The Blessing of Exposure

For several years, I have been sensing that we are entering a time of exposure. God is revealing the things that "truly are". It will become increasingly hard to hide ungodly attitudes, actions, and mindsets. A friend of mine told me recently that to her it seems like God is poking and prodding people until the "ugly" manifests. While initially it is frightening when confronted with our ugliness, the revelation of the sin allows for the healing power of God to transform us (if we allow it).

This past week, an increasingly familiar scenario occurred. For the past months there has been a great deal of hype about Todd Bentley and what was happening in Lakeland. Unfortunately we are discovering some "rot" in the life of Todd. Any time this kind of revelation surfaces, it creates a great deal of turmoil. Those who held Todd in too high regard are devastated. Those who for one reason or another disliked Todd feel vindicated. (Unfortunately neither attitude comes from the heart of God).

Several weeks ago, I woke up with the words "there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed" in my spirit. I realized that these were the words of Jesus from Luke 12:

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Later in the morning as I was pondering what I heard earlier, I again heard the following phrase in my spirit: "fall on the rock". Once again I immediately recognized the words of Jesus from Luke 10:

Then He looked at them and said, “what then is this that is written: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

The inescapable fact of exposure leads to the dilemma of a response to that which is being exposed. For those to whom the exposure leads to a brokenness, abundant life results. For those to whom exposure leads to an attempt to conceal that which God exposes, destruction results. If Todd Bentley embraces the exposure of the faults and falls on Jesus, he can expect healing and life. However, if he attempts to minimize the faults, destruction will find him.

In my own life, recently God exposed a deeper weakness. The exposure demolishes any kind of self-righteousness and any measure of self-goodness. Once again I am required to cry out to Jesus for His grace to face my ugliness. My awareness of my susceptibility to ungodly thought patterns and actions has deepened. On the other hand, my awareness of the goodness of God has deepened as well. As I throw myself on the Rock, as I am broken, I discover life.

In observing what is happening in the world around me I notice another phenomena. I see people who are experiencing God's exposure. Instead of embracing the work of God, they continue in the attempts to hide from the exposure. At best, they minimize the work of God by pointing to their "goodness". At worst, they resist the work of God by calling it the work of the enemy. Ultimately, the Rock will fall on them and they will be crushed by Him.

From personal experience, I can say that this time of exposure is a blessing. It allows me to be in a position to truly experience the redemptive power of God. While many will blame the enemy for Todd Bentley's faults, I believe this is not the work of the enemy. Rather, I believe that this is the work of God revealing what "really is" so that an opportunity for healing can manifest.