THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2024.
TOPIC: Lack of accountability as an enemy of Fruitfulness.
MEMORY VERSE: Isaiah 55:10
[10]For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
FOCUS: Matthew 25:20
[20]And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Lack of accountability means the absence of responsibility, it is a state where the person is not ready to take responsibility for his actions or face the consequences of his decision in any way.
Many people are unwilling to explain or justify their decisions because they lack transparency and are not willing to acknowledge their mistakes.
These characteristics are always visible and can be handled before it begins to affect fruitfulness and productivity.
Some of the characteristics are:
- Blame -Shifting
- Denial
- Excuse _making
- Evasion
- Lack of self-awareness.
There are also consequences for lack of accountability and they include;
- Decrease in trust
- Poor decision making
- Inefficiency
- Low morale
- Stunted growth
All of these must be thoroughly dealt with in the place of prayers and deliberate actions must be taken if fruitfulness is expected.
From the above scriptures, we know that the excuse was not pardoned by Jesus Christ. No matter the excuse we give, God expects us to be fruitful at all costs like the man who traded with his talents and made a profit.
LESSON: Matthew 25:24
[24]Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
In dealing with a lack of accountability, we must deliberately shift our mindset from blame to responsibility, from excuses to solutions from denial to self -awareness and from complacency to growth and from isolation to community.
If we must gain victory on lack of accountability then we need to constantly practice the following;
- Regular self-evaluation
- Open communication
- Consistent effort
- Adaptability and resilience
- Continuous learning.
The causes of the lack of accountability are not far-fetched from the environment and these are some of them.
- Fear of criticism
- Lack of clear expectations
- Inadequate leadership
- Comfort with mediocrity
- Entitlement mentality
In the parables of the sower, they were given different talents some five, some three, one etc but the irony of this parable is that the one with one talent lacked accountability and had an entitlement mentality, even if he had the least work to do.
Yet, he couldn’t expand his capacity and his growth became stunted by all these factors mentioned above.
As believers, we must strive to make our lives count irrespective of the challenges and inadequacies.
Prayer is not enough, work must be deliberately carried out and in a diligent manner and with these, I believe lack of accountability will be a thing of the past.
PERSONAL CONFESSION: I submit to all forms of accountability.
PERSONAL PRAYER: Father, deliver me from lack of accountability in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Lack of accountability breeds complacency.
NOTE: The absence of accountability produces moral decay.