What is the Role of Accountability in a Believer’s Life?

I believe that if you are struggling with consistency in your Christian walk, you need to give answers to these simple questions:

• Who are you following?
• Are you a Lone Ranger?

You see, there's something many people don’t know - it's the fact that the idea of striving to be consistent and disciplined all by yourself is an exception and not the rule. In God’s design, Peter and John and the rest learnt consistency and commitment by taking instructions from Jesus regularly. He literally made them serve and commit everyday. This is what the Local Church stands for. It’s not weakness to be accountable; it’s wisdom. And those who receive this wisdom will find growth, stability and soundness.

People who can’t consistently follow godly instructions and commit in an accountability structure rarely commit and stay consistent in their personal spaces. The way you follow those God has appointed to help you is a reflection of your consistency or inconsistency in your personal life. I mean, if you won’t read your Bible under oversight, you most likely won’t read it without proper oversight.

Does this mean you’d always depend on this structure to be committed in your personal space? Now, while you’d always need the local church, you won’t always need to be told to read your Bible and pray before you do these things if you follow well. 

Growth happens when this structure helps you to a point where you don’t need to be told or instructed to devote yourself. The structure of accountability is for developing a better HABIT. If you yet to develop such habit, stop doing it all by yourself and start submitting well to godly training and oversight. It’s God help to you!

Read: 5 Ways to Effectively Manage Your Time as a Believer

Learning from the Birds

For one, I think birds are really super intelligent, and probably the first group of lower mammals to demonstrate accountability in a characteristically simple way. I read about how this class of Avians represent the most ancient and significant symbol of accountability, dating back to the times of Noah, when God gave Noah an instruction to build an Ark pre- beginning of the great flood.

If a bird could so do that diligently, well, why not humans?

For me, accountability in it's most basic sense simply means a state of being culpable, answerable, as well as liable... In other words to be accountable means to be answerable, culpable, or liable to an authority.

This authority can be you that is self-imposed accountability  

It can also be to another person, whom you accord high reverence of guidance, wisdom, mentor-ability.

Another person like a parent or guardian, a mentor, a spouse, and more.

Now that we know what it means to be accountable, and also to what kind of people we can be accountable to.

It will sit well to say, are there any benefits to being accountable as an individual..?

Well, your guess is as good as mine

It is a definite yes.

To start with, an accountable personality experiences sound, fast growth in diverse aspects of their life.

How do I mean..?

He has an obligation to give to his mentor on steady achievement, and target he gets to meet; which in turn will subject the individual to being assessed critically, as *excellent* ; in which case, he is motivated to do more, build stronger values, embrace being accountable the more, grow.

The individual may also be assessed as requiring more efforts, or *average* , which alerts the individual to put more efforts, rather than be discouraged.

The individual may however also be rebuked or chastised, if *no expected results* were observed by the accountability mentor or partner.

This makes the individual have a reprocessing of all his decision, evaluate, and make subsequent intentional choices, which is the joy of both the accountability partner, or mentor as well as, the individual, and especially the best benefit of the individual.

Accountability ;where should you apply the principle?

There are many aspects in the life of an individual, whereby, if the principle of accountability is applied, the results are often very evident and glorifying.

In a christian life.

Firstly, the bible serves as a manual, and reference for a full Christian life, beyond that however, a christian is accountable to God, the Sovereign, on a daily basis, and of course, after life. Thus, a christian lives by set principles, because he must give account.

At work places, each employee is answerable, accountable to their boss, and or employer as the case may be.

In a relationship, marriage, or other form of relations, accountability increases the success of the relations by great percentage, as compared to one without any form of accountability precepts involved.

In a family, children who are held accountable by their parents, guardians, and corrected in love, turn out more distinct and successful, than those who are left to make decision at will, with no level of culpability.

In ruling a kingdom, or even a country, leaders who are accountable, lead more successfully and garner greater support from their followers than those who employ non-accountable ruling style.

Not to forget, in terms of savings and investment, an individual accountable on his expenses, will tend to manage funds better, and wisely, even multiply the little, than one who is not accountable... 'laulau spending category'

I can go on and on, but the point here is,

employing the principle of accountability leads to a fuller, richer, more successful life.

What are your thoughts... 

Do you agree... or it comes across as unneeded stress to you..

 

Let's now look at the roles of accountability in a believer's life.

1. Accountability Builds a Better and a Stronger Believer

You see, I attend Celebration Church International and every morning, we have the Triumph 30 Devotional Live Prayers which holds between the hours of 6:00AM and 7:00AM.  Now, while I was a student, it was sometimes difficult to wake up and stay awake all through the devotional time, especailly on days when I read or worked all through the night. Classes started by 9:00AM so I was almost always sure to fall asleep as many times as possible during the prayers. But guess what? I decided to create a system of accountability in my friends and roommates. Through Accountability, a believer grow better in faith and build stronger conviction. It reflects also in his or her behaviour.

2. It fosters growth in a Believer

Accountability fosters growth in your life as a believer by providing regular check-ins, support, and encouragement, helping you stay focused on your spiritual goals, identify areas for improvement, and make progress in your faith journey.

3. Accountability Keeps a Believer in Check

Accountability keeps you, as a believer, in check by providing a system of oversight, guidance, and support, helping you stay on track with your spiritual goals, avoid pitfalls, and make wise decisions that align with your faith.

4. Accountability Teaches us the importance of people

Accountability shows a believer how important it is to have good and Godly people within and without. The fact that we are under people, we are accountable. 

It's something a believer cannot hide or run away from. Instead it's something we should embrace as part of our life.

Accountability goes beyond the barrier of distance as communication keeps Accountability going. Accountability shows us the need for each other.

5. Accountability Keeps us Going

Accountability is a continuous process that keeps us going. Even when we get to the point of stability, Accountability continues because growth is continuous. And as we are humans, we can slack back at anytime. Hence, we need our pastors, parents, leaders, teachers, instructors and mentors. I've heard great men say they have mentors, they still learn.

6. Accountability teaches us what to prioritize about Life

The areas of our life where growth is more necessary, are areas where accountability is much required. As those areas of our life is crucial to who we become in life.

 Mentorship as a form of Accountability

Mentorship is a form of accountability. As it keeps us accountable under a person called our mentor.

When it comes to Accountability, our place is to stay committed and accountable. 

 Aspects of our lives where Accountability is paramount.

In our walk with God, here we are accountable to our pastor, spiritual leaders, and our fellow believer's. 

In our personal development, here we are accountable to our mentors.

In our academic, here we are accountable to our teachers and our assessments help us keep track of our progress.

7. Accountability teaches us routines

Routines are those activities we do as our daily commitment and these are things that add to us. Routines help you to create a structure around your life and ensures that you stick to it if you need to achieve a desired set of results.

8) Accountability helps us develop Godly habits. 

Accountability helps us develop Godly habits by encouraging us to stick to spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and service, and by providing support and motivation to live out our faith consistently.

9) Accountability teaches us to see people beyond their flaws or weaknesses, but rather as strengthened and flawless as they can grow.

10. Accountability encourages Unity

Accountability helps believers come together, support each other, and grow in their faith as a team, thus creating a sense of unity and togetherness.

Conclusion

Accountability is a key essential for life. It cannot be replaced, excluded or avoided. That's the reason why men are men today. Men are not men because they are men, but because they grow under the guidance of two to three teachers. They were accountable.

Let's look at the life of our saviour. He was obedient, and submissive in everything to God, he relied on God's spirit. He was never doing anything in and of himself. He exemplified the fact that at the end of everything, we are all accountable to God Almighty, to him we must all give account of our life.

To keep us in check, to help us grow, He gave us his Holy spirit through his Son and the Word. As believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit, He's our first accountability partner. 

If we can't listen and learn from him, we can't be accountable. 

What the Holy Spirit teaches us as to accountability

The Holy Spirit makes growth an enjoyable process for us. He teaches us to be obedient, submissive and accountable.

The disciples of Jesus and Jesus himself were accountable as earlier mentioned. 

Accountability will require you sit under someone's teaching.

As believers, a life of prayer, and deep study of the word of God is essential, and this is why it’s important to take the issue of accountability seriously.

Men are an important component for the build up of  our accountability systems and structures. They keep us in check and they help us grow.

The role of accountability cannot be over emphasized in a believer's life. We are to be accountable in everything we do.

And always remember there's God to whom we must all give account of our lives.