WHERE IS YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY??
God told the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Our ability to embed ourselves within the impenetrable shell of rationalization, projection and denial is nothing short of amazing.
Neil Plantinga writes:
We deny, suppress, or minimize what we know to be true. We assert, adorn, and elevate what we know to be false. We prettify ugly realities and sell ourselves the prettified versions. Thus a liar might transform “I tell a lot of lies to shore up my pride” to “Occasionally, I finesse the truth in order to spare other people’s feelings.”1
An entire field of social psychology – the study of “cognitive dissonance” – is based on our limitless ability to rationalize what we do and say. That being the case, we all need people who will help us protect ourselves from ourselves and the desires of our own hearts.
Effective leaders use the same standards for themselves that they apply to others. They hold themselves accountable just like everyone else on the team. Maintaining such accountability involves seeking 360-degree honesty. Skilled leaders consistently receive feedback from those who work above them, beside them and for them. David Watson says, “Anything that is subject to human limitation or error requires the collegial presence of another person to ensure responsibility. It is a fact of life.”2 A failure to provide a structure for such accountability will lead to a crisis of character and leadership.
FOLKS........GOD WILL HOLD US ALL, EVERY LEADER ACCOUNTABLE!
King David is a great example of what can happen when leaders FAIL to be accountable for their actions. When they fail to create a structure in which they are accountable for how they live both their personal and professional lives.
EXAMPLE:
David sent Joab out with the Israelite Army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah while David remained in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up from bed and was walking around on the roof of the palace when he saw this beautiful woman bathing. He sent someone to find out about the woman. The man says to David "Isn't that Bathesba, daughter of Eliam, WIFE of Uriah the Hittite? David sent messengers to get her. She came to David and he slept with her. Next thing you know, Bathesba sends word to David: "I'M PREGNANT!"
By this time, David was up in age, had been King for numerous years. He was a gifted musician, mighty warrior and a very capable leader. He ENJOYED being intimate with GOD, had a healthy family and a very stable political position with an unbroken string of military victories. The King who had it ALL. What he DIDN'T have was Uriah's wife and THAT was what he wanted!
No, David didn't just wake up one day and decide to trash his entire life with SIN by committing Adultery and Murder! NO...and neither do we! See, David had a problem with self-control.
(Sidenote: If we put God in control, we don't have to worry about "SELF" getting out of line)
David began a descent by making "small" compromises! He took an additional wife, then another and another until he had SEVEN in all...but...even THAT wasn't enough. So, he got himself a herem. He made things worse for himself by (Watch this now...) NOT having anyone around him who WOULD tell him about his problem.
Although David could hide his sins from his "associates", he couldn't hide them from God! Our sins WILL find us! (Numbers 32:23) because God sees what is done in secret (Psalm 90:8)
NOTHING is hidden from God or escapes his notice (Jeremiah 23:24) God is slow to anger, BUT, he gets angry!
God sent Nathan, the Prophet, to confront David. That's when David realized (UH OH...watch this ) EVEN Kings (LEADERS) ARE accountable for their actions. David had TWO choices. He would either confess and be a man after God's own heart or be in denial and be another King Saul.
(another side note: Being a man after God's own heart doesn't mean you ARE perfect!!!. It means you have to be HONEST about your failures and shortcomings)
David chose to confess: (2 Samuel 12:13) and pour his HEART out to God (Psalm 51)
If we are not WILLING to invite someone like Nathan into our lives, God will provide a Nathan for us. (he provides our EVERY need) But, by then it may be too late to spare us from the consequences.
Wise leaders don’t wait for a crisis to establish accountability. Accountability relationships cannot be imposed; they must be invited. It's on leaders to establish structures and relationships that harness their sin and unleash their potential. We must seek out godly people of mature character and give them permission to ask us the tough questions. This requires risk on our part. It requires honesty and vulnerability – risky things that leaders are often skeptical about. However, as anyone who has suffered the consequences of a fall will tell you, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
WILL YOU BE ACCOUNTABLE TODAY?
Be Blessed and remember to BE a blessing!
Neil Plantinga writes:
We deny, suppress, or minimize what we know to be true. We assert, adorn, and elevate what we know to be false. We prettify ugly realities and sell ourselves the prettified versions. Thus a liar might transform “I tell a lot of lies to shore up my pride” to “Occasionally, I finesse the truth in order to spare other people’s feelings.”1
An entire field of social psychology – the study of “cognitive dissonance” – is based on our limitless ability to rationalize what we do and say. That being the case, we all need people who will help us protect ourselves from ourselves and the desires of our own hearts.
Effective leaders use the same standards for themselves that they apply to others. They hold themselves accountable just like everyone else on the team. Maintaining such accountability involves seeking 360-degree honesty. Skilled leaders consistently receive feedback from those who work above them, beside them and for them. David Watson says, “Anything that is subject to human limitation or error requires the collegial presence of another person to ensure responsibility. It is a fact of life.”2 A failure to provide a structure for such accountability will lead to a crisis of character and leadership.
FOLKS........GOD WILL HOLD US ALL, EVERY LEADER ACCOUNTABLE!
King David is a great example of what can happen when leaders FAIL to be accountable for their actions. When they fail to create a structure in which they are accountable for how they live both their personal and professional lives.
EXAMPLE:
David sent Joab out with the Israelite Army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah while David remained in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up from bed and was walking around on the roof of the palace when he saw this beautiful woman bathing. He sent someone to find out about the woman. The man says to David "Isn't that Bathesba, daughter of Eliam, WIFE of Uriah the Hittite? David sent messengers to get her. She came to David and he slept with her. Next thing you know, Bathesba sends word to David: "I'M PREGNANT!"
By this time, David was up in age, had been King for numerous years. He was a gifted musician, mighty warrior and a very capable leader. He ENJOYED being intimate with GOD, had a healthy family and a very stable political position with an unbroken string of military victories. The King who had it ALL. What he DIDN'T have was Uriah's wife and THAT was what he wanted!
No, David didn't just wake up one day and decide to trash his entire life with SIN by committing Adultery and Murder! NO...and neither do we! See, David had a problem with self-control.
(Sidenote: If we put God in control, we don't have to worry about "SELF" getting out of line)
David began a descent by making "small" compromises! He took an additional wife, then another and another until he had SEVEN in all...but...even THAT wasn't enough. So, he got himself a herem. He made things worse for himself by (Watch this now...) NOT having anyone around him who WOULD tell him about his problem.
Although David could hide his sins from his "associates", he couldn't hide them from God! Our sins WILL find us! (Numbers 32:23) because God sees what is done in secret (Psalm 90:8)
NOTHING is hidden from God or escapes his notice (Jeremiah 23:24) God is slow to anger, BUT, he gets angry!
God sent Nathan, the Prophet, to confront David. That's when David realized (UH OH...watch this ) EVEN Kings (LEADERS) ARE accountable for their actions. David had TWO choices. He would either confess and be a man after God's own heart or be in denial and be another King Saul.
(another side note: Being a man after God's own heart doesn't mean you ARE perfect!!!. It means you have to be HONEST about your failures and shortcomings)
David chose to confess: (2 Samuel 12:13) and pour his HEART out to God (Psalm 51)
If we are not WILLING to invite someone like Nathan into our lives, God will provide a Nathan for us. (he provides our EVERY need) But, by then it may be too late to spare us from the consequences.
Wise leaders don’t wait for a crisis to establish accountability. Accountability relationships cannot be imposed; they must be invited. It's on leaders to establish structures and relationships that harness their sin and unleash their potential. We must seek out godly people of mature character and give them permission to ask us the tough questions. This requires risk on our part. It requires honesty and vulnerability – risky things that leaders are often skeptical about. However, as anyone who has suffered the consequences of a fall will tell you, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
WILL YOU BE ACCOUNTABLE TODAY?
Be Blessed and remember to BE a blessing!
Comment
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Comment by T.L. Hawkins on April 9, 2009 at 11:59am
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LOL...y'all are on a ROLL! People complain because they are NOT content with THEMSELVES. They are more or less "embarassed" by what they're NOT doing for the Kingdom. They don't want to be "outdone"...lol...not hard to do if they already don't do anything.
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Comment by Eric Hancock on April 9, 2009 at 10:05am
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Sister tarmeque
I learned that if everybody likes you then your doing something wrong..because everybody did not like Yashua
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Brother Luckette
I just had to confront some people on that same issue,how can anyone complain about prayer?? ,,but it lead to CHURCH Gossip..wich is the worst GOSSIP,,and I learned that the ones that does all the shouting and speaking in tongues,,,are the one that cause all the hell in the church
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Bro Hancock~ When you are PASSIONATE about the WORD and the work of the KINGDOM, you will always be called ....something! lol....Jesus enured more than we could ever imagine, so, we WILL go through somethings for the Kingdom's sake. I keep my SwordS ready! (Notice that SWORD is plural...the word is thousands of swords!!!)
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I fully believe and agree with what your saying..I was called an extremist when I shared what you just said
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God probally would allowed the same thing to that happened to Saul,to happen with David...now be mindful that David repented to God/Yahweh and Saul repented to Samuel..REAL BIG DIFFERENCE
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True Apostle Williams. I wonder what would have happened had King David ignored the Prophet Nathan and NOT cried out to God as he did. More times than not, we fail to take heed to God's messenger. God sends us a timely word and it's up to us to accept it or reject it.
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Comment by Apostle James Williams on April 8, 2009 at 2:50pm
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My God , that make me think about some of the Psalm where different times where David would be crying out to God about the enemies that would be encamped around Him and their teeth would be like iron, so forth and so on, how could this be when the Bible says God gave victory to David and the Land had peace, well that was true and there was people that new about King David and Bathsheba that would not live it down,He had to bear His reproach because of His choices and continue to live for God and had to trust God while they talked about Him and His situation what a price to pay when you backslide so for your sins or exposed to the world,but thank God that He knew where to run to, and after a period of time God took away His reproach. Amen !! Peace I'm Out
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AMEN Regi! AMEN!
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Comment by regi on April 8, 2009 at 12:42am
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What people forget is that if we don't accept correction from those that correct rightfully so, with Love, without trying to destroy or tear down, or make an example of, or promote self or self agenda, to make a mockery of, or simply to hurt, then we will eventually have to give account. I'd rather do it sooner than later.
However, I believe that the prayers of the righteous avails much. God answers prayer, but he does not violate one's will. He uses man to help one another see the error in their ways. We must not provoke one to wrath because correction can not happen. No one listens when they are angry or feel victimized/attacked. Our nature responds in defense, so correction has to be with wisdom, and Love with the sole purpose of building up and helping the person to grow.
God has a way of helping us to see the error of our ways--Oh yes He does. Imagine your life without God? I dare think; with God there is hope and protection and guidance, without Him, you are own your own...not a place I want to be. Tarmeque, I think many fear accountability as if it means they are failures or weak, but on the contrary, it makes us stronger when we accept responsibility and learn from our mistakes. Be Blessed
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