Fellowship and accountability are powerful -
immeasurably powerful.
I have said over and over that Jesus is all you need. And I will confirm
that and say it again - Jesus is all you need.
In His perfect design He gave us people and human relationships. Why?
God gives us people to encourage one another in following him.
Recently I memorized these verses:
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their
toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But
woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again,
if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And
though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a
threefold cord is not quickly broken." ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
The Lord could have created us and put us each on our own personal islands.
But He designed us for community - to impact and be impacted by one another
towards Him and living for Him.
Proverbs 27:17 clearly tells us, "Iron sharpens
iron, and one man sharpens another."
There is such incredible power in having others to point us to Jesus, fan the
flame of love for Him in our lives, and challenge us to go deeper in our
relationship with Him.
When I was in my teens, the Lord provided a precious friendship that grew
through accountability and fellowship. My friend and I would call one
another every 2 weeks to keep one another accountable,
share what the Lord was doing in our lives, and find out how we could pray for each
other. This friendship has been a mighty tool in the Lord's hand to bring me
closer to Him. Just recently we talked again - though now many miles separate
us - the fellowship and accountability is priceless.
Many of you have experienced the power of this when you have chosen an
accountability partner for the
Summer Devotions Pursuit, or a similar friendship.
I love the passage in Scripture that talks of how Jonathan and David's
friendship and how they, 
"...strengthened his hand in God." ~
1 Samuel 23:16
That is what we are called to in human friendship.
The Lord works so mightily through fellowship and accountability:
~ Fellowship - a bond, encouragement, and grace in Jesus that comes from sharing the same Savior, love, and goal in life.
~ Accountability - helping, cheering, and challenging one another towards greater depth with Jesus.
I am so grateful for the precious friends that the Lord has used, and uses,
to point me to Him in these ways. The impact on my walk with Jesus and life are immeasurable.
These kind of friendships He gives us are priceless companions sharing the
path on this journey with Jesus and teammates cheering us on in Him until we
cross the finish line of this life.
We are humans who need help, encouragement, accountability,
and correction. The Lord often chooses to work through people to provide this
grace.
Listen carefully to what this verse is telling us:
"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is
called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
~ Hebrews 3:13
I want this to be clear - the enemy of your soul loves for you to be
isolated and alone. In this place, he will try to deceive you, discourage you,
and distract you. When we are in godly community and relationships, the Lord
can use them to speak Truth to one another and help expose lies we are
believing and to identify and rejoice in God's work in our lives.
Fellowship and accountability are gifts God has given
for our good and His glory - to point us to Him!
Let's embrace them for His
glory in our lives.
Here are some action steps you can take today:
~ Ask the Lord to provide a godly friendship/godly friendships
~ Pursue one godly friend/godly friends
~ Establish a pattern for encouragement and accountability
- This could be a phone call once every 2 weeks, a coffee date, praying
for one another, quoting your Bible memory verses to one another, etc.
May the Lord work in a mighty way through your friendship and accountability to draw you closer to Him - your God, dearest
Friend, and Life!
Red-haired
Anne of Green Gables put into words what many of us have wondered.
Shortly after her arrival at Green Gables, Anne confided to Marilla her dream
regarding friendship - she wondered if
she would ever find “a bosom friend... a really kindred spirit to whom I can
confide my inmost soul”. If you know the story, you know that Anne did find
that friend in a girl named Diana. Does Anne’s desire ring true for you as
well? It does for me! We were created to be in relationships - first
with God, and then with one another.
When
Jesus died on the cross, He purchased our salvation from the penalty of sin and
provided the way for a relationship with the holy God of the universe. “All this is from God, who through Christ
reconciled us to Himself...” (2 Corinthians 5:18). God created us for relationship with Him! For those who
trust Him as Savior, we have THE GREATEST FRIEND that can ever be found. Before
an earthly “bosom friend” or “kindred spirit” will ever satisfy, we must
recognize and embrace the cup-overflowing fullness that is found in Christ
alone. 
Have you ever felt like you were on a
roller coaster when human friendships ebbed and flowed, or even brought
misunderstanding or hurt? With God our Father, there is no shadow of change
(James 1:17)! He is a rock-solid Anchor
that will not move, and a Friend that will not fail or forsake us. Ever.
The Word of God is full of the blessings that we find in relationship with our
heavenly Father, whom we can also call “friend”. He is worth knowing as our
dearest friend! 
Where can such friends be found? For starters, you may have some wonderful friend prospects right within
your own family. Don’t overlook your siblings! Friends may come and go, but
you will be related to your family as long as this life lasts. Then, pray for God to reveal “kindred
spirits” to you from other places as well - this may be at church, in your
neighborhood, at a class, or somewhere entirely unexpected! God will provide just who you need, at just
the right time. Recognize that there will be friends of the journey, and
friends of specific seasons - some friendships will be precious for certain
times in your life, and then time or distance will drift your paths apart.
Other friends will be ones that will stick through all of life, even if time
and space separate you at times. 
able to share each others joys and sorrows, grow to be more honest
and real with one another, and enjoy the gift of a sweet friendship for the
journey! You might know this friend - her name is Amy. :)
Fellowship and accountability are powerful -
immeasurably powerful.
Proverbs 27:17 clearly tells us, "Iron sharpens
iron, and one man sharpens another." 
"...strengthened his hand in God." ~
1 Samuel 23:16
We are humans who need help, encouragement, accountability,
and correction. The Lord often chooses to work through people to provide this
grace.
