7 Practices for Spiritual Growth | Session 4: Authentic Accountability

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Authentic Accountability

• Introduction
  • John 16:13 tells us that we have the “Spirit of Truth” aka Holy Spirit as Christ-followers.
• Why do we need accountability?
  • We can’t do this life on our own.
  • Ephesians 5:8-16
  • We are prone to drift towards sinful ways. Typically (not always) things happening in secret or in the dark are not godly.
  • We need people in our lives who will help us. But we must be careful who we choose.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Bad company corrupts good character.”
    • Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”
    • James 5:13-16
  • Who are some of the people in your life that keep you accountable? What does your relationship look like?
• What do you mean “authentic” accountability?
  • Authentic Accountability is your “inner circle.”
  • The principal aspect of authentic accountability is willfully submitting yourself to that exhortation. If we enter into an accountability relationship with someone but we never listen to their correction, the accountability is worth nothing.
  • Because the disciples submitted to Jesus’ correction, we can still feel their impact 2,000 years later.
  • Who are some people that you would consider your inner circle? Have you been intentional on choosing those people?
  • Matthew 18: 15-17
    • The church was established for accountability.
    • Are we willing to trust the Holy Spirit and our inner circle when they correct us?
  • When was a time someone corrected you in love? Did you respond willing to change or were you defensive?
  • Please watch the video below*
• Authentic Accountability As Pruning
  • John 15
    • “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
  •  Secondly, we allow people who know us to correct us not because they think we’re terrible people, but because they genuinely love us and want to see us be more like Jesus.
  • Matthew 16
    • Jesus praises Peter and then vehemently rebukes him. Peter still followed Jesus and became one of the greatest disciples.
• Practical Steps For Creating Your Inner Circle

  1. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit who should be in your inner circle.

  2. Be intentional. Make it known to them that you want them to be in your inner circle. Tell them that this relationship is meant to help you grow spiritually and you want genuine and honest feedback so that you can grow effectively.

  3. Make sure that there is an open line of communication and that you are meeting frequently. Depending on the person this may be a few times a year or once a month. Whatever works best for you as long as there is open communication.

  4. Come up with a few things you know you need to work on and share them with your inner circle. Work together with them to come up with S.M.A.R.T. goals so that you’ll have a timetable for growing effectively. However, a quick disclaimer here, some areas of growth will take longer than others. Some you’ll have to work through the rest of your life. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be intentional on making those daily adjustments.

  5. Each time you receive feedback from your inner circle, pray about each thing. Let the feedback, whether painful or not, motivate you to grow. Seek the Lord on how to handle that feedback and how you can love the Lord better moving forward.