Accountability & Spiritual Growth

[Minister Connie]

In Matthew 5.23–24, Jesus says: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

God has put it on my heart to discuss the topic of accountability once again. Why? Because this is running amoc in the body of Christ. What is accountability? It's a check and balance system to protect us from harming ourselves and others. We also have to realize that we are accountable to God. The key is to be humble enough to allow ourselves to be corrected and even rebuked by God Himself or whoever He puts in our path to do so. He can even use someone who rubs us the wrong way. God's motives are always so much higher than ours. He knows what is for our best more than we do. It also takes trust in God and another person to be able to be accountable for our wrong actions or words. Too many Christians today do not have that trust or that true humility and in the end they will hurt themselves, others and their walk with God. If we are discerning enough we will recognize someone who is operating in destructive attitudes and stay away from them for a while and pray for God to move in their hearts.

There are areas where we are weak and struggling and God is trying to put us on the path to spiritual growth and maturity. It's time to stop all the foolishness church and begin to behave as Jesus would. Everyone is watching us...believers as well as unbelievers. I have seen so many Christians give up on one another because they don't like the way they are walking their walk, or the way they are treating others, or the way they behave like the rest of the world. Who made us Judge and Jury? God sure didn't. Many have given up church because they've been hurt by someone. Well, whatever works to get you out of church and away from the Body of Christ, Satan will use. Even he knows there is weakness in dividing God's people up. There is always an excuse for those who are lukewarm and no longer want to discipline themselves to this walk. We all know what God's Word says about people who are lukewarm or cold, He will spit them out of His mouth.

It's good to be open to feedback and instruction. There are times when God may pull us away from someone who is operating in something that is destructive. Stop receiving condemnation or hurt when this happens, go to God and ask Him what is going on. Too often we try to put the blame on others when we need to look within ourselves. If we become defensive when someone tries to point something out to us then we need to see that as a big red flag! So many Christians hurt one another with words or actions in order to protect themselves and defend themselves and refuse to be accountable for what they have done. What happens here is the Christian walk and relationship with God and others is compromised. If they refuse to be humbled, refuse to be accountable, and refuse to ask forgiveness, then they will die spiritually. Their thinking will be clouded and they will not be guided by the Spirit because they give in to their emotions and feelings all the time rather than listening to what God is telling them. If you find yourself alone, without many friends, without being under the leadership of someone in authority spiritually, if you see people pulling away from you....go to God and ask Him to show you. Personally, I'm always surrounding myself with mature and spiritual people that I can go to when things happen. I am open to advice and counsel. How about you? Are you humble enough to accept advice and counsel from those in authority over you or from anyone God will send you? Or are you defensive and try to put up walls of mistrust? Those two things are two big red flags that should be going off. God put us together in a Body and with someone over us to protect us and guide us. Yes, we have the Holy Spirit, but we need to be connected with the Body of Christ too.

Lack of accountability says that we have no respect or love for one another and the same goes for God. Many of us are not accountable when it comes to obeying God's word. We are hearers of the Word but not doers. One of the greatest places of disobedience today is forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. That means getting together with the Body of Christ. That means, very bluntly, going to church! I've seen Satan deceive so many Christians in their thinking as to why they don't have to go to church! Hanging around with fellow Christians socially is not gathering together of ourselves in assembly. Do the research! I've seen many deceived and use the word of God to actually defend themselves and refuse to be accountable. One Scripture they use is: There is now no condemnation for those who love God. Yes this is truth, but what happened to the whole counsel of God? Like today's Scripture for instance...if you have something against a brother or sister go to them and be reconciled. What does reconciled mean? To forgive! We are to forgive and love in all circumstances! And we need not let it be lip service, forgiveness is a heart thing. God doesn't give up on anyone! Who are we to think we can give up on one another?

Many Christians today are developing seared consciences. By that I mean that they make promises and break them. They give their word and and don't keep it. They judge, criticize and gossip. They give up on their walk because someone has hurt them. We come up with so many excuses it's ridiculous. Well, guess what? Come judgment day there will be no excuses whatsoever. God looks at the heart and knows the hidden agenda of everything we do and say. It's time for us to walk in unity and love. But it's also time for us to be humbled enough to accept correction, rebuke and accountability for what we do and say. Only in this way will we be open enough to allow God to mature us into the Sons and Daughters of God that we really should be. It's time to be accountable church and stop using God's word to defend our wrong actions and words.

I've seen times in my life where God told me to go ask forgiveness of someone when I did nothing wrong. But I obeyed Him and grew out of it. It didn't FEEL good at the time but God honored that. They key is I obeyed and did what He told me to do. He dealt with the other people on His time and helped me to mature spiritually. Are we humble enough to do something like that when God asks us to? Many of us are holding something against someone and never asked their forgiveness. We have become puffed up with pride or feel the need to defend our actions. We need to take care of those things now before it's too late. God is moving into a new realm of His glory with His people and each one of us need to have a pure heart. When we are not accountable Satan will go after us even more. But to those who are truly humbled, forgiving and loving, Satan will tire of them and move on to someone else. Oh, he may come back again, but I guarantee you if you determine to walk in love and forgiveness every battle will be won! So don't let anything or anyone stop your walk with God. Obey God's word and commands in all seasons and you will be greatly blessed. Focus on your walk and let God deal with others. God bless you. I love you, but Jesus loves you so much more than I ever could.