THE SMALL BIG THINGS #3 – I NEED YOU TO SURVIVE

The words of Hezekiah Walker’s I need you to survive song is one of the very best I have heard about the importance of accountability in the life of a Christian. One of the reasons why the 246 men failed according to Dr Hendrick’s research was because none was involved in any kind of personal accountability group and that is what the focus of part 3 of this article series will be based on. Of all the definitions of accountability I have seen, the one that accurately describes my understanding of the concept is by Alan Medinger. He defines an accountability relationship as one in which a Christian gives permission to another believer to look into his life for purposes of QUESTIONING, CHALLENGING, ADMONISHING, ADVISING, ENCOURAGING and otherwise providing input in ways that will help the individual live according to the Christian principles that they both hold.

We need each other to speak, sing and sometimes shout the truth of God's word to us. We need each other to pray for us when we are in the midst of temptation. We need friends who will hold on to us when we are ready to give up. We need people who will challenge and even rebuke us when we are indulging in sin. Though the Christian life is a PERSONAL relationship with God, it's NOT a PRIVATE one. As interesting as it may sound, to be accountable to someone means to be vulnerable and yet therein lies the strength needed to live the victorious Christian life.

From my personal experience and that of others, I can confidently say that accountability is extremely important in the life of a Christian. I will give you six of the many reasons:

1. We are one body and therefore must be responsible for each other. Whatever happens to another believer affects us and vice versa.

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (Romans 12:4-5)

2. There’s some form of healing that we can only get from accountability.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

3. The enemy takes delight in applying his Steal-Kill-Destroy agenda on “isolated people”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)

4. Sin thrives in secrecy and privacy

3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. (Psalm 32:3-4)

5. The flesh is always weak so we need help

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing…(John 6:63)

6. Two are always better than one

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

Though the Christian life is a PERSONAL relationship with God, it's NOT a PRIVATE one

Although this practice is a very good and healthy one, sadly, many Christians do not practice it. Below are some of the reasons I discovered:

• Some don’t have accountability partners because they simply don’t know how to get one. If you fall in this category, I will urge you to make it a personal goal and be committed to a ministry where you can find many like-minded people. Be open; be vulnerable (Prov 27:17)

• Some don’t have accountability partners because they don't think they need anyone. They claim they can be fine on their own. If you fall in this category, I am sorry to inform you that you are believing a lie because the Christian race can never be run alone. It’s simply impossible.

• Others also don’t have accountability partners because they simply cannot trust people, especially people of the same sex. If you fall in this category, I can sympathize with you to an extent. Nonetheless, you need to change your mindset because accountability is a need for victorious Christian living. Accepting this belief is like refusing to eat at all because your food was once poisoned. Yes, you have to be careful, but you definitely need to continue eating (Romans 12:2)

LEVELS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

I believe strongly that a well-balanced Christian must have accountability relationships on three levels; upward, lateral and downward.

Upward accountability partners are people you look up to (mentors). They may include your leaders, teachers, parents, role models etc. An example of such a relationship is what Eli was to Samuel.

Lateral accountability partners are people you look forward with (mates). They may include your friends, colleagues, siblings etc. Examples of such relationships are David and Jonathan, and Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego.

Downward accountability partners are people who look up to you (mentees). An example of such a relationship is what Timothy was to Paul.

Personally, I always ensure that at every point in my life I am actively engaging with people on all three levels of accountability and it has been really helpful.

A well-balanced Christian must have accountability relationships on three levels

There are generally two types of accountability relationships; personal accountability and group accountability. Personal accountability is accountability between two people whereas group accountability is among three or more people. Upward and downward accountability are mostly personal whereas lateral accountability can be both personal and group. For lateral personal accountability, I strongly oppose one that is between people of the opposite sex mainly because the power of communication is most likely to cause the two to “fall in love”.

I actually plan to write a more comprehensive article on this topic [accountability] after this [The Small Big Things] series because there is more to share. It is my prayer that you will find the wisdom in this message and take practical steps towards growing your accountability circles. Don’t forget that every big thing – whether good or bad – starts small, so start from somewhere. God richly bless you

RELATED ARTICLES

1. The Small Big Things #1 (https://sayinspires.wixsite.com/website/post/the-small-big-things-1-intro)

2. The Small Big Things #2 (https://sayinspires.wixsite.com/website/post/small-big-things-2-tithing-moment)