​You cannot overcome ANY form of sin or temptation without ALL of the following in place. 
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​This is a requirement. No ands, ifs, or buts concerning having God as part of your intervention team. (See Matthew 11:28-30). Without Him, you will find yourself having one relapse after another. Only to succumb to the burdens of your sinful desires one year after the next. Your will power to quit smoking; drinking; engaging in sexual perversive acts like homosexuality, bestiality, porn, adultery, child pornography, violence, or other sinful acts that damage your body, mental state, health, your family; those that you victimize, take advance of or abuse; and even destroy your community. Your self-determination is not enough. It is not! This is why more than 99% of people NEVER overcome their sin, at least in the long run. They might have bursts or short-run of successes that eventually will lead them right back to the same hold in the wall because they never leaned on and depended upon the only Source that has the power to either take it all away in a blink of an eye. (Compare to Mark 10:27). Or sustain us through our process so that we never fall back into the pit we crawled out of. (Compare to 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). HE IS REQUIRED IF YOU WANT TO SEE REAL SUCCESS.
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What we must not only understand but also accept is our limitations as humans. (Compare to Isaiah 55:8-10). Yes! Self-discipline is important, but it is not enough. Yes! Will power is needed, but this too is not enough. Yes! Positive thinking is a necessity, but the reality is we often battle with negative thoughts whether it is from the people around us or our own minds trying to coach us to do not the right thing but the wrong thing. (Compare to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It is foolish to think self-determination is the only thing we need. WE ARE IMPERFECT BEINGS. Which means we have inherited a desire to purposely fall short. (Romans 3:21-23). Let’s be honest here. There are moments I just want to have sex. It ain’t got to be with a woman. OUR SEXUAL DESIRES, THE NEED TO FULFILL IT, IS NOT ABOUT GENDER! IT IS ABOUT FULFILLING THAT URGE. Technically, that is not the issue – that is the desire to fulfill your sexual urges. Our bodies are wired to reproduce. Therefore, whether you are a man or a woman, your body NATURALLY desires to fulfill the specific purpose for which your DNA has been programmed to do. So, at times, when my sexual urges go into full assault. It is not necessarily because I need to be with a woman. It is simply that I have a desire to meet a sexual yearning, which makes me normal and human. 

When those times occur, I have a choice. To act or not to act. Now, if left completely up to me, I will fulfill that need one way or the other. THAT’S A FACT! I AM HUMAN. But due to my circumstances, that is, I am single, not married. Therefore, it will be a sin on my part to engage in ANY sexual acts. That is oral, dry humping, foreplay, masturbation, porn, fornication, homosexuality, or especially sex outside of marriage, etc. But again. If left up to me, I would fulfill my urging as I see fit. 

​As my accountability partner always says to me, “this body wants what it wants.” And therefore, we must beat our bodies into submission. And the point we must understand. We will always fail at this if we do not include the one source that Jesus himself has sent back to help us endure through all things. (Compare to John chapters 14 through 16). Holy Spirit is our anchor. He endows us with the power and strength that is not manmade to overcome anything that is impossible for us to fully overcome. 

You can be successful without an accountability partner. But it is not recommended. Because it will be extremely difficult to be faithful to challenging moments without one. Think about it like starting a diet or a new exercise routine with the goal to lose 50 pounds. Our natural tendency is to cheat on our diet when we start to crave the foods that we are supposed to eliminate or cut back on. Then there are those days we forego working out because we are too tired or feel lazy. This is why people hire a trainer. Someone who can monitor our progress and push us when we are heading off course from the plan that was designed for us. On the days when we are tempted to cheat or to be lazy is when an accountability partner will prove to be valuable. A good and disciplined accountability partner will help you to overcome that sinful desire to cheat, to be lazy, to give in, or even give up. They will talk sense to us when we are not talking sense. 

The loving act of an accountability partner is that he or she will show us US when we do not want to face truths or the reality of our own demise. They will keep us grounded by being transparent and honest with us – even when it hurts our feelings. They do not contribute to our lack of discipline or shortcomings by approving and supporting our bad habits. Instead, they point them out to us with the goal to build us up; to make us better men and women. AND THEY NEVER COVER OUR ERRORS. Instead, they expose them to us (Ephesians 5:11).  

A great accountability partner is balance. They know when to show tough love because that is what we need. They know when to show compassion and mercy because that is what we need. They are our biggest cheerleader/fan – celebrating with us every small step of successes we make. They are that additional blessing that God provides. Adding a fourth cord to God’s already guaranteed 3 cord strand binds to a successful life. (Compare to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).