Christian accountability
Christian accountability is a foundation in building a strong relationship with God and with others. Whenever a public leader falls whether in politics or in Christianity,one of the main focuses on rebuilding the fallen leader is through accountability. If we are to grow in any area of our live we must embrace this principle of accountability as well. For this post we’ll be focusing more on moral accountability or what’s commonly referred to as Christian accountability. There are a few different angles we can focus on when it comes to Christian accountability. There is of course accountability before God, accountability before others, accountability online (which could be seen also as accountability before God), Accountability versus dictatorship and many more topics. In this episode we’ll cover just a few of them Christian accountability: Accountability before God The ultimate and most effective form of Christian accountability is of course accountability before God. I have been a long advocate of public accountability before others, however this is only half of the story. If you put all of your focus on letting others help you with your temptations then you will never be a completely strong Christian. Christian accountability starts with leaning on God. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Now this may seem painfully obvious to some of you but I am trying to bring out a specific point here. We often send up prayers to God about many things but seldom really talk to him about our shortcomings or temptations. We usually save that for our Christian accountability partners. Increase your prayer life by telling God about everything you struggle with. Tell him about your temptations, your failures…tell him everything and don’t hold back. Prayer is not about informing God it is about inviting him into your life. Without prayer you are leaving yourself to rely on your own strength which will always result in failure. Lokk at what the scriptures say about trusting in man as opposed to trusting in God: Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:5-9 If we put all of our accountability efforts in trusting others to keep us accountable we will surely fail. Our Christian brothers and sisters are a HUGE part of our Christian accountability but they are not to be used as our only source of accountability. Incorporate God today as your main source of Christian accountability. Support this ministry and Learn more about Christian accountability by purchasing the ebook Every Christian Students Guide to Staying Pure on Campus [wp_eStore_buy_now_fancy id=1] Christian accountability: Keeping yourself accountable… How do you keep yourself accountable. In a way “Keeping yourself accountable” seems like a contradiction in terms. What I’d like to focus on in this subtopic is knowing yourself so that you protect yourself from any tempting situations or relationships. Ask yourself a couple of questions like: When am I most tempted? when I am Fatigued? On boring weekends etc.. Where am I most tempted? What kind of situations do I find myself in the most trouble? You can also examine all of the past situations where you have fallen short and get a lot of insight on yourself.Knowing this information can give you valuable insight on the types of places people and situations you should avoid. Christian accountability: Accountability Partners As I mentioned earlier, Christian accountability partners are a HUGE part of our spiritual growth. We all need someone in our life that has an outside eye into our situations and relationships. This outside eye is very valuable when our emotions get tied into a decision or relationship we have made. Friend on the outside can help us make the right decisions because they can see the true situation without their judgment being clouded by their emotions. When it comes to Christian accountability partners trust is the main key. So many of us have been hurt so many times that trusting others with life decisions can be very difficult. Here is one thing I’ll share about trust… Don’t feel guilty about not trusting some people: Not trusting is not always a bad thing. If someone has proven themselves untrustworthy or has proven themselves to be trustworthy then don’t feel guilty for not trusting them. Trusting the wrong person can be dangerous. Christian accountability can’t work if you are accountable to the wrong people. Find people that God has placed in your life that have a proven track record. You should have a team of people as opposed to a single accountability partner. Proverbs 24:6 reads: There is safety in the multitude of counselors. Some of your Christian accountability partners will be gifted in certain areas and weaker in some. Take some time and think about the people you go to for counsel. Do they have the ability to help you with some of your greatest struggles. Are they trustworthy enough to share some of your private struggles with? Support this ministry and Learn more about Christian accountability by purchasing the ebook Every Christian Students Guide to Staying Pure on Campus [wp_eStore_buy_now_fancy id=1] Christian accountability: Public Accountability Private devotion often thrives with public accountability. I learned this when I was deployed to Saudi Arabia as a part of the United States Air Force. I noticed the increased amount of temptation I was faced when when deployed to a place where no one knew who I was or knew what I stood for. Could I get away with whatever I wanted now? These are the crazy thoughts that can float through your head when you don’t hold yourself publicly accountable. Some one shared the following quote with me several years ago and I never forgot it: “The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.” P.J. O’ROURKE If you are on campus or at work and no one knows you are a christian you should fix this situation. Let everyone know so that you will be held publicly accountable because as we all know, the world is looking for opportunities to point the finger at Christians. Knowing that people are watching us helps us to keep ourselves in check. Christian accountability: Internet Accountability The internet has become a major stumbling block for many Christians. The freedom to view whatever you want whenever you want in the privacy of your own home or dorm has caused many Christians to fall. To our benefit many Christian accountability groups that offer software available to protect ourselves from ourselves. For a small fee you could purchase a software that bans certain content from being viewed on your computer. I won’t go too far into this topic but if you are interested I will post a link to some software on the links page. Christian accountability: Accountability versus dictatorship Now after writing on the topic of accountability I’d like to clear a few things up. Having Christian accountability partners doesn’t mean you can’t make decisions for your self and it definitely doesn’t mean you need people to rule over your every move. Make your own decisions but weigh them against counsel from others. Most successful people have some sort of advisers in their life. If you want to grow your business you need a consultant. If you want better grades you get a tutor. If you want to excel in sports you get a personal coach. If you want to grow spiritually you get some accountability partners. Pray about this today. If you have been living your life unaccountable to anyone consider making some of the changes suggested in this post. Any thoughts? Please leave them below as a comment (if you are reading this on facebook click here: http://videobible.powweb.com/2010/02/christian-accountability/ Thanks Mike