How often have you made a resolution to do something you knew you should do, and you were truly sincere in making the resolution, but it just didn’t happen?  One of the reasons we fail like this is because we lack accountability.  We don’t have someone in our lives or some method we use to hold our feet to the fire, so to speak.  Someone to remind us and encourage us to keep on keepin’ on.

Here are some accountability questions, relating to the purity of our lifestyles:

  • Has your thought life been pure?

We are what we think, and this is where our purity issues reside—in our thought life.  We need to be constantly vigilant about bringing our thoughts into captivity and making them obedient to Christ.  Most of our missteps begin with wrong thinking.

  • Did you put yourself in an awkward situation with a woman or man?

The enemy of our soul loves nothing more than to catch us unaware and lay a sexual temptation on us when we’re least expecting it.  We need to be accountable as to how we act and interact with people in our lives who could cause us to be tempted in some sexual way.

  • Did you look at a woman or think about a man in the wrong way?

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”  (Matt. 5:27-28).  Affairs and illegitimate sexual relationships begin in your thought life.  You may need to be held accountable as to how you think of those of the opposite sex.

Can you imagine how much grief and sorrow could be spared if we simply held ourselves accountable to live a pure life and not to allow any sexual sin to get a foothold? So many homes are broken; so many children are harmed because of the sexual sins of others.  It can happen to anyone, and this is a key area for accountability.  Is there someone in your life who can ask you these kinds of questions and hold you accountable?  Do you ever hold yourself accountable?

Someday you will be accountable to Jesus.  Just makes sense to do it right here in this life so that we are not ashamed at the Judgment Seat of Christ.