Accountability

Joshua 7

As I was reading Joshua, I was struck with a big question—how did Akin get away with hauling all that treasure back to camp and no one saw him? How could he do that? Several thousand men and no one saw him—or did no one have the guts to challenge him, to hold him accountable.

“7- But the Israelites were unfaithful”  This gives the distinct impression that more than one person knew what was going on, that they let Akin walk in his sin. The consequences of his sin were very evident the next time they went to battle against Ai. They got their butts kicked. God was not on their side. By the time God spoke to Joshua and they worked all the way through the tribes to Akin, the consequences were severe.

It would also appear that Akins family knew what he had done but did nothing to make things right either as they were put to death with him.

I know how this works, how to avoid accountability. I tried to hide my sin and did—for a season. You can hide from people or try to intimidate them. Some use sweetness and others, a laugh. We know people who are struggling with sin and yet, for some reason we are just too afraid to confront them. We are afraid of what they will say or how they will act and we simply avoid the issue. But God doesn’t let sin go unaddressed forever. We have seen many men who have lost money, jobs, families—even their lives because they were not held accountable for their actions. Perhaps we have experienced some of these consequences ourselves and in hind sight, we wish someone had stepped into our lives before we “hit the wall”.

Who do you know that is struggling with sin and needs accountability?  What “fears” are stopping you from speaking the truth in love to a brother in need? What “defenses” are we using to stop accountability?

Lord, let me pray Joshua 1:9 and then, help my brother! Amen – Steve Schmidt is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a Freedom Fighter blogger

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 1-3; Acts 9:22-43

Quote of the day: If a man cannot be a Christian in the place where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere. Henry Ward Beecher

Verse to Memorize: Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. Psalm 119:137-138 ESV