Accountability

“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”

Psalm 118:5

Accountability is an honest reckoning of self-judgment, while a partner is there to monitor with an objective perspective, and gentle, encouraging words. So, what is accountability? A few people I know through the ministry used to describe it as ratting yourself out to God. I used to laugh and tell them that would be confession, but they were close. 

In the context of breaking free from our past of personal pain, the term accountability conjures up negative connotations associated with disciplinary uses. Back in grade school, on the job, civil and criminal codes, and in church, all we’ve ever known is the reactive nature of being held accountable.

No wonder no one wants to hold themselves accountable. When applied in a negative “gotcha” after the fact, it loses its appeal and application for the sake of what we’re working to accomplish. Let’s look at accountability another way.

What if we instead looked at accountability in a positive light? If instead of it being a tool to retro-discover failures, we front-load success by clearly identifying the expectations ahead of time and then applying accountability measures as a means to progressively monitor and mentor the entirety of the journey. 

I know you might prefer holding yourself accountable as opposed to opening yourself up to others. It’s embarrassing to ask for help with a personal problem. It can be downright mortifying to share the details, but God encourages us to not only hold each other accountable but also to confess our sins to one another for healing. 

Please, get connected.

Call To Action 

1. Write out in detail what your experiences with accountability have been; good or bad. 
2. Write out in detail what goals you would share with an accountability partner. 
3. Write out in detail what goals you would not share with an accountability partner. 
4. Write out in detail why you would not share anything you didn’t match on the list above. 
5. Write out in detail a list of men, and their contact information, that you would feel close enough to for serving as an accountability partner.