It is not pleasant when God convicts us of unrighteousness.

We desperately want to measure up to His Standards — but can’t quite make it.

If you’re a half-hearted follower, it’s bad enough, but if you love God, it’s so much worse. You just want to cry in misery for having disappointed Him.

The good thing is, you never will. The LORD sees you as righteous in Jesus, and He already knows just how much sin there is left in you.

Salvation comes once, but sanctification is a continuous process, and God’s way though firm, can be very delicate in practice.

He knows when we need a good talking to and when we need to be handled more carefully.

I recently had cause to give someone a Word of Correction from The Father.

It was a very gentle Word, a small course correction rather than a command to turn back, but still daunting for someone like me.

I have received personal Prophetic Words and Prayers before. Several were not pleasant experiences.

• A visiting Prophet snorted and was not polite.
• A married couple talked over me.
• One person tried to delve into my medical history.
• Another made various assumptions based on her own experience which wasn’t the same as mine.
• One respected prophet was harsh, hurtful and superior and spouted stock ‘Christianese’, using words and phrases that sound powerful — but are not necessarily helpful.

The Holy Spirit is not rude or scathing.

• He is not harsh.
• He does not need you to explain your medical history going back twenty generations to people who are not qualified medical professionals.
• He is not nosey — He already knows all.
• He does not project His personal problems onto you.
• He talks to you at your level, so you understand.
• He does not use trite language that could have been generated by AI.

( If you experience any of this, it is spiritual abuse and should be reported. )

So, giving a Word of Correction presented greater challenges for me.

In addition to all this, it was for someone far more experienced than I am, and I don’t know them well — so that made me even more wary of saying anything.

In my mind, this was like a waiter going to Chef Gordon Ramsay and telling him, “The King (or Prime Minister or President) wants me to tell you there’s far too much salt.” You can imagine how well Mr Ramsay might receive that!

Before I became ill, it would not have been a problem. Either I would have chickened out, or I would have tried to smooth out the Word, making it so soft and inoffensive that it no longer made any sense at all.

Now that I am so ill, I am entirely reliant on God. I set down what He tells me.

I stare at it in confusion, in amazement, sometimes in terror. I don’t understand. I say to Him, surely I can’t say that!

“You don’t need to understand — and you will say it if I ask you!” comes the reply.

I Worship. I Pray. I Meditate. I read The Word. Sometimes only for a few minutes and sometimes for weeks.

Later, He may ask me to change a phrase or reorder a sentence. Sometimes He will give me more scripture or quote to add.

I don’t have energy to rewrite it into inoffensive gibberish and I don’t have energy to disobey for long.

If and when He says “Yes!” I press send and trust He will use it for His Glory, however flawed it may be.

This personal Word I gave was not one I expected to receive. It wasn’t anything that needed public confession or rending of garments.

The LORD said to tell them it was not a rebuke — and He only disciplines those He loves.

I sent it. I worried there might be consequences. If I could have hidden like a child under a fake helmet, I would have.

Mr Ramsay might well have reacted with expletives or questioned who this waiter thought they were to talk to him like that.

This is how amazing our God is.

The person I gave it to received the Word with thoughtful discernment and deep humility.

They did not shout, swear or disparage me. They are a faithful friend of God. Their standing and experience hasn’t made them superior — but has given them a heart to serve The LORD.

It grieved them to have fallen short in any way. It upset them.

I was so sorry to have hurt them, but they received it in good part as being pruning from The LORD that they may bear more fruit.

They did not reproach me, and in fact told me not to keep thinking of myself as being too low.

The humility and grace with which they received the Word was beautiful.

The LORD is calling His sons and daughters. He is calling us higher. He is pruning us and remaking us to be more like Jesus.

The LORD is preparing us. Accept the discipline. He will use it for good.

I don’t know anything about this Word other than the words I was given.

I don’t know what this person went through and I still don’t. I don’t need to. They know. The LORD knows.

He will walk them through the process of reflection or healing or repentance or whatever is needed. That’s all that matters.

He chose me of all people because He knew I would be discreet and not pry and this person would be able to trust it as being true and be sure I will not take advantage.

The LORD has preserved their privacy and had care for their dignity and tenderness in dealing with them.

Yield to The LORD for discipline. He gathers his lambs in his robes, close to His heart.

He is gentle and loving in all His ways. He will be gentle and loving with you.

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 40:11, Hebrews 12:5-11, John 15:2, Matthew 11:29, Ephesians 4:2.

 

~ Iris Maud, UK.

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Iris Maud, UK.

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