"the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses"
Romans 8:26
You know what concept I love?
Besides peanut butter and chocolate ice cream.
The idea of an accountability partner. I think the term originated in the sixties, and had to do with losing weight ~ getting someone to encourage you, challenge you, and keep you on track.
Now they exist for a myriad of reasons. Pretty much to rid yourself of any bad habit, or ingrain yourself with any new pattern, an accountability partner can be invaluable.
A spouse is always a good choice, as they are generally someone you trust. But in other areas, it's helpful to have someone who has walked the same path you're on ~ someone older and wiser than you.
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| The Apple of my Eye and my Amazing Boy ~ 2009 |
Although "older" is not necessarily a prerequisite.
I've read that Billy Graham never traveled anywhere alone. That he always had a male companion with him to help insure he never got himself into a compromising position, or even a situation where it looked like he might have compromised himself. This man was to keep Graham accountable. Gives a whole new meaning to the word "bodyguard," doesn't it?
Well, my pastor said something last Sunday that got me thinking about all this. He was talking about the importance of a strong prayer life, and he said that our prayer lives are a reflection of awareness of sin in our lives. Which makes sense. If you think you're doing pretty good in life, you're not going to feel the need to lean on Him. Independent, as opposed to dependent.
I think sometimes, if we're too aware of His forgiveness ~ even in a good way ~ then it bothers us less when we sin. Or that we might. Paul said at the end of chapter five of Romans, and spilling into chapter six: "Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more... What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!"
You know that old saw, "It's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission" ? Not so with God.
When I looked up the term "accountability partner," I read that it is a "neologism" ~ a fairly new word in the English language. That may be, but the concept goes back to Jesus' words in John10 ~ "The Spirit of truth... will be with you... He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
The Holy Spirit is our accountability partner. Ever-present, and all-powerful. And prayer is how we take advantage of that relationship. This, I think, is the message I was getting from my pastor on Sunday. The more aware I am of my temptation to sin, the more I will pray.
It's made me think a little bit about my weaknesses. When, and how am I tempted to sin? What are my tendencies? What sin will I commit today if I don't ask Him for help? What sin will I commit even in the next few minutes, if I think I'm strong enough without Him?
The sins I commit may be "little" in my eyes... I successfully avoid murder and stealing on a regular basis, for instance. But I am disobedient, selfish or faithless more often than I realize. He is my strength and my shield.
~ "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak." ~
Mark 14:38
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Your post today reminded me of a comment I left on someone's blog several years ago. I did a search and found it:
ReplyDelete"Addison Leitch may have said it best when he said, “If sin were blue, I’d be blue all over.” His statement acknowledges both our condition and our utter helplessness to change it. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), come short in the sense of an arrow flying toward a target and missing the mark, going astray (like a sheep engrossed in its own feeding strays away, to its detriment, from the shepherd).
To deny it is to prove it. An old commercial went, “Mother, please, I’d rather do it myself.” Change Mother to Father and you have a pretty good picture of the human race. The commercial was for a headache remedy, as I recall, and our common predicament is certainly one big headache. We want to be target, arrow, bow, and archer. We want to escape the shepherd and the flock and find our own pasture over there by the rocks near the cliff.
Praise God, there is a cure. The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world."
Great post, by the way. Yours, I mean.
Thank you for your comment, RWP. You always make me think. "Our condition and our utter helplessness to change it," indeed. I'm not very familiar with Addison Leitch; I'll have to do some reading to fully appreciate him, apparently!
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