"Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." - Prov 27:5-6

  Friends are commonly associated with good times, frivolity, and being there when needed. One thing we don't know or don't care to link to them are those times when they are used of God to bring conviction, or the wisdom to act on something to bring about the ultimate good in the life of the one they have bonded to. Scripture calls this a "faithful wound". But what exactly is that?
  Prov. 27:5 gives us a clue: "Open rebuke is better than secret love." Now what's being spoken of here isn't something of a destructive nature, but a compassionate intervention on behalf of someone we love or anyone whose path God has steered us into in order to deliver an honest, accurate "word in due season"(Prov. 15:23) A secret love accepts the cover story, but the open rebuke brings it out into the light with the intent of getting to the truth. Many times, however, this is initially hurtful to the recipient who, feeling wounded, lashes out in the face of it. They are either unable or unwilling to see the faithfulness in it because they already have made up their minds that harm was intended.
  So what are some differences between a faithful wound and the kisses of an enemy? Looking once more at verse 6, we see that "the kisses of an enemy are deceitful". The forked tongue of the serpent spoke many words at the Garden of Eden that were soothing and sweet, but carried deadly results:

  "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?' ' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'
  'You will not surely die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves." - Gen. 3:1-7

  A faithful wound brings anything but comfort...at least at the onset. It is not to be a pleasant experience for the giver. If it is, then in all likelihood what you're giving or getting is not of God.  Being in this position requires a humble heart, walking in the Spirit, genuinely loving the one to whom it is given. While it may cause you to lose a friend or at least have them angry at you in the immediate future, God will reward the faithfulness of both parties involved by revealing the truth in the midst of the pain. The open rebuke made in love brings wisdom as the hearer submits themselves to God(Prov. 19:29)
  A friend is not loving at all times if they are not willing to consider themselves born for adversity as well(Prov. 17:17, Job 16:20, Rom. 12:15-17). We do not choose when to be the bearer of faithful wounds or when to receive something as such. It is God who leads each into their respective paths. We are all on one end or the other in our lives. Our response to the challenge is an important gauge of our trust in the Lord and his faithfulness in working for our good.
  If you feel you are being led to deliver a hard truth, do put this under the light of Christ first and make sure it is His leading, to prevent any fleshly motivations. If someone has done or said something that seems hurtful, do the same thing...only in this case for the reason of discerning if God is trying to show you something. A diligent wait upon the Lord is crucial in either scenario. Above all, remember the most faithful wound ever delivered, by the most faithful Friend:

  "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." - Isa. 53:5

May we all carry this hope with us into a greater healing and righteousness.