As the new year progresses I have some exciting dreams, goals and aspirations that I am really looking to accomplish with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Books to be published, fitness goals to be obtained, expansion of myself as a brand. These are some lofty things that I’m really excited to see through. But when my excitement is waning or my goals seem to be a little further out of reach than I anticipated, what do I do?
Sure I could stir myself up in the Lord, reading my word and meditating on it daily, I could sing worship songs and journal and all of the those wonderful things to supplement my relationship with Christ, but having accountability is another wonderful reminder to help us stay focused and on track. There are several instances in the bible that show us how beneficial having an accountability partner can be in our lives.
For instance we can take a look at Jonathan and David’s relationship: (1 Samuel 18:1, 2 Samuel 1:17, & 1 Kings 1:28)
These three different passages show the start of their friendship, the sad end of their friendship, and David’s behavior thereafter. The emphasis here is placed on their relationship and bond to indicate that there had to have been some sort of strong accountability between these two friends who felt more like brothers. The trajectory of David’s life after the death of his dear friend is a clear indication that Jonathan’s accountability was very influential in David’s life. Had Jonathan been alive, the whole Bathsheba situation may have never even transpired.
Esther and Mordecai’s accountability relationship is another example of how important having accountability in our lives can be. (Esther 4:14)
During a heightened time where the lives of many Jews were at jeopardy, Esther had the opportunity to boldly speak to the king about the things that were going on and the truth of her nationality. Without words of wisdom and encouragement from Mordecai, thousands of Jews would have been slain including Esther herself. Having his accountability was a great asset to her during this time.
Daniel 3 is also another passage that not only showcases the power of our ever present God, but the power of friendship and accountability.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego find themselves in a situation in which their lives are at stake. They have the option to worship King Nebuchadnezzar or stand firm in their faith refusing to worship anyone or anything other than God, the host of Heavens Army’s. Needless to say this infuriates the king and they are sentenced to a horrific death by fiery furnace. I imagine if they were individually persecuted or had no one to stand firm with them that facing the king alone would have been a much harder task, but because they were able to stand firm in their faith in the Lord and support one another in accountability, the Lord rescued them! (By the way this is one of my favorite stories! Seeing the Lord show up and show OUT for his children is such a beautiful thing and I know that he cares for all of us so deeply!)
So take a look around at your circle and see if you’re surrounded by people who are going to hold you accountable to the things that God requires of you. Maybe you’ve never asked your friends to hold you accountable or maybe you’ve recently found yourself in a season where you don’t have many friends or people pouring in to your life and that’s okay too! Don’t be afraid to show yourself friendly to other’s, join your churches small groups, or life groups or whatever they may be called. Ask God to introduce you to people who are going to bring you closer to his heart and hold you accountable to the perfect will that he has for your life!
(Side note: Just because someone may not look like us or sound like us, or meet all of our carnal expectations doesn’t mean that they cannot be a suitable friend for us!) I believe that if we pray and ask God to bring about godly friendships and show ourselves to be friendly he will bring about the friends that we need for this season of our lives, or life time friends!
Happy Tuesday!
Amber
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