Accountabliity to God

Perhaps this isn’t any revelation to you my readers but I share anyway. ;). As noted in my recent entries I have found myself in a season of struggle with old sinful patterns of behavior. In the good moments of this season I have been trying to figure out the why. In that the Holy Spirit has reached my heart and mind in an attempt to remind me of His truth and my vulnerabilities to wander away from that truth.

Piecing together some thoughts and recent insights I am wondering if we approach the idea of “accountability” wrong. Or at least the priority of accountability in the wrong order. I have had and do have a number of brothers in Christ that hold me “accountable” in my journey of purity. They have the freedom and permission to ask the tough and deeply personal questions. Seriously some very personal questions – but in all honesty I do believe they should be asked. In fact one brother occasionally questions me with “What’s the question that you don’t want me to ask?”, “What’s the thing that you don’t want me to know?” It unequivocally brings about a call to personal responsibility & honesty that can be very easily hidden. As believers in Christ we are called to bring things to the light right? I encourage you to prayerfully consider finding those men and/or women in your life that can build such a relationship.

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Here’s the deal, as I have just shared I have found this practice quite significant in my journey, I am challenged today with this. Shouldn’t that accountability partner first be asking me about my relationship and walk with Jesus, God the Father & the Holy Spirit? After all He IS the answer as stated in one of my favorite passages, Romans Chapter 7:

²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

I do have one brother that consistently does ask me if I have been reading anything good lately. Unfortunately over the last several weeks I have not had anything to share nor have I really taken his question seriously. Usually my mind was going toward a good read from some Christian living book rather than “the” book. I am going to ask him and the others to be more direct in their questions. What have you been reading in the Bible this week? Anything make you ponder? If have haven’t been reading – why not? What’s your plan for next week.

Ha! Even as I am typing this I’m a little anxious. Do I really want them to be asking me these questions? In reality I do, I want to be moving toward Jesus. How could I not? He know’s the answer, He is the answer! At the bottom of my journal page in which I was generating these thoughts was this scripture “I know the plans I have for you, say the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you future and a hope”. Jeremiah 29:11. Again why wouldn’t I want to be held accountable to building a relationship with our creator and Father; the Lord that knows what is best.

In closing, I share another oldie but goodie song that came to mind about seeking Him first! ~Stan