4 Things We Need To Administer Correction

“A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (Amplified)

There have been many times in my life that I have needed spiritual correction. I am grateful for the times of correction because I know that it is always for the my growth and maturity in kingdom principles. I have found that there are different methods of delivering such spiritual correction. Some methods I respond to much better than others. The method in which my heart seems to respond to the best is when correction comes in the form of a gentle and thoughtful word. When a word of correction comes from a humbled heart, I can not help but respond quickly with a humble and repentant heart in return. This is the way God works. He will often speak to us in a still small voice, with a little nudge, or a small prodding helping us to keep on the straight and narrow. I am so appreciative of this because the gentleness of my Heavenly Father teaches me how to respond gently to others. Sadly I still have a long way to go in mastering the soft, gentle and thoughtful answer, but I praise God that He is so patient with me in my moments of mishaps.

There have been times in my life when correction or rebuke has been given and it was not given with a spirit of humility. Unfortunately, some of those moments have scared me for life. As deep of a scare that these moments have left, I am grateful for them because I have seen what a harsh, painful and careless word looks like, sounds like and feels like. These moments have made me more aware of my own words and just how quickly they can turn a rebuke into a scar in someone’s heart. Having gone through those moments have made me more conscious of how I approach correction in the lives of others.

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20

We should not ignore the blatant disobedience of our brothers and sisters in Christ. When correction is needed it should be given because it will save them from death and the potential of more sin being piled on top of what is already in existence. Now, I am not talking about pointing a finger here. I am talking about lovingly restoring someone back to the feet of Jesus so that they can be in right relationship with their Heavenly Father. It should break our hearts when our brothers and sisters are willingly choosing sin over their relationship with the Lord. If it does not break our hearts that we really should take a look at our own heart because we might have something blocking up our relationship with the Lord.

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently…” Galatians 6:1

Scripture does not call us to be our brothers and sisters judge. That is not our job. That job belongs to God and God alone. We are, however, called to be our brothers and sisters keeper. We have a responsibility to watch over the doors of their hearts, but along with that responsibility comes a greater responsibility and that is to restore them back to the family of faith gently. But what does that look like exactly? What must we have in our hearts in order to administer correction to a brother or sister in Christ?

Four things we need to administer correction to someone’s heart

1.We need a  heart of humility.

I think one of the greatest things we can remember in moments when we need to restore a brother or sister in the faith, is this, we are no less guilty of sin then they are. When we remember that we are just as much a sinner in need of a savior as they are, it keeps our hearts in a place of humility. Only in humility is it a good time to approach someone to bring rebuke or correction. If we have any form of judgmental thoughts or feelings or think we are better off than they are, we have no business bringing any form of correction. When we approach others with a wrong spirit all that does is drive a wedge between our relationship with that person as well as drive a wedge into their relationship with their Heavenly Father. Our thoughts should always be focused on Romans 3:23. It is in this verse that we can remember that we are very much a part of that ALL that has fallen short of the glory of God.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

2. We need to be filled with kindness and compassion.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

We absolutely must approach others with a heart full and overflowing with kindness and compassion. If our hearts are not full of these things, it is going to be virtually impossible to deliver a rebuke with a gentle word. I must repeat myself here, we must have the right spirit in order for a gentle word to be delivered. If not, it will inevitably backfire right in our faces. I can not think of a single instance from my life where rebuke was delivered with kindness and compassion and I did not respond with a broken and contrite heart before the Lord. Kindness and compassion will make all the difference in being able to bring someone to the feet of Jesus with a repentant heart.

3. We need to speak in love.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16

When our words are spoken in love they become a support to others in the body, in other words, our loving words build up. This is the business God is in. God is building His kingdom in love and when we refuse to speak in love then our harsh, critical, and destructive words destroy God’s strategically placed infrastructure. We become nothing more than a pawn in the hands of the enemy at this point because we are in direct opposition to what the Lord is trying to do. The Lord is building in love and so should we.

4. We need the wisdom from the Lord.

We are never going to face every situation of correction with all of the answers. We need God’s supernatural wisdom. We need the kind of wisdom that we would never have unless the Lord so lovingly and graciously places it before us. So how do you get this type of wisdom in the moments when it is needed most?  James 1:5 tells us very clearly the answer to this question.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5

Our Lord gives generously. He doesn’t make excuses or give us 101 reasons why we can’t be given His abundant wisdom. He just gives generously to ALL. I love this because it means in those moments when we find ourselves backed up into a corner and unsure how to bring correction in a loving, kind and gentle way. The Lord will pour out His unending wisdom. All we have to do is simply ask! How awesome is this? Our God makes our most complex and baffling situations so simple. All we have to do is ask.

In the moments that we are faced with needing to bring correction, we can feel as if we are caught between a rock and a hard place. But we serve a God who has given us the tools we need to bring correction with humility, kindness, compassion, love and with His abundant wisdom.  Our God is never going to fail us. His word promises to be an “ever-present help in times of trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)

Lord, I thank you that you promise to be with us in those moments when correction needs to be given to a brother or sister. Help our hearts to stay in a place of humility, full and overflowing with kindness, compassion, and love. Fill us with your infinite wisdom when we truly don’t know what to do or to say in those difficult moments. We thank you that you are always available for us to run to. You never abandon us in our times of need. Thank you for being the God of all wisdom who gives generously to all without finding fault.

For more on Godly discipline and correction visit: A God Of Consequence