accountability

ACCOUNTABILITY

Matthew 7:3-5

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Hebrews 10:23-25 – Motivating Others to Radical Love and Hope

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Bible History on Accountability

The books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers tell us about ancient days when the Jews were enslaved in Egypt and prayed to God to free them.

God responded by sending Moses to lead the Jews out of Egypt and take them to the land of Canaan (modern day Israel). Canaan was the land that God had promised to give to them.

Empowered by God's miracles, Moses succeeded in freeing the Jews.

How many of us can say we regularly get together with other brothers and sisters where we think of creative ways to “provoke” one another to show radial love and good deeds? How many of us meet regularly to help one another set our sites on the coming kingdom of God? What would change if we pursued these sorts of relationships?

Accountability Scriptural

1 Corinthians 6:9

Psalm 51:5 Psalm 58:3 Psalm 51:4

Romans 3:23 Isaiah 7:16 Deuteronomy 1:39

Hebrews 9:27

Revelation 20:12


After a long journey through the wilderness, the Jews finally arrived at the border of Canaan. Then they sent spies to find out the size and strength of the armies they would have to defeat in order to possess Canaan.

The spies returned with the news that their enemies were numerous and heavily armed. (continued in next column)

This verse means we must dig beneath the surface in our accountability relationships. We must go beyond mere behavior and look at motivations.

•Behavioral accountability is choosing to be honest with another person or group of people about our obvious habits or tendencies. Are we easily given to lust in specific settings? Do we overspend or blow our budget? Are we lazy at our jobs? Do we gossip or slander someone’s reputation? Do we lose our temper with our spouses or children? Are we addicted to anything? Is technology or work stealing attention from our families? Do we lack spiritual discipline? Do we neglect making opportunities to share our faith? Confessing these sorts of struggles is very important: it stops bad habits from festering into deeper issues. But it is only the beginning of helpful accountability.

•Motivational accountability is choosing to be honest with another person or group of people about the desires and thoughts that truly drive and move us. This is about getting to the “sin beneath the sin.” It may not even be sin of which we are consciously aware, so we need another set of eyes to help us see what we cannot. Motivational accountability requires really knowing one another and asking the hard heart questions. Are we fascinated with Christ and the gospel? Do I find great joy in God? What do we desire more than anything else? What do we find ourselves daydreaming or fantasizing about? Do we covet anything? Do we think more about how we can serve ourselves or how we can boast in Christ and serve others? Are we holding on to bitterness? Where do our thoughts drift to when we enter social settings? Where do our thoughts take us when we are all alone? What lies do we believe that continually drive us to disobey God? Do we love anything more than God?


When the Jews heard this, they became afraid. They refused to believe that God would give them victory. In short, they rebelled against God and refused to obey Him.

In judgment for this rebellion, God ordained that the Jews would not be permitted to enter Canaan (Num 14.22-23), but would instead wander for 40 years in the wilderness until they became old and died (Num 14.34-35).


IMPORTANT EXCEPTION! God didn’t say that ALL the Jews were doomed to die in the wilderness. No, God mad and exception for a certain group of the Jews. This group would NOT die. They would live to see the Promised Land!

(God said) “The carcasses of you who have murmured against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” (Numbers 14:29)

Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have not knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there (to the Promised Land); to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. (Deut. 1:39)

Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. (Exod. 30:14)

Questions to Ask oneself

Why are we held accountable to each other

How do you define accountability

Are we accountable to our children well-being

Are we accountable to our boss on the job

Are we accountable to our Pastor for spiritual guides

Are we accountable to our brother and sister in Christ

Are we accountable to our brothers & sisters

RESPONSIBILITY1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Corinthians 3:8 - Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:4 - And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Matthew 12:37 - For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

John 15:22 - If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin

Matthew 22:36-39

Master, which (is) the great commandment in the law? 37. Jesus said unto hi m, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment

PEOPLE ARE OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSETDEUTERONOMY 32:9

I took note and gave ear, but no one said what is right: no man had regret for his evil-doing,

saying, What have I done? everyone goes off on his way like a horse rushing to the fight.

JEREMIAH 8:6

The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in

you. 4 Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging

Rock. 5 For he has made low those who are lifted up, all the people of the

town of pride: he makes it low, crushing it down to the earth; he makes it low in

the dust. 6 It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of

those who are in need.

ISAIAH 26:3-6

In each scripture verses the Lord was dealing with the people, repent, trust the Lord thy

God, keep your mind in perfect peace; we have read God’s love for people. Let us be an

example of Christ love to all mankind everyone is a candidate for SALVATION.

When people come and find it to be anything short of a loving assembly, not all of them will

recover. In that case, who is guilty? We can’t blame it on the devil, but must cleanse our

own hearts from hypocrisy. Some will be _______ or moment in life. It’s a different

thing to habitually practice behaviors that cause the morale of in the Church to decline

When innocence is lost, the Body of Christ should be positioned to take in the hurting

souls. It is our job to nurture people and give them back to God.

There are many deceptions in the world and in our churches today. There is the deception of offense, the deception of fear, the deception of manipulation, the deception of authority and so forth.

The deception of offense is a dangerous deception. One of the reasons there are churches on every corner in some cities is because of the deception of offense. Someone was hurt and offended by someone else and decided they could do better on their own.

THERE ARE MANY DECEPTIONS

Someone might have told them they should become a pastor. Offense does make us vulnerable. It shuts down our ability to reason. We begin to think through emotions rather than truth. The deception of offense is centered in pride.

No matter what area the enemy is trying to bring deception in, only truth can break it. Truth is found in the Word of God. Deception uses facts, but truth overpower fact.

DECEPTION & OFFENSE

We have to choose neither to be deceived nor to deceive anyone else. The most potent

of any deception is self-deception.

ACCEPT THE TRUTH AS THE GUIDE IN THIS LIFE

RESPECT/HONOR

1 Peter 2:13 - Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

1 Peter 5:5 - Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

1 Peter 2:1-2 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

However, did these qualifications make Eli a great Father in his own home?

Apparently not. The Bible tells us of his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. These young

men were corrupt and took advantage of their privileged position as sons of the

priest.

God sent a prophet to confront and condemn Eli. He accused him of honoring his sons more than God. Some parental problems have

been around since the beginning of time. Don’t we often overlook disobedience because we can’t bear to punish our children as they deserve?

Failure to discipline according to what is right is a fatal flaw. Eli lost the

honored position that God had given him and his family. God had promised that Eli’s house would minister before Him forever.

Eli did scold his sons for their behavior but they Showed no more respect for their

earthy father than they did for the Lord God of Israel. Certainly they knew that his

word was weak and no discipline would follow. However, God’s word was strong

and He did follow through with the discipline he had promised.

True to his name, Eli uplifted the Lord to the people of Shiloh but failed to do this in

his own home. God expected Eli to teach his sons respect for their Lord.

God expects all fathers to teach their children respect. Their earthly father is the first

glimpse they see of their Heavenly Father.

accountability

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