When The Holy Spirit Corrects: Identifying Your Response Patterns

The Bible tells us over and over again that when the Holy Spirit corrects and/or redirects our choices, actions, words, or steps, it’s evidence of God’s immense love for us.* However, although we know this to be true in our hearts, that sometimes does not keep our heads from jumping to other conclusions and creating false narratives that can, in fact, stunt the very growth that God is offering in that moment.

The truth is, some of us (me, included!) fall into old habits rather easily when we come face-to-face with God’s redirection. We can trip over ourselves, overthink the situation to death, crawl back inside our shells, fall headfirst into the trap of unworthiness, or sometimes, even react in ways that make the situation worse. Anybody else feel that? You’re in good company, I promise.

So, here’s what I want you to know going in: As you journey through these four different knee-jerk reactions, know that I’m only sharing these for the sake of self-awareness and growth. There’s zero judgement here. Writing out these points actually allowed me to recognize some painful truths about my own patterns and identify spaces where I needed deep growth. I found that taking the time to be more conscious of my reaction to His redirect actually paved the way for giant leaps in my growth, discernment, and even my relationship with Him. My only prayer is that this information will do the same for you.

And always remember, friend, correction from the Holy Spirit is NEVER rejection. It’s simply demonstrated proof that God wants the best for us and holds us so very close to His heart that He is quite literally with us every step of the way and lighting our path. He is, in fact, a good and loving Father and He longs to bring us into a life of fulfillment!

So, in that spirit, here are the four typical responses to correction or redirection from the Holy Spirit:

1. A “Religious” Repentance:

While repentance is absolutely necessary because it demonstrates a humble heart yielded to the Father and an acknowledgment of our misstep, it’s also so important that we know that God’s grace and love does not require that we stay stuck in a religious space of unworthiness. Let me explain: Someone I care about and admire very much once told me that he used to sit in prayer repenting for hours. He did this regularly because He felt that He could not even approach the presence of God until he had repented “enough.” One day, however, that all changed when the presence of God fell on him and he felt the Father say, “Are you done yet?” Kind of like… “We’ve got work to do. Come on!” You see, God was showing him that He (God) sees our humble hearts and when He points out a place where we need to make some adjustments in order to realign, it doesn’t require us to stay stuck in this space of unworthiness, repenting on repeat. “Rise and be healed! Run with me.” But here’s the thing: I think some of us struggle to believe that we are “good enough” to get up from the floor and truly run with Him. And while humility and repentance is important, we are called to run with Him into our destiny, the very purpose for which we were created and given our gifts! Religious messages (vs relationship-based) that make us believe that we aren’t worthy to rise and run can leave us stuck on the floor in our walk. And that’s no place to be, sweet friend. God loves you. You are not only redeemed, you are His greatest delight and joy. Know your true identity in Him and run your race with fire and passion, today! Ask God to help you see yourself the way that He looks at you, His beautiful and irreplaceable daughter. Then run with Him! And never look back.

2. Shame-Filled Withdrawal:

Let’s be honest. Some of us (me) lean toward this one. If I feel like I’ve disappointed anyone, much less God, yours truly can crawl inside my shell faster than a turtle! Now before I go any further, please understand: I’m not saying we disappoint God because I deeply believe that His correction is based fully in love and not disappointment. But some of us have a tendency to lean towards a false internal narrative that says, “See, you never get it right and you never will. Might as well just stop trying. You aren’t meant for more. You’re nothing special. Even God says you’re getting it all wrong.” Ouch! And make no mistake, the enemy jumps all over that bandwagon too! If I can’t do enough to rehash my mistake to death, he surely will. That guy never misses an opportunity to drag me through the mud. (PS: He never has any power except that which we give him, friends. Remember that.) But my point here is this: For those of us that struggle with shame-filled withdrawal, we have to remember that it is BECAUSE He delights in us and loves us – and because we are completely irreplaceable to Him – that He helps us with gentle and loving correction SO THAT WE MAY THRIVE. It’s no different than teaching a child not to touch a hot stove. He loves us too much to leave us in that situation without a gentle reminder that says, “That move is not where my heart longs to see you go,” or “Those words are not meant for your spirit.” See my point? There’s no need to be filled with shame. He adores us! We are not a disappointment. We are His greatest treasure and His whole heart. We can’t let our reaction be a shame-filled withdrawal that leaves us stuck and afraid to move forward simply because of a lie that we have told ourselves and allowed to take root. Let the Holy Spirit uproot that belief that threatens to hold you back, and the shame that it’s buried in, and let Him show you just how much He loves you.

3. A Pride-Filled & Stubborn About-Face:

This one is probably pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll proceed anyways for the sake of clarity. It’s hard for some of us to be wrong. Whew. There. I said it. It’s okay, friend, you can safely own it here. This is a judgment-free zone. But you see, when it comes to God’s direction, I’m getting a little Jonah vibe going when I think of pride and stubbornness. Jonah sat under a tree and grumbled. Jonah turned. Jonah even wrote a check to travel in the opposite direction. All because He thought God was wrong and unfair. Jonah was convinced that He had a better idea and God just didn’t understand. And maybe some of us feel that too, at times. That’s why I love that the Bible gives us stories of real and imperfect people that God loved just as much as He loves you. Because when faced with God’s correction, the hard truth is that some of us are just too dang prideful. Instead of yielding and learning in this opportunity for growth, we do an about-face and go our own way. But here’s the thing: God loves you too much to not chase after you. He will always be there, trying to pour over you with His grace and His heart. He will never leave you nor forsake you. God doesn’t give up on you, even when you give up on Him. So maybe, much like Jonah, you take the reins for a while, carve your own path, rule the world in a fire of stubbornness and ego, and then eventually look around at the dark and disgusting place you’re sitting in, one that was never part of the plan, and call up a meeting. “Whew, I blew that one, God. Sorry.” Been there, right?! But then He meets you there and holds you in His perfect love and grace and slowly, understanding and truth sinks back in. His ways are always for you. He is always for you. And if you want to grow in your relationship with Him, you have to yield, give it all to Him, trust Him, and submit, humbly seeking His ways. You see, the truth is that correction may go against your feelings or totally rub your pride the wrong way, but if we yield to the Holy Spirit, even when we do not understand or agree, it becomes a space of deep growth and He pours over it with His peace and love.

4. Growing in Wisdom & Truth + Growing in our Relationship with Him (the ultimate goal):

Here’s the thing, when we can allow His correction to be nothing more than the beautiful and genuine evidence of His deep love for us, and we can repent and seek His heart with humility and a hunger for what is right and true, we are invited into a level of understanding, discernment, favor, and glory that we will never know if we sit stuck in one of the previous three reactions. The heart posture of awe, gratitude, praise, and humbleness will always invite His presence to fall wherever we are, even we’ve fallen flat on our face and He’s guiding us back on track. If we approach correction (or redirection) simply as a learning opportunity from a good and loving Father, it will allow us to become good listeners, discerning of His voice, not shying away, and we will eventually find ourselves in situations where we can continue to be stretched and grown. Are you hungry for more, friend? Because I am. I want to be stretched! A life without growth is a life without passion. It’s just stagnant. I want fire! I want a burning hunger. I want more! And remember, correction from the Holy Spirit is never rejection. It does not change His unwavering and unconditional love for us, not even a little. So, the truth is, it should never shake our identity in Him. Challenged, but always cherished, right? Bottom Line: Friend, you are His beloved, today and every day. I would argue, honestly, that when we sit in a space of growth, even the most challenging growth, with the Holy Spirit, it actually paves a way into a deeper relationship with the One who loves us most. So, when we understand our true identity in Him and then receive His correction with a clear understanding of His heart posture towards us, it opens up every door to live life fully alive!

* For Reference, Here are Some Great Verses on Correction From the Holy Spirit:

“My child, don’t underestimate the value of the discipline and training of the Lord God, or get depressed when he has to correct you. For the Lord’s training of your life is the evidence of his faithful love. And when he draws you to himself, it proves you are his delightful child. Fully embrace God’s correction as part of your training, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children.” (Hebrews 12:5-7) The Passion Translation