Why we need accountability partners

Before I go out for the day, I do what most wise husbands do - I ask my wife how I look.

After all, my extent of colors is limited to those found in an 8 pack box of Crayola crayons. Kim is much better qualified to tell me if my clothes match. If she takes a look at my attire and gets a pained look on her face, I know I chose poorly. If I want to avoid getting the same look from many of the folks I meet that day, I would do well to listen to her assessment and make the necessary adjustments.

Living as a follower of Jesus is much like that. More times than not, we may be blind to our own mess-ups. We are engaged in sin or are on the slippery slope toward some grievous sin and may not realize it. That's when we need other believers to take a look at us and give us an accurate assessment of what they see. 

No one likes to see it but they may get a pained look on their face as they look at us. But, let's be real - the pained look isn't the real problem. The real problem is what has caused that pained look.

The wise response is not to get upset at that Christ-follower for pointing out some error in our life. The wise response is to make the necessary adjustment.

Unfortunately, too many folks are saturated with pride. Instead of making the adjustment, they get angry at the one who notices the problem.

2 Chronicles 36:11-13 (New Living Translation)

"Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel."

So, are you being held accountable by at least one other Christ-follower (not including your spouse)? Have you given at least one other person the right to address problems in your life and be honest with you regarding what they see?

How do you respond when a Christ-follower points out some error in your life? Do you humbly make the necessary correction or do you get angry?

If your response is typically anger, people will stop telling you where you need to make adjustments. Without that needed feedback, you could wake up one day and wonder how you got so far away from the Lord. Others could have spared you that wasted time away from the Lord.

Do yourself a favor and listen to fellow Christ-followers when they give you feedback on what they see in your life. You are the one to benefit from the feedback.