Do You Struggle With Accountability?
Author: Pat Aman
Galatians 6:1-5 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.
First, I want to share just a little question and advice.
Let’s say, “you have a doctor’s appointment and you have decided you just do not want to go, how do you handle the phone call?” How much time before that call do you spend thinking of excuses to give?
Maybe, you have promised a friend your time, but you just do not have the time and have to cancel.
Even, you gave your word to someone that no matter what they can depend on you.
How you handle these situations is your accountability. Your accountability is not only to the person involved, but to yourself and too God.
I can hear you say now, “I try my best to live a life of accountability, but at times, I get so tired, because it seems I am being accountable and doing my part, but others, just seem to be using my goodness.”
Remember, you kept your life accountable to God, and let God do the work needed to show others what they need to do to be accountable to others.
Accountability should be a staple of your life. If you are truly a child of God, your life should be marked by accountability. If you are not able to to stand on your accountability you are letting not only God down, but everyone involved.
I myself needed to break an appointment a couple of years back. My youngest daughter was with me at the time. I made the phone call and started telling why I could not make the appointment. It was long and drawn out. After I hung up my daughter said, “Mom, why did you go into everything you talked about? All you had to do is say, I am calling to cancel. No excuses were needed”
Oh, my gracious, my daughter was telling me exactly what I taught her when she was growing up and under my care and teaching as her Mom. I did not need to explained. I just needed to call and say, “I will not be able to make my appointment.”
If the appointment was needed to be made in the future, I could if said, “I need to cancel and will contact you at a later date to re-schedule.”
How many times do we make excuses when we just need to be exact to the point.
Now I do understand we all have true emergencies, but when you excuses to not stand on your word is broken, your accountability is discredited.
Poor or selfish accountability will greatly hurt you in the long run. In the here-and-now, it will drive a wedge between you and others around you.
True accountability isn’t selfish. True accountability is concerned with the pursuit of holiness, not the relief of guilt or the justification of sin.
We must learn how accountability is a true mirror of our lives.
I myself have an accountability partner. We are able to speak our hearts in love. And we understand each other when we speak out of consideration st times. Why? Because we know each other’s heart. So, you can say we have a healthy accountability.
The hardest aspects of accountability are consistency and honesty. If you don’t consistently and honestly act in a Christian manner, you’ll find that you’re slowly destroying your accountability as others view your life.
Devotion Written By: Pastor Pat Aman Book © 1996/2019“Coffee With Pat Daily Devotionals Ministries and Christian Faith Publishers“
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