Conviction Leads To Confession

Feb 17, 2021

“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.”

- Thomas Paine

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

- James 5:16

Pastor Bill Besalski and I have been accountability partners for close to 21 years. Over those years, we have built a trusted relationship that allows us to share our deepest trials and struggles, knowing that having a friend who will support, encourage and hold us accountable will put us on, and keep us on, the right path.

I am confident I would not be the man I am today (not that I have arrived by any means) without the depth of our discussions. Accountability is not about superficial, surface-level dialogue, but asking the hard questions. Questions like…

1. How would you describe your relationship with Jesus right now?

2. How would you describe your relationship with your wife (if you are married) right now?

3. How would you describe your relationship with your children?

4. How would you describe your integrity in your job right now?

5. How would you describe your relationship with yourself? How are “you” doing?

How are we going to truly evaluate how we are doing if we are not willing to go deep? In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul writes,

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”

Becoming the man or woman God designed us to be means doing the hard work of allowing Jesus to confront our self-righteousness and our self-centeredness. Very few, if any of us, can do that on our own.

We need someone(s) that will hold our feet to the fire, not for the purpose of condemnation or guilt (for guilt is a negative feeling that rarely produces positive results), but for the purpose of allowing God’s Spirit to convict us, which brings about true and lasting change.

Former University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach, Pat Summitt, once said,

“Accountability is essential to personal growth, as well as team growth. How can you improve if you are never wrong? If you don’t admit a mistake and take responsibility for it, you’re bound to make the same one again.”