Psalm 32:8-9 English Standard Version

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

A bit is not fitted without the bridle. He reigns. We might hear and be chomping at the bit to speak and waiting for His timing can be exasperating.

I found that the spirit passed freely throughout Sunday School classes as an adult and the bit pulled at my mouth to keep silent and wait to see if others heard Him and would share.

The leader would say to me after an awkward silence some time, “I hear you thinking.” At that time the pull on the bit was loosened and I would be released to share what I heard.

I was trained that if I could see God at work, it was an invitation to join in that work. While it was true in some cases it was not appropriate in all cases. Maturity is a process of becoming comfortable with the bit and knowing whether we are withstrained or encouraged.

Now in the later years of my life I find myself writing to others and oftentimes I will find myself waiting for the bit to tell me what and when to release a word. You have no idea how many times I have deleted complete efforts because my mind and hands were unbridled.

James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

Just because one hears does not mean he has been given a tongue.

My tongue tends to jest without the bridle and bit. The gospel is a serious matter and jesting is inappropriate.

Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.

Which scripture applies to us is in the hands of He who reigns. 

Yes, that is a play on words. If this doesn’t get posted, I’ve been reined in.

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

So I am  admitting to getting my righteous robes dirty. Just what kind of spot remover is available to us since those robes are not ours?

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What if we don’t know where the spot came from? What do we confess then?

If you can see it, you know what caused it.

Can’t we just ignore it?

Sure but then it just gets bigger and uglier until others see it too.

Hebrews 10:24-25 English Standard Version

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

While the bible does not call out the term accountability partners, this scripture implies it.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

While James does not say one person is preferred over another, the inclusion of a righteous person to confess our sins too would indicate it is someone who has demonstrated a level of maturity that allows us to trust them.

If new to a church and seeking an accountability partner, ask the senior pastor for a candidate. That is how I got mine. One thing I would like us to do in the first meeting is to make a couple things clear from the onset. One, it is a two way street, you need to be there for them as much as they are for you. Two, it is cooperation, not a competition.

And one last thing, a good accountability partner does not let you off the hook. They may be guilty of doing the same thing and their conscience does not bother them. It is our conscience that needs to be assuaged, being told it isn’t a problem doesn’t help.