ATTITUDES FOR GODLY DEVELOPMENT: “ACCOUNTABILITY”

• These attitudes toward godly development always begin with a passion for obedience to the Word of God. These are helpful attributes and attitudes for those who are growing in the ways of Christ.
• We are as accountable as we choose to be.
• Accountability is a wise step because it provides guardrails.
• After King David committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba, a trusted servant named Nathan told him a story of injustice that mirrored the King’s actions.
• 2 Samuel 12:7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man…
• Accountability is valuable because it helps us grow in honesty, resist sin, and pursue Christlikeness.

• We become an accountability partner with someone because we:
  • Are close.
  • Have been invited into their lives.
  • Build a deep relationship. (The deeper the relationship, the greater the accountability.)

• An accountability relationship is not about control or constant monitoring. It is about loving the person honestly, offering mutual support, and helping each other remain faithful to Christ.
• Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
• A husband and wife should be each other’s closest accountability partners.
• If you were asked to be an accountability friend and the other person becomes defensive about periodic check-ins, rest assured you’re shining the light too close.
• Galatians 6:1-2 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
• James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

• With God, there is no cover-up, no looking the other way, no hiding what we’d rather not be exposed.
• Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
• We should be glad that God knows everything about us and loves us deeply. Nothing separates us from His love.
• Romans 8:35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

• Did you know we all have blind spots? Our pride tells us we’re good.
• We’re all wise to have people who have the freedom to ask us accountability questions.
• Encouragement is helpful, too:
  1 Samuel 23:15-18 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 18 So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.
• 2 Timothy 1:16-18 May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. 17 When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. 18 May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.
• Trust is anchored in reality.
• Broken trust increases questions, not diminishes them.
• You don’t rebuild trust through privacy but through transparency.
• Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
• “Obey your leaders” calls not for mindless, robotic submission but for persuasion through their biblical instruction.

Joy vs. Sorrow

1. Embrace the blessing of accountability.
2. Invite the right person(s) into your life.
3. Accountability is an act of loving another.

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty of my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You alone as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

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