In Psalm 139 David goes into great length to explain how the Lord knows him in deep, personal ways. In the fourth verse he declares, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”
After David gives a descriptive picture of God’s knowledge of him, in verse 24, he invites the Lord to, “Search me, O God, and know my thoughts.” What a glorious and fearful invitation from David to God!
This willingness of David to have God search him is foundational to the life of every believer who longs to experience God’s grace or divine assistance. It is this desire that enables us to walk in transparency, which in turn empowers us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
The truth is that Satan targets the body of Christ aggressively and attempts to thwart them from a path of openness, intimacy and devotion unto the Lord. This attack is oftentimes played out in the areas of interpersonal relationships, personal purity, walking in one’s destiny and so forth.
Through the practice of hiding behind religious masks, the dynamics of hypocrisy, self-centeredness and more become commonplace in the life of a child of God. In essence, we learn to live wounded and therefore become open prey to the enemy’s attacks. A lack of transparency inevitably breeds weakness, frustration, lukewarmness, compromise, coldness of heart and even a total backslidden state.
Those who neglect transparency in their lives usually end up in one of two states. They become full of religious pride while living a lie, or they fall into a vicious pattern of sinning and never fully repenting—or both.
Steps to Walking in Transparency
1. Brutal honesty with God, others and self. (See 1 John 1:6.)
2. True repentance. More than remorse or guilt in the seat of one’s emotions, we must embrace the completed work of Calvary and allow it to fully penetrate us, which in turn brings godly sorrow leading to repentance. (See 1 John 1:9.)
3. Pursue God. We must deliberately give ourselves to prayer and intimacy with the Lord. (See Heb. 11:6.)
4. Embrace sonship. Acknowledge and accept who you are in the heart of the Father. You were made to live a divine, eternal life, even while on earth. (See Eph. 1:5.)
5. Resist the report of the enemy. Embrace the report of the Lord; you are more than a conqueror. (See James 4:7.)
6. Embrace dependence upon God. (See Matt. 5:3.)
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Keith Collins is the founder of Generation Impact Ministries and Impact Global Fellowship. He is actively involved in itinerant ministry, teaching and writing. In recent years, Keith served as the president of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry and as the director of FIRE School of Ministry, which were both born out of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. His recent book, Samuels Arising: Waking Up to God’s Prophetic Call, is now available on Amazon, and his podcast, titled Maintain the Flame, can be heard on iTunes and at cpnshows.com. You can contact Keith via his websites at keith-collins.org or impactgf.org.
