WAR ROOM WEEK 2 ACCOUNTABILITY

REAL ACCOUNTABILITY

This past week was an eye opening for me. I hope I wasn’t the only one.  This week is about accountability.  Man do we need some accountability in this country. I won’t get into that because it would be very long.

Before we start please READ PSALMS 141:3-5A OUT LOUD.

One of the best things about being in a Christian community is accountability. I never really thought much about it until I went on the Walk to Emmaus. It is like a Christian Retreat. We spending a lot of time together, listening to talks about what it means to be a Christian and eating. A weekend full of laughter, tears, and renewal to walk closer to God.

It doesn’t end there. Those that have been on the walks have a “gathering” once a month. And it is strongly recommended but not required to get involved with an “accountability group”.  When you get together you talk about when you felt close to God the past week, when you failed God, when you felt like God was using you as a vessel and some other question. It is great to share with other Christian women.  The group I attend gets together once a month, because most of us are still working and weekly is practically impossible.  The group is small and they also recommend it to be small.

In the video below, you can see the clear accountability between friends. Background: Tony has gotten away from God and his marriage. He is being tempted and basically “playing with fire”.  His friend Michael is a genuine friend and confronts Tony. WATCH NOW.

 

 

Noticed how Michael was will to speak difficult truth, even when he’s friend didn’t receive it well.  This short video clip shows us the importance of value of having godly relationships with others.

We recently talked about accountability on another Bible study. As you can see, it is important to God. With “worldly” friends we have no one to confront us when we sin.

Consider a moment in YOUR life when you found yourself “playing with fire”. Being drawn to do something that you knew was wrong in God’s eyes.  Did you have someone in your life confront you with truth and love?

READ PROVERBS 27:6

What does this say about accountability? How can wounds from a friend be better than kisses?

LOOK UP AND READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURE. Write in your journal what each says about accountability.

PROVERBS 27:17; HEBREWS 3:13; JAMES 5:19-20; GALATIANS 6:1-2; ECCLESIATES 4:9-12

Which verse describes the value of Christian accountability in YOUR life?

READ Ephesians 4:15. What does it mean to “speak truth in love”?

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE “ WE’VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR A LONG TIME, BUT SOME THINGS ARE JUST NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.” – Tony

 

READ EPHESIANS 5:1-4.

Take a moment and reflect what in your past or present resembles a fruitless “work of darkness”? Make a list of things that you NEED to GET OUT of your LIFE.

READ JAMES 5:16

When we hear the word healing we think it means cured.  But another meaning that healing means when it comes to confession is made whole.  That is what happens when we give our life to Christ after living in the sin. Our salvation.  This is also what happens in our hearts when we walk in an accountable connection with other believers.

When someone is in darkness, they will cry out “none of your business” just as Tony did in the video. So is it our business to speak to other Christians this way? We were made to have connections.  We are made to walk in healthy and honest relationships so that others cane see Christ by our love for each other.

WRITE OUT ISAIAH 29:15 in your journal.

Confessing brings forgiveness and healing. Concealing brings grief and pain. Have you ever felt the pain and grief of concealing something? Do you have someone who holds you accountable for sinful patterns in your life? We ALL NEED ONE.

Secret sins lead to shame and unheard prayers. Ask God show you someone that can be your accountability partner so that you can walk in healing, wholeness and confidence that your prayers are heard.

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE “ SINCE WE’VE BEEN FRIENDS FRO A LONG TIME, I’M NOT JUST GONNA WATCH YOUR MARRIAGE DIE. SO IF IT’S BLEEDING, I’M NOT JUST GONNA KEEP EATING MY SALAD”- MICHAEL

There is a great responsibility in relationships.  Note what each of these verses say about responsibility.

EPEHESIAN 4: 19-32     JOHN 15:13     JOB 6:14     PROVERBS 18:24

Being part of a Christian community is having friends who will walk with you through whatever you are going through. They will also hold you accountable to your commitment to Christ. (They are supposed to). When we are alone, that is when we are most vulnerable to sin.

Proverbs 18:1 says “One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires. He rebels against all sound judgement”. A good accountability partner can be trusted to keep a confidence. Closeness in relationship is built upon trust.  (See Proverbs 11:13)

It is hard to find someone like that , that you can truly trust to keep a confidence.

READ 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-26

Look at verse 25. This talks about have the same concern for each other.  This means we are to suffer when others in our community suffer. We are to rejoice when others in our community rejoice. If we didn’t have each other, the body of Christ would not be complete.

QUOTE FROM THE MOVIE, “ SEE YOU IN CHURCH” – TONY   “I NEED TO SEE THE CHURCH IN YOU, BRO” –MICHAEL

I loved that quote when I heard it in the movie.  We as Christians, are sometimes the only “sermon” people will ever hear or see. There is a saying that says that people are all Saintly on Sundays at church but on Mondays and the rest of the week they live like the world. People who are lost, WATCH people who proclaim they are Christians to see if their ACTIONS confirm it.  That is what Michael was saying to Tony.

Being in an accountable relationship with other believers helps us not only to walk in integrity, but to avoid the consequences of FOOLISH decisions.                

Look up the following verses and write in your journals, what they say about freedom.

Proverbs 16:17     Psalm 199:45     2 Corinthians 3:17     Galatians 5:1     Romans 6:22

Being a believer give us freedom. Freedom for eternal death because of our sins.  However this freedom is not a freedom of responsibility. In fact, our freedom in Christ, calls for us to be responsible for our actions.

Even people that are not in our accountability group, we should go to them privately, when needed and hold them accountable when they are living in sin.  This is NEVER an easy thing to do, nor is it fun, but it is necessary part of us helping each other stay right with God.

We ALL are part of the family of God and as family members we love each other.

 

WORSHIP SONG FOR THE WEEK