Day 4 | Church Hurt Changed You…Now What? | You’re Spiritual… But Not Submitted

You’re spiritual… but not submitted. Many of us want God… but not accountability. Hmmm. Truth is: we rejected, we resisted correction! And that’s why we cry “churt hurt’ today! Hmmm again.

Father, we come before You honestly. Not just with what we say about ourselves spiritually, but with how we respond when we are corrected, challenged, or guided. You see beyond our words into our posture. So give us clarity to recognise where we may be resisting what is meant to help us grow, and give us the humility to receive what aligns us with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It is possible to be spiritual… and still resist correction, especially after what we call church hurt.

To pray. To seek God. To desire truth. And yet, when instruction comes—something in us pushes back… not always because it’s wrong, but because of what we’ve experienced.

If we can agree on that, then we’re good. We can end this session right now. But since we have a little problem with that position, let’s continue…

We have to be honest now, because spirituality often shows in what we pursue…but submission is revealed in how we respond, especially when we are corrected.

1 Samuel 15:22–23 (KJV) says, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” So what we offer outwardly, even when it looks spiritual, does not replace obedience.

The question then becomes: What happens when we are corrected? Do we receive it? Do we weigh it? Or do we resist it?

Because sometimes it’s not that we lack spirituality…it’s that we resist what is meant to correct us.

And resistance does not always look obvious. Sometimes it sounds like reasoning. Sometimes it sounds like justification. Sometimes it sounds like, “That’s not how I see it.”

Hosea 4:16 (KJV) says, “For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer…” That reflects resistance—movement without alignment, activity without direction.

And guess what? It doesn’t always feel like rebellion.

Sometimes it feels like independence. “I’ll handle this myself.” “I don’t need your opinion.” “I know what I’m doing.”

Family, when we feel these kinds of feelings welling up in us, we have to force ourselves to ask: Is this independence… or is it resistance? Because growth requires correction.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 (KJV) says, “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.” That shows us something critical—the refusal to be corrected is not a strength, it is a limitation.

And if we are not careful, we begin to reject what is meant to help us.

We know this: Correction feels uncomfortable. Guidance feels intrusive. Accountability feels unnecessary.

But those are often the very things that keep us in check.

2 Chronicles 20:20 (KJV) says, “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” The Word of God tells us there’s a stability that comes from trusting God and a benefit in heeding the guidance He gives through others.

So submission is not about control; rather, it is about alignment..with truth…with order, and with growth.

Therefore, the question arises: Have there been moments where correction was given, but it was resisted? Not necessarily because it was wrong, but because it was uncomfortable or because we didn’t respect who was giving the correction?

Isaiah 30:9–10 (KJV) speaks of a people who said, “Speak unto us smooth things…” preferring what feels good over what is right.

And if we are not careful, we can do the same. We want God, but without interruption. Without challenge. Without adjustment.

But that creates an imbalance. Because spirituality without submission becomes selective. We accept what affirms us. We avoid what stretches us. We reject what corrects us, calling it church hurt.

And over time, that affects our spiritual growth.

Proverbs 15:32 (KJV) says, “He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul…”

Family, this is where another layer must be considered. Because there are times when correction has been mishandled. Times when authority was misused. Times when guidance was not given wisely.

But even then, we still have to ask: Did that experience create a resistance to correction altogether? Because if it did, then we have to check ourselves.

We may realise that what shifted may now be affecting how we receive anything that challenges us, even when it is right.

So the issue is not just what was given…It is also what is now being rejected. What we’ll find is that once resistance settles in, everything begins to filter through it. And before long, we are no longer just discerning…we are dismissing.

And that is where growth is affected. Spirituality without submission creates imbalance. But the imbalance does not have to remain. What is recognised… can be realigned. By being willing to hear again. To weigh again. To receive again—with wisdom, with discernment, and without immediate resistance.

Family, God does not just call us to seek Him…He calls us to respond to Him. And many times, that response comes through correction.

And how we respond… reveals where we stand spiritually. Where do we stand, spiritually?

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