I believe its Important to be very careful with whom you share any confidence. And I would be very carefulI and not just let anyone speak into my life. And yes, spiritual giants are accountable to one another but they weren’t always giants. Don’t you think they ever submitted themselves to other pastors or teachers and were mentored in some way?
So how would you advise someone when it comes to accountability ?
A common misconception many harbor is the assumption that all those guys behind pulpits are spiritual giants. There are some in the pews who are of a stature that many of those men will never reach in this life.
As to discerning the choice(s) for the level of accountability you're addressing, that can only be accomplished wisely through council from the One Source the scriptures reveal to us in 1 John 2:27.
Peter, an apostle to Israel and those under the Kingdom Gospel advised them to be "subject" one to another, especially the younger to the elder. Given that he was an apostle to the circumcision (Israel), we see that he spoke of no standard to them for how they were to pick someone as an accountability partner. His instruction to them was an undefined level of subjection one to another. He made no demands for accountability in the sense of what churchianity teaches.
Paul, the apostle to Gentiles and the body of Christ today, issued no instruction as to a so-called "accountability partner." He taught accountability among believers in general, emphasizing mutual, spiritual support, correction, but with ultimate accountability to God, evident in passages like Romans 15:14 (instructing believers to build each other up) and Galatians 6:1 (restoring someone caught in sin).
So, as you rightly, although indirectly, pointed out, it can be difficult finding that one special individual to whom one chooses to elevate the level of authority over himself out to another, which is an extra-biblical concept...that is to say, it's not wrong in and of itself, but rather one must indeed be very careful about embarking out into the giving out, or sharing, of his or her self-governance to someone other than Holy Spirit.
You see, this can and is one among many deceptive tools used by Satan, with people thinking they can rightly hand over accountability to some professional "pastor" or some other level of "clergy." No. This is something that must be handled with great care given the wolves in sheep's clothing phenomenon. I had once foolishly placed myself under a "pastor" who was imprisoned for 10 years for money laundering funds he thought was coming from drug cartel but turned out to be Federal Agents. Nobody dreamt he was of that caliber of character, but low and behold... I was so enamored with this belief for accountability partners and everyone's alleged need for one. Pure nonsense given that all true believers are indwelt by Holy Spirit. Is that not enough?
It's inevitable that some will ask how something so seemingly good could become a tool against themselves. Scriptural instuction should suffice in waylaying the desire to grant another oversight of his or her life that should be rooted in living and breathing spiritual vitality that builds one up through sanctification empowered by Holy Spirit; while being established in mutual accountability with fellow believers that need not go to the level of accountability, in every case, of which you speak. If one is living a secret sin, then he should seek a truly spiritual giant for counseling rather than relinquishing total accountabillity to another fallen individual in the place of Holy Spirit, who is more capable than any man as to what's best for each individual.
So, do you now see how this teaching can lead to something capable of becoming weaponized against the believer, no matter how much care one may try to ecercise in the choice of accountability partner? We all must remain warry of any and all nice sounding concepts that deviate from the clear language of instructions within scripture. Mutual accountability doesn't mean the sharing of the dirty little secrets in one's life to every other person one thinks is a true believer. Counsel is something sought in the right circumstances with each individual remaining accountable at the highest levels to Holy Spirit above all others.
It's the simplest of instructions in scripture that are the most easily corrupted into nice sounding concepts that are the go-to inroads for the enemy to weaponize against the believer.
MM
