There are three keys to sobriety: desperation, surrender, and community. And a part of community is accountability. You need to have someone in your life whom you hold accountable for their sobriety, and you need to be accountable to someone else.
The Bible says it like this: “Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
Peter Bregman, leadership expert and best-selling author, offers five ways to hold someone accountable. He says accountability demands the following:
- Clear expectations
- Clear capability
- Clear measurement
- Clear feedback
- Clear consequences
Can you can stay on track without the help of someone else? I suppose that’s possible, but I’ve never seen it done.
Recovery Step: Ask God to bring two people into your life – someone who will be accountable to you, and someone to whom you will be accountable.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
