It may be weeks, it may be months, or it may be years, but somewhere along the line, in a moment of weakness, temptation will come again. Now, being free means that you’re no longer captive to your addictions, and you are fully able to choose your response to these temptations, but choose poorly, and in no time at all, you can find yourself right back where you started. That’s where accountability comes in.

Accountability is nothing to be afraid of. It is simply about sharing life with someone. It’s about sharing your joys and your struggles, and about helping each other to make the right decisions when trials come your way. Accountability is about relationship.

Of course, this is sometimes easier said than done. Finding a person to be accountable to, and building trust with that person can take time, and can be a frightening and vulnerable process. But we weren’t made to take this journey by ourselves. We need accountability if we are going to stay the course and not be distracted by the things that seek to stand in our way.

Now, it’s much easier to find accountability when you’re in the middle of your pain. Your sheer determination to be free will lead you to find help wherever it can be found. But after you’ve been delivered, it can be a real fight to uphold that accountability in your life. Both your pride and the devil will tell you that you don’t need those checks and balances anymore, or they will tell you to cover up your struggles when they arise again, because then you might be admitting that you were never healed to begin with, and then who would trust you after that?

Yes, you will need to fight, not only to receive your freedom, but also to keep it. And, by the grace of God, it will get easier for you as the journey continues. Even if it's been years since you last smoked a cigarette, every once in a while, the smell or the sight will beckon you. And even years after you last looked at pornography, it can still tempt you sometimes to take the easy way out—to find instant gratification in place of your pain. But over time that temptation will become nothing more than that... a temptation. It will no longer be the compulsion it once was in your life, and you'll be able to walk away from it with little effort.