In a sermon a few weeks ago I said that joyful people are hard to manipulate. If they are already full of rejoicing, then you either have to convince them that their rejoicing is wrong (which is a hard word) or that they are rejoicing in something lesser than they could be (which is an uphill effort).
It is also very hard to manipulate a repented people. Manipulation grabs onto guilt like chains wrapped around the rudder of a ship, but repentance cuts the chains and the ship steers clear.
Do you need to be an example of this? I finished reading Seeing Green a couple days ago. The author of the book is very honest; she exposes things in her heart to such a degree that it could make others uncomfortable (which she acknowledges). She also gave some qualifications about how to open up about heart-sins, how to know when it is a blessing to confess to another person, or in front of people, or just to the Lord.
But what are you going to do to a person who is honest? And what are you going to do with an entire group of people, a church, that is being honest? What a glorious chain of cleansed consciences and freely worshipping people we would be.
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
You may not need to write a book of your Confessions, but maybe you need to write a note, or have a conversation, or kneel before the Lord.