“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11-12
Accountability to God
“I have four or five people for accountability,” one man told me. “You need accountability,” people told me for years. “You need to have an accountability partner,” people advised me. “You should have strong accountability.” “Get yourself some people for accountability.” Accountability. Accountability. Accountability. I learned the hard way a vital lesson about accountability. Notice the common denominator in all the statements about accountability. People.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary online includes in its definition of accountability “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” For years, I could have won an award for the believer in Christ with the most accountability with people. My problem wasn’t a lack of accountability; I had a problem with to whom I was accountable. I wasn’t a follower of Christ; I was a believer in Christ who followed people. I depended on their faith in God, their relationship with Him, their counsel, wisdom and advice, and their praise or judgment.
Through the years, God stripped me of countless people, especially the strong ones on whom I depended, drew me into an intimate relationship with Himself, taught me how to depend on Him for everything, and showed me my accountability must be to Him. He gave me a hunger beyond measure for His Word, taught me to sit at the feet of Christ and seek the Lord’s face, pour out my heart to Him, receive wisdom from Him, learn to follow Him rather than the world, and measure any advice I do receive from people against His Word to make sure no matter how well meaning the people are that the counsel is truly from Him.
The leadership, counsel, wisdom, help, direction, conviction, chastening, and love, grace, and mercy I have received from the Lord the more I have thrown myself at His feet with love, humility, and adoration, is beyond measure. Having others love, encourage, and pray for us, offer godly counsel, and help us to see when we need to repent has its place, but above all else we must learn to seek, follow, and be accountable to our sovereign Lord!