found that the biggest influence on my behavior is a harsh confrontation, because I will try to avoid having that happen again.
And I guess I always figure... God is GOD. If He struck people dead for lying (Ananias and Sapphira), I often think to myself... What must He be thinking of ME when I do so many things that often seem worse?
What do you envision when you know God is correcting you? And how does it affect your relationship with Him?
I know someone is going to say, What is this doing in Singles??? But as you know, I'd sooner cut off both my thumbs than post in Bible Discussion, and if it's something I deal with in my own life as a single, I see it as fair game to post in the Singles Forum.
I hope everyone will be willing to share--this is a topic I'm really interested in hearing your feedback on.
What is it like for you when God corrects you? Does He normally correct you through others? Or do you usually experience some sort of sharp sting in your conscience?
Does it feel like God is lecturing you? Yelling at you? Looking at you quietly? Or is He standing there harshly chewing you out because you've blown it... yet again...
I'm really interested in hearing what it's like when God convicts and corrects you, and how do you usually respond?
The reason I ask is because I've been noticing it a lot in myself lately. Recently I was in a real-life conversation in which I said something very hastily that I should not have said, and I INSTANTLY felt convicted. I felt as if the Holy Spirit just put a big red check at the top of my paper. But at the same time, I didn't know how to correct it or what I could say to undo the damage. (I don't want to go into details because it's of a personal nature, and it wasn't something that could b It was more be fixed with just an apology. It was more like someone was making a negative comment about someone else, and I agreed with them.)
I didn't know what to do. It's not like I could say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I actually think so-and-so is a stellar person," because that would have been untrue and insincere. But, I should not have been so ready to agree with such a negative assessment either.
In a separate incidence, I also wrote in Streams about having a free trial to Sirius Radio for over a year that's never been turned off--I've had this nagging feeling for weeks that I should call to check up on it. Truthfully, I just tried to ignore it, but my conscience got the best of me! (Oddly enough, they told me that the trial doesn't even exist, but when I turn on my radio, there it is--then they told me that when the time was up, it would turn off automatically. Ok. But it's been 14 months!!!)
And even though it looks like I'll continue to enjoy this free run for as long as it lasts, I'm sorry to say I didn't call as soon as I knew God was convicting me.
Do you ever have times in your life when you feel God's convictions and corrections are sharp and biting as well? I have personally found that my perception of God is often affected by what I'm currently reading. For instance, when I'm reading stories of God's harsher disciplines: not allowing Moses into the Promised Land, telling David to choose between 3 punishments that results in thousands of people dying, striking down a king with worms--I tend to see God's confrontations as being much more intense.
I can remember times where I distinctly felt--though I'm sure, incorrectly (?), that God was literally slapping me in the face for something I did or said wrong. And this makes me think too of how many people, because it's all we know, view God as an extension of our earthly fathers--if your earthly Dad was harsh or neglectful, do you often see God as being that way too?
For some reason, I have a much harder time seeing God in the same light as my earthly parents. They were very strict when I was growing up, but now when I do something wrong (and yes, even at 41 I still apologize to my parents when I know I'm at fault), my Dad will often say something like, "Well... what did you learn from it?" I have a hard time picturing God being so loving and forgiving with my mistakes, because a harsher answer is what truly changes me, and God wants change. I've found that the biggest influence on my behavior is a harsh confrontation, because I will try to avoid having that happen again.
And I guess I always figure... God is GOD. If He struck people dead for lying (Ananias and Sapphira), I often think to myself... What must He be thinking of ME when I do so many things that often seem worse?
What do you envision when you know God is correcting you? And how does it affect your relationship with Him?
I know someone is going to say, What is this doing in Singles??? But as you know, I'd sooner cut off both my thumbs than post in Bible Discussion, and if it's something I deal with in my own life as a single, I see it as fair game to post in the Singles Forum.
I hope everyone will be willing to share--this is a topic I'm really interested in hearing your feedback on.
