A pastor once told me, “A man alone is in bad company.”
Accountability is a gift from God to those He loves. Rejecting it is spurning a key element in your spiritual development. Without it, you will try to perfect in the flesh what began in the spirit. Your godliness will be hindered.
If you’re thinking, “Yea, I get that, but what I don’t get is how,” then you are not alone. Accountability is just a matter of being honest with another man who can be truthful with you. It begins with godly care and ends with godly prayer.
With scheduled meetings and spontaneous conversations where sin is confessed and confronted, a man is sure to find fruitful accountability. Here are three, easy-to-remember subjects to serve as accountability points for men.
Learning
We are transformed into Christ-likeness by the renewing of our mind (Rom. 12:2). Divine truth is to the Spirit of God as the hammer is to the carpenter. Without the truth, the Spirit has nothing to work with. However, when we have God’s truth in our heart, a fruitful work is completed in our life.
Men must first be serious about studying God’s Word daily. Without it, accountability is wasted. The unrenewed mind will reject spiritual liability and the heart will grow hard. But, those “who walk in the law of the Lord” are “those whose way is blameless” (Ps. 119:1). Consider these scriptures:
- Psalm 119
- Proverbs 2
- Proverbs 16
- Proverbs 7
- Proverbs 30:5-6
- John 14:15
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Leadership
After learning, real accountability—and therefore real transformation—can happen in a man’s life. The second place we need help is in our leadership. Whether at home as husbands and fathers or at church as pastors and deacons, leadership is a challenging task where sin can easily take root.
As men, we fight against two extremes: aggressiveness and passiveness. We have a tendency to lean one way or the other, making leading with love difficult. Godly leadership requires self-sacrifice and a willingness to act on commitment, not feelings. Consider these scriptures:
- Proverbs 13:24
- Proverbs 20:7
- Colossians 3:19-21
- Ephesians 5:25-33
- Ephesians 6:4
- 1 Timothy 5:8
- 1 Peter 3:7
Lust
Thirdly, the most common sins among men today fall into the category of lust. With depravity so widespread and even welcomed in our society, men have very little chance of overcoming lust without accountability.
Sex is advertised and forced upon us from every direction. Not even the roadways are empty of temptation. Lust gives way to many other sins that cripple men at the least and turn them into monsters at the worst. But we can fight it together. Our young men and boys need us to. Consider these scriptures:
- Psalm 119:9-10
- Psalm 119:37
- Proverbs 5:5-23
- Matthew 5:28
- Romans 13:14
- Galatians 5:16
- 1 Corinthians 6:18
- 1 John 2:16
Accountability is not a patent on perfection. There is no guarantee that it will sanctify you overnight, but it is does lend itself to measurable results. Plus, it is the way God designed our spiritual development. Pray that He will lead you to find an accountability partner after His heart.
Download My Brother’s Keeper: An Essential Guide to Christian Accountability and form habits of grace that make you more like Christ.
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