The Purpose and Definition of Accountability
The purpose of accountability is nothing less than to each day become more Christ-like in all our ways and be ever more intimate with Him. Here’s a useful working definition of accountability for Christians:

Suggested Guidelines for A Weekly One-Hour Accountability Check-Up

1. Try to ensure each person gets equal “air time.” However, if one of you has a particularly hard struggle one week, be flexible enough to focus on that issue.
2. Let each person work through a section at a time, then let the other(s) answer. This will keep things moving.
3. Don’t neglect the prayer time.
4. Try this in a small group of 3 to 5 men. This will work well if everyone speaks succinctly (one hour will go by very quickly!) You may want to try one-on-one.
5. Reread the chapter, “Accountability: The Missing Link”, from The Man in the Mirror, at least once every year and discuss the questions at the end of the chapter. You will be surprised how your understanding of accountability changes over the years.
6. Stick it out. You will want to quit, perhaps often. Ask God to strengthen you when you want to give up.
7. Hold each other accountable for the goals you each set for yourselves and to the standards of God’s Word.
8. Never forget the purpose of accountability: To each day become more Christ-like in all of your ways. Remember it is Jesus who is the object of our search, our devotion, our sacrifice, and our affection. Anything less than intimacy with Christ will be a pallid achievement from your time together.
9. Finally, if you are uncomfortable with the format, feel free to alter these questions and type up your own accountability checklist. The substance is more important than the form. You may want to divide the key areas among more than one accountability partner.

All people regardless of belief in God & Jesus and the Holy Spirit will have eternity. The question is, which eternity will YOU have? [1]

Through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord will grant eternal life to all of His believers. [1] That’s the good news.

The bad news is that God will give eternal life in hell [1] to unbelievers, those who do not follow Jesus Christ, those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.

Now, I hope and pray that you know our Lord, Jesus Christ, but if you do not, you would be served greatly by knowing HOW you can be saved and given eternal life instead of eternal punishment. Here’s a simple “test,” and if you can do what it says, then everything else should fall into place because it means God has changed your heart, He has regenerated you. [2]

It’s not simply enough to believe in Jesus, because even demons believe in Jesus! [3]

You need to believe in Jesus AND you need to agree that you fall short of perfection [4] and you need to ask forgiveness.

1)
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Matthew 25:46 (ESV)

2)
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
- Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

3)
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
- James 2:19 (ESV)

4)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- Romans 3:23 (ESV)

Guys would do well to have a godly guy in their live (or one growing toward godliness) and the ladies would do well to have a godly lady in their live (or one growing toward godliness).

But how often do you actually pay attention to the wind and watch what its doing? I’d guess many of us many times just give it a passing glance, and don’t notice what the wind is doing. I think also in that way the wind is like God as well, because sometimes we just aren’t paying enough attention to what God is doing all around us.

Others may have a fascination with the wind and each time it kicks up they watch with rapt attention, watching the different things it blows to and fro. Watching each and every little thing blowing around and trying to discern the “shape” of the wind. I also think there are some that have a similar fascination with God’s work and they watch with rapt attention, just waiting to see what He will do next. Watching in their daily lives for the “fingerprints” that are evidence of the work of our Lord.

Then again there are others who may have an interest in what the wind does, but they seldom remember to pay attention, and when they do its just not because they were looking for it, but maybe something unusual is blowing around like a bunch of balloons or a strong wind is blowing several trees around making a noise, or maybe its a whirlwind or storm. Some of us are like that, too. we see God when something spectacular happens, and though we want to see what God’s doing, “life happens” and we get all wrapped up in it and forget to look at the works of our Creator in and around our lives.

The wind I was watching out of my window on this particular day reminded me of my heavenly Father, and I was very grateful for that reminder.

I downloaded these particular messages on a couple of different days looking for something edifying to listen to on the way to and from work. I chose these audios because I needed to hear them all.

Fights & Quarrels Sermon

[1] What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2] You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

- James 4:1-3

Whether you are 5 or 50 or anywhere in between, you can benefit from this message. It helped remind me of my heart, and that if I am not cautious I may begin worshiping my desires. Conflicts (fights, quarrels, arguments, etc.) start because we are denied or cannot have something we want, and those desires rule our heart and come out in the form of behaviors and actions.

It reminded me that desires can be a wide range of things – and those things don’t have to be bad things… good things can also be thought of wrongly and become idols that we have conflicts over.

AUDIO SERMONS/MESSAGES

The Main Thing (Pt 1, Pt 2) by CJ Mahaney
Parenting in Weakness (2 Cor. 11:30-12:10) by Dave Harvey
Marriage: The Big Picture (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) by Mickey Connolly
Trials and Faith (1 Peter 3:9) by Jon Shea
Fights and Quarrels (James 4:1-3) by Mike Seaver
Built Up (Eph 4:15-16) by Mike Seaver
The Tongue (James 3:1-12) by Mike Seaver
Marriage (Eph 5:21-33) by Mike Seaver