Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Praise God that He created us to do life together. Through His wisdom, He created and gave us His church as a community. We never intended to live our Christian lives by ourselves. The church allows us to build relationships with others that help us care for one another, encourage us to follow after Christ, and keep us accountable on that journey.
You might have heard of an accountability partner or we need to be held accountable. What does this mean and what are we being held accountable to?
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20 ESV)
In Romans, the Apostle Paul teaches us that we are accountable to God. However as much as we try, and the Israelites tried, they could never keep the law perfectly. We are accountable for the sin in our life. But God who is merciful sent Jesus to die for our sins!
Are we still accountable to God? Yes. And we should continue to live the life He calls us to. But instead of doing it to do the right thing or to be just before God, we now do it out of a heart of loving obedience for a God who gave us something we never deserved, a secure eternal relationship with God.
So how do we go about staying accountable? Sometimes we seek out an individual that will keep us accountable in a certain area. These relationships can be so good as we grow and battle the sins in our lives.
Other times accountability will come to us by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I’ve experienced both types and the second type of accountability can catch you off guard and have even caused me to be defensive at first. However, I look back at this accountability that God put in my life as a major blessing of His grace.
It is good to be accountable to others and accountable to God. These prayers will guide you as you seek accountability. The best place to find accountability is in your home church with members that see you weekly and know you personally.
However, if you are not part of a church body yet and need prayer as you seek our personal accountability we would love to pray for you. Please comment below so we can know specifically how we can be praying.
Short Prayer For Accountability
God, I know you are a just God. You have called me to live a life that is pleasing to you and gives you glory. I have failed, please forgive me.
I praise you that because I am in Christ you have already forgiven my past sins, these sins I continue to struggle with, and even future sins.
However, I want to live a life full of you and less of me. I want to live a life that glorifies you because others will see how you redeemed me from this struggle.
I pray that you send someone who can help me be accountable. I pray that you will also keep me accountable. Hold me fast to what you have called me to and give me the strength I need to overcome temptation.
I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For A Good Accountability Partner
Father, you know that I am a sinner. I praise You for forgiving me for my sins. All my past sins and even those you know I will commit in the future. My desire is to be set apart for you but the temptation and the sinful habits in my life are strong.
Give me the wisdom to find a good accountability partner. I want to find someone who is a Christian because they will be able to give advice based on your truth.
God, I desire someone who has good character. I desire someone who I can look up to. Someone who has struggled themselves in the past but through your word and the Holy Spirit they have been successful in overcoming sin.
God, please provide someone who is brave enough to speak truth into my life. Give them clarity on how to challenge and help me grow.
Father, help my accountability partner to be working hard to love you and has the desire to help me do the same. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For A Christian Accountability Partner
God, thank you for giving me friends. I pray right now for you to provide a Christian who will keep me accountable. I know my non-Christian friends can be kind and even helpful. However, I desire for my accountability partner to have a biblical worldview based on their relationship with you.
God, I pray that my accountability partner would be guided by your spirit and grounded in your word. God will you help me find another Christian?
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5 ESV)
Father, you know my commitment to your body. Forgive me for not always making it a priority. Help me to not just go to church but be an active member so in these moments where I need accountability these friendships are already set up. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For Commitment To Grow Through Accountability
God, I ask that you help me to grow to be more like Christ through my accountability relationships.
I know that getting rid of the sin in my life takes work. I know that it burdens not just me but those around me. I pray for growth both for me and my accountability partner during this time.
I pray that my relationship with this individual will grow as we get more involved in each other’s lives. I pray that you give us strength to get through the tough times and not give up. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Receive Correction Through Accountability
God, thank you for giving us your word, it gives direction. I desire to live for you. I pray for accountability as I strive to be more like Christ. Help me to surrender control to you.
Father, I ask that you put someone in my life that will guide me back to your word. Someone who is strong in their faith as they keep me accountable. Help me to hear them when they correct me. It is not always easy to hear correction, especially if my sinful nature continues to want to sin.
God your word is inspired, inerrant, infallible, and sufficient and I desire to live by it. For your glory, not my own. Help me to grow closer to you through your word.
God, please help me as I work through this sin in my life. Keep me from the temptations. Give me the conviction to surrender it all to you. I know I need to be open to conviction and correction if I am truly going to change. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For Strength During Accountability
God, help there be strength both from me and those that are keeping me accountable. I know that confessing sin and working through it can feel tiring. It can feel defeating, but continue to help us keep our eyes on you and keep us from temptations.
Give us the strength to continue to be focused and compassionate towards one another. I pray that this process would have success in the end but I pray for the process.
Jesus, you are so compassionate. I see it throughout scripture and you have been compassionate towards me over and over again. I pray that compassion defines this relationship.
Give us all a heart that breaks over sin and teachers those who are struggling with eyes full of love and compassion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Closing Thoughts
Accountability is a great thing. Working through sin and grieving can be more effective when working with others. We can do this through groups or assigned accountability or simply a Christian friend.
When we open ourselves up to someone about our problems and weaknesses we become vulnerable. It is such a blessing when we can share with another that is a grounded Christian. Someone we can trust to love us enough to keep us accountable.
Christian friends are the best way to stay accountable. It’s in these healthy relationships that we can be real with people, encourage them towards righteousness, and can be free to go deep.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Ephesians 4:11-15 ESV)
We need to love, mourn, rejoice, and pray with each other. I pray that you find a body of Christ that can support you in this way. If you find yourself not in a body of Christ that loves in this way I pray you can find one soon.
However, until then, we would love to be praying for you. Please comment below on how we can be praying for you as you seek accountability.