Accountability

By Santiago Huron

 

Through the years I’ve seen great men of God resist accountability and have paid a costly price. Men have forfeited careers, family, marriages, and ministries because they rejected the accountability so necessary to a victorious Christian life. Christianity itself has been attacked and criticized because of our unwillingness to be accountable to someone that could help us reach our full potential for Christ.

Pride is a great deterrent to accountability. Accountability calls us to discreet transparency when pride entices us to hide. Accountability challenges us to consider what others see in us, pride blinds us from the truth. Accountability requires humility which is in constant warfare with pride.

Accountability is a very important Biblical concept we must heed in order to experience daily victory. The scripture says, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13). This passage calls for daily encouragement in order not to be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

In Proverbs 27:17 the scripture says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 we read, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” One of the devils schemes is to isolate a man so that he can destroy him. This is what happened with the demoniac. He was in the tombs by himself. Satan had him alone where he could deceive him. However, after the man met Jesus he was told to go home to his family. (Luke 8:38-39)

The principle of accountability is also seen in the life of David when he says, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep they precepts.” (Psalm 119:63) Solomon, the son of David, wrote in Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Accountability requires discreet transparency, which is consistent with the admonition in James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…”. In Conquering enslaving habits one must seek out those God has placed in his life to whom he can discreetly share and who will hold him accountable for victory in his words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. It would be good to be accountable to someone in authority, someone in your church, someone in your family, etc. A man should always be accountable to a man unless he is accountable to his wife.

Accountability is not only profitable with regard to enslaving habits, but also with spiritual disciplines, such as scripture meditation, rising early, godly counsel, money matters, etc. Accountability can help our Light shine before men in such a way that when they see our good works, they will glorify our Father which is in heaven.

I believe that this principle is essential to the Christian life. May it’s application in our lives strengthen our family, marriage and ministry.