May the grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied in your life on this wonderful day! I pray for you to be saturated with God’s Word and strengthened in your spirit, soul and body.Every one of us needs forgiveness because we all make mistakes and trespass. The Church which is God’s family should be the place where people can find forgiveness. Every one of us needs to learn to quickly forgive his brothers and sisters.Sin is a burden we carry and only forgiveness can ease it. Of course, first we need to come to God to repent of our sins and receive forgiveness from Him. But we also need the assurance that our brothers and sisters in God’s family are ready and willing to forgive us and ease the pain caused by our transgressions:
«Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ» (Galatians, 6:1-2).
It is so wonderful when we know that our family will accept us back if we sincerely repent of our sins, will forgive and will keep loving us despite of our past sins. This knowledge brings us healing and a restoration as we strive towards godly living.Let’s go back to the story of the minister that struggled with pornography. He repented and sought for help through accountability. How did he become accountable? He allowed another person to check his computer and watch what sites he visited. Because of the technical advances it is possible today to set up computer programs that send reports about the sites you visit. He was willing to give account of his actions to his wife and some people from his church. Through being accountable he opened himself to God’s corrections. God uses accountability to help us change and be transformed into His image.If you are struggling in some areas of your life – it could be any area, not just pornography – God wants you to see that accountability provides protection for you. Accountability is not something to be avoided. Through accountability God will change and transform you totally.We often fail in our walk with God, because we refuse to be accountable for our lives. We refuse to confess our hidden sins and do not want anybody to get involved in our struggles. The root of this behaviour is pride. Because of pride we think that we can handle all the temptations. We do not want other people to think badly of us and we pretend to be something we are not.It says in the Bible that pride goes before the fall. Where there is pride the fall is inevitable.We must be grateful to God for the people in our lives we must give account of our words and actions. You know, we must walk not only before God, but also before people God has set as overseers in our lives.I must note that ‘accountability group’ (small group, home group) is not the place where you only share your problems or weaknesses. Of course, accountability implies all of it. But if we only do that, then there is no time for instruction or feed-back, and then this group can turn into a place of gossip and slandering.Accountability group or Christian fellowship is the place of learning where we all strive to be more like Jesus. We do it through questions and answers, Bible study, prayer; we listen to each other and support each other. The Bible says that where we come together in the atmosphere of love, trust and openness, God has commanded life forever: «Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountain of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing – life forevermore» (Psalm, 133).
May God bless you and your household!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
