As we enter this new year of 2025, God requests us to become willfully transparent before Him. Even though He sees and knows all things, it is another matter to request Him to search us and know us for who we are. This process occurs when we voluntarily open our hearts and give permission for God to explore our thoughts and their origin. His love for us should compel us to reciprocate by allowing the Holy Spirit to perfect the love that we share, and only then can we love rightly. Our motives and agendas may have been influenced by many eternal means; some of which we are not fully aware. We live in a world where many things vie for our attention and devotion. Since we cannot tell how we are being influenced, our prayer is for God to protect us from those subtle attractions that might appear benign but draw our passion and devotion away from Him.

The first step in being transparent is to be honest with ourselves. The things that we already know to be either good or bad must be reckoned with. There are times when it is hard to admit our faults. Delayed repentance, if repenting at all, must be immediate. The interval between awareness, acknowledgment, and action often gives the devil the opportunity to provide excuses and justification for bad behavior. The promptings of the Holy Spirit are often those immediate thoughts of conviction and warnings that grieve the soul. The more we learn how to respond to the Holy Spirit rightly, the more work He can do through us. 

Transparency is the key to intimacy. An open heart paves the way for the joining of hearts to one another. Intimacy has been described as“into me you see.” One person asked the question, “If you really knew me, would you still love me?” This compels many to project a false image of themselves so that they might be worthy of love. It is truly remarkable that the One who knows us best loves us most! God does not love us because we are worthy of love. His love for us is unconditional. Because He loves us, it is His love that changes us into becoming what He intended for us to be. We can come to Him as we are and receive from Him the grace to become more than we could ever dream of becoming! Transparency before God can produce transformation, and this is our year to be transparent and allow His glory to shine forth through us.