Ephesians 4:24: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Malachi 3:6: “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Some people do not become sober when they are corrected. If you are that kind of person, genuine repentance will remain far from you.

If the more you are corrected, the more your heart becomes hardened, you have fallen short of His grace. When a person continually hardens his heart against correction, he places himself in a dangerous position before God.

When someone commits a punishable offence in the church and is placed under discipline to serve the necessary punishment, some may become offended, leave the church, and even persuade other members to follow them in establishing another church in rebellion.

But the church is not what needs to change simply because you have been corrected. It is your character and conduct that must be brought into alignment with God’s ways.

This is not the kind of sheep Jesus Christ is looking for, a sheep established in rebellion.

I remember many years ago when I committed a punishable offence in my church. The congregation placed me under discipline, and I served the punishment with joy. They later forgave me and restored me to my position.

This is what Satan seeks to use against me during my period of discipleship under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

Accusations rose against me in the spirit, and God revealed them to me through a revelation. I saw myself sitting in a congregation, listening to the Word of God, when a man entered and disrupted the service. He reported me to the leader of the church that I was not worthy to sit there and be taught by God.

Then the person teaching us called my attention and asked me what I had to say concerning the accusations. I replied that I had indeed committed the offence, but I had already had the church forgive me. The man at the front tore the letter of accusation and declared that I was free to be discipled by him.

Had I rejected that correction and refused to submit to the punishment, what would my condition be today? The accusation would have remained against me, and I would have continued carrying the burden of an unresolved offence before God.

God places us within the church so that we may receive correction when we err. When we reject godly discipline, we reject an important part of God’s counsel. Even if men forget, the consequences of our actions do not simply disappear. God knows all things, and the enemy will always seek an opportunity to bring accusations against us.

You cannot successfully live your life by human reasoning alone. Surrender to God, allow Him to lead you through His Word, and let Him direct your path.

Those who rely solely on human understanding will eventually fail. True success is found in walking according to God’s ways, because His ways are higher than ours. Until we change our ways to conform to His standard of holiness, we cannot fully partake in the inheritance He has prepared for His people.

The love of God is infinite. He continually seeks ways to bring man back to Himself through dreams, revelations, His Word, and godly correction. Yet some people receive these warnings and continue in the same offences until death.

I have heard people testify that they dreamt of seeing themselves at the gate of heaven but were turned back because they did not meet the required standard. Yet even such warnings may fail to produce repentance when a person is determined to continue in sin.

I wonder whom such people will blame when they stand at the gate of eternity after death and are denied entry.

God has a way of bringing man back to Himself. He will not be guilty concerning anyone who ultimately refuses to repent, because He does not reject those who sincerely turn to Him. Rather, many reject His counsel and persist in their own ways.

God speaks through dreams and revelations, but He also uses people. He may use your neighbours, fellow believers, church members, or those around you to reveal areas of your character that need correction. When you reject such counsel and refuse to change, you are choosing your own path against God’s instruction.

God warned the Israelites even when He knew they would not repent. They had determined to worship the queen of heaven without considering the consequences. Yet God still warned them. He knew they might refuse to listen, but He gave them the warning so they would have no excuse in the end.

Many have fallen away from being discipled by Christ because they refused to humble themselves and receive correction. If you cannot accept correction from people whom you can see, how will you receive correction from God whom you cannot see?

God is immutable. He does not change. His nature remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, it is we who must change to meet the standard He has established through His Word.

Man may change in appearance, age, circumstances, and behaviour, but his sinful nature will not change merely through human effort. It requires divine intervention. We must allow God to transform us and conform us to the image of His Son.

But instead of repenting and changing from our wicked ways, we are trying to change the image of the incorruptible God into an image of man made like unto corruptible man. We change His truth into a lie and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, bringing God to our level and reducing Him to nothing worthy of Him.

The question is not whether God will change. God will not change. The question is whether we are willing to change and submit ourselves to His standard of righteousness and true holiness.

Prayer: My Father and my God, align my ways with Your will, in Jesus’ name. Amen.