Spiritual accountability and it’s implications or benefits

Text: James 5:16-17

“Confess your trespasses to one and another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man available much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

we want to divide this lesson into two sections: Understanding Spiritual Accountability, and Implications or Benefits of Spiritual Accountability.

A. Understanding Spiritual Accountability:

The focus of this lesson is to disabuse the minds of people concerning accountability and encourage everyone to be accountable for their Spiritual benefits. Spiritual accountability is the holding of one another to account for the way we live. It is a way of caring for one another .This is what the one another is about. If you love someone, irrespective of status difference, you will care about him except where there is price and arrogance (1Pt.5:5).We are to submit one to another, whether you are a Pastor or a new convert. That is the way to show that we love one another(Jn.13:34).Through the instrumentality of accountability we provoke one another to love unto good works(Heb.10:24),that is, challenging one another to fulfilling the great commission. You cannot say you care for one another and you are not interested in the life he or she is living(1Cor.12:25).

Without accountability Christian fellowship is not genuine. It requires that everyone be transparent. This was the foundation of the Church and when Ananias and his wife wanted to corrupt the fellowship with their double life, the Holy Spirit judged them (Acts 4:32-37;5:1-11)

B. Implications or Benefits of Spiritual Accountability:

Our text is classical example of what Spiritual accountability is. The

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The first thing we see in our text is that we confess faults, mistakes, transgressions, to one another. This is what accountability is all about. No matter your status, be accountable, in order not to run in vain(Gal.2:1-2,Acts 11:1-18).Your brethren should be able to ask you to give account of how you lived your life during the day or week. You should not be offended; it is the way to go, if we must keep standing for God. Even without being asked, you should open yourself to brethren, knowing that they love and care for you.

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The second thing we see in the text is that we pray for one another. Meaning, the reason for accountability, is not to rejoice over someone’s weakness, but to pray for his victory. You need people that will join you to cry to God for your deliverance from that habitual sin. Until you expose it to the brethren for them to pray for you, you will continue to indulge in it as a secret sin (Deut.21:18-21).Accountability is like going for medical check up to make sure no disease is hiding anywhere.

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The next thing that follows the prayer, after confession, is healing. This is not physical healing ; it is a spiritual healing that takes place .You will bounce back to life again; the life of Christ that had left you, will return. You will be so relieved and have peace in your mind. This is peace of God (Phil.4:6-7) .

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The next thing, which is the last we are considering here, is that you become effective and prevailing in prayer. That is, you will now be empowered ,because of your holy life; when you pray God will answer (Is.59:1-2).