“I will embrace those who speak the truth about me and my situation even if I am greatly upset by the words they share with me.”
 
Most of us who have a few years of leadership under our belts have had the experience of someone telling us inspired truth about our situation. We have been “found out.” Ours wasn’t nearly on the scale of a national scandal, but we were fearful of admitting an area of weakness where we needed help. A “Nathan” came to us and said, “You are that man.” What was shared was so accurate only God could have shown that to the person. One friend of mine calls that “reading your mail.” The image of someone commandeering your personal mail, opening it up, reading it, knowing, then speaking things that only God could possibly know about you, your sin, your darkness that has been captivating you, but perhaps you in fear have been stuck in for some time.
 
A friend of mine, who pastors a large, well-known church on the west coast, was in a prayer time a few weeks ago. While praying, he sensed darkness in a staff pastor. In a separate time over a cup of coffee he simply told this man, “I think there is darkness in you that is impeding your effectiveness in life and ministry.” The other pastor turned as white as a ghost and admitted on the spot that he had been in an affair for a few weeks with a woman he met on the internet. You can figure out the rest. The man repented instantly.
 
That is the way this issue of unrepented of sin is supposed to happen in my mind as well as Paul’s apparently (as implied in 1 Cor. 12 when he speaks of the gift of “word of knowledge.”).

More coming…