Ouch!
No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
Hebrews 12:11
Yes, He is saying some difficult things to me in his gentle, but firm voice. He is speaking these words because He loves me. If you read further, the writer of the Book of Hebrews explains this further.
Still, it is hard to hear these words from His lips, yet my joy in Jesus is returning. You know, the kind of happiness not based on sweet circumstances but the celebration of freedom from some junk that was starting to overtake my life. I had wondered where my joy in the river of the Holy Spirit had gone. So…
Don’t be afraid to hear and face some stuff in your soul. He is at work, releasing you from selfishness, self-centeredness, self-will, self-righteousness – all the self stuff. I am right there with you in this.
And the best part of all? He promises to replace these broken, rebellious areas in us with the best self of all – Himself.