The Last 2%
I’m convinced that the majority of us live about 98% accountable. The problem with being 98% accountable is that it’s about as useless as not being accountable at all.
It might even be more dangerous.
You see, you go to your small group.
You meet with your accountability partner.
You even intentionally confess just enough to seem open and honest.
But you guard and conceal the 2% that is slowly gaining momentum in the dark.
Provers 28:13 says,
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Confess?
Even the 2%?
Especially the 2%.
Today I’m praying you have at least one relationship where you can be fully known and fully loved for it’s in that moment you find yourself coming fully alive.
How are you doing with the final 2%?
41 Comments:
One of my favorite verses and I had not thought about it in that light before. I know that I need swallow pride/humble myself and work on the 2%. Thank you.
Michael´s last blog ..4,500 Miles and 72 Hours In A Regular Cab Truck
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Michael
5:43 am
Thanks for this reminder…It struck a cord when you said it a few weeks ago at church. “Being 98% accountable, is just as useless as not being accountable at all.”
It is so easy to share the easy stuff – not getting enough quiet time, struggling in prayer, etc. But that is not the sin that is REALLY holding us captive.
Lindsey Nobles´s last blog ..Word-less
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Lindsey Nobles
5:44 am
Several times in my life I have walked away from “the church” and other believers because even when they didn’t know EVERYTHING about me I still felt condemned for what they did know. I have been told some very unloving and un- christian things by people who I thought were very grounded. In those times when I walked away and sought solace with my unsaved friends, I found that they were the better accountability partners, even though they did not know it. You see, I believe that most of those who don’t know Christ, already KNOW they lack something. My unsaved friends had an EXTREME amount of grace for the places where I felt like I had failed. It was in those moments of grace where I found out from God what I needed to know. I am thankful for the people who He has put in my life who steered me back to God even when they didn’t know they were doing it, and even when they didn’t know Him personally. I do have saved friends in my life now who know that 2% but don’t rush to kill me for it…
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 7:26 am
So glad you have found a authentic community.
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Julie R.
5:52 am
I hate that 2% hidden, dark side. I guess that’s why I keep it hidden, I don’t like thinking about it or the way it makes me feel. I appreciate your insight on how we feel good enough being 98% exposed. This post reminds me the 2% is the reason why I ask God to expose my sin to me and lead me to unload my sin at the cross each day. That’s where I need accountability!
Gary Reed´s last blog ..Living your Story?
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Gary Reed
5:54 am
Most times it is the remaining 2% that will push us closer to where God wants us to be in our walk with Him. Thank you pastor Wilson!
Jaycee´s last blog ..Is That Contestant on American Idol a Christian?
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Jaycee
6:13 am
I’m pretty sure you’re wrong about that – I’m not even 98% accountable. But you’re right, it’s that place we allow a stronghold, not matter how small, that gets us… or at least gets me.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
bondChristian´s last blog ..How an introvert is becoming a missionary – with David Knapp
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Ha! You’re right. I may have exaggerated a bit. But just by confessing that I’m at least at 86% now.
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bondChristian
6:21 am
The final 2% is most certainly difficult to confess. I think that we don’t like to be vulnerable to others, and fear that even though they are Christian, or we feel that we can trust them, there is still that niggling feeling of “what if”…What if I tell you my 2% and you blab it to everyone (or even just one other person), or what if I tell you and you hold it over my head.
I know this is an area I definitely need to change in my life!
Shelley´s last blog ..I’m A Failure
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Shelley
6:22 am
the 2% we hold back may be the very 2% we needed to confess in order to find healing. we know when we confess to God, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. but it seems that we don’t necessarily find personal healing until we’ve confessed to, and prayed for, one another. (james 5:16)
my guess is it’s something about needing to hear, feel, and see forgiveness in the person of someone else. God forgives, but we don’t always feel like it. there’s something healing about God’s forgiveness being manifest through his children to one another.
and that doesn’t happen when we don’t confess… even the 2%.
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JamesBrett
6:32 am
Hey Pete… thanks for the honesty. As a pastor of a church, one of my biggest fears is being taken down by the 2%, because I have seen it happen to so many pastors before, and I think that pastors more than anyone, feel like they CAN’T be honest about that 2% because it will diminish their ministry. But it is essential to maintaining ministry, otherwise, as you said, it gains momentum in the dark! Thanks for the post!!!
Jeremiah Curran´s last blog ..//highlights
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Jeremiah Curran
6:45 am
Someone recently commented that we need to surrender even those sins that we are unaware of in our life. Sometimes in the 2% category there may be something lurking that has become a subconscious habit…talk about dangerous!
I am blessed with a wife and a strong circle of believers who daily help me be 100% accountable or at least 99.9%. To the best of my knowledge. Oh alright…I am a work in progress.
Dusty Rayburn´s last blog ..Are You a Captive?
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Oh dang. Now I have to surrender the sin I’m not even aware of. I was having enough trouble with the stuff that was glaringly obvious.
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Julie R. Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Please tell me how can it be sin if you aren’t “aware” of it?
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Dusty Rayburn Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 8:36 am
One idea is that at one point you were aware of it in your life…but you have come so accustomed to it, you are no longer conscious of its presence. It is still sin.
Another concept is sin does not have to be a product of will. Sin can be defined as anything you do that causes another person to stumble in the pursuit of Godliness. You may not know you caused them to stumble, but it is still there.
There may be other scenarios, but these are the two that made me stop and ponder the “hidden” sins in my life.
Dusty Rayburn´s last blog ..Are You a Captive?
Jamie Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Julie R.- I believe that Romans 8:26-27 hints that there are areas of weakness that we don’t even realize. Just so you know that I am not cherry picking scripture, it’s important to note the scriptures before and after the one referenced above. Starting in Romans 7:7 Paul writes about struggling with sin, but by chapter 8 he leads the Roman church to life by the Spirit, for a future glory which will make them “more than conquerers!”
8:26-”In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words can not express. 27-And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to God’s will.”
I just love the part that says, “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” It gives me an inkling of how Holy and Perfect God is. It shows me that the sacrifice of Jesus and His righteousness is always standing in the gap for my unrighteousness…and things I don’t even realize I am doing wrong.
Isaiah 64:6 mentions that our righteous acts, or very best efforts, are like filthy rags before a perfect and Holy God.
I hope this shed some light on your question!:)
Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
OK, now you guys are getting a little over my head.
Dusty Rayburn
6:54 am
The last 2% is almost always the painful and REALLY ugly junk in our lives. I know I need to get rid of it through confessing it to another. Thanks!
Jim F.´s last blog ..My New Prayer
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Randy Kinnick Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 7:02 am
So true, Jim. Thanks, Pete, for the honest challenge to be 100% accountable.
Randy Kinnick´s last blog ..Empty Cross + Empty Tomb ≠ An Empty Life
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Jim F.
6:59 am
I would want to ask how many Christians could handle someone being open about their 2%!
Jason´s last blog ..Song Lyric Week Day 2: The Verve Pipe "The Freshmen"
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Very fair question. I know tons of Christians who have been burned by sharing their 2%. However, I know a lot more who have been impacted by hiding it.
It’s a valid concern. However, I think we sometimes use it as an excuse to keep hiding and living the life we want to live.
At least I know I’ve used that excuse before.
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Anonymous Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Ok, but what if you truly have no one that you can trust with that 2%, Pete? Wow. Ok, so as I’m typing this the weight of the truth of what I’m about to type just settled on me. I’m not completely open with anyone and there is no one I trust enough to give them that kind of permission in my life.
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Jason
7:35 am
You got me again. I’m probably only 2% accountable, needing to work on the other 98%. I’ll work on it.
Sarah´s last blog ..Music Monday
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Sarah
7:45 am
A mentor years ago warned me about keeping sin/struggle/worry secret from my wife: Bad stuff grows in the dark.
Thanks for reminding me again, Pete, to bring everything to the light in loving relationships.
Shaun Groves´s last blog ..Elisha And The Name Callers
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Jim F. Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Love the “Bad stuff grows in the dark”. That will preach
Jim F.´s last blog ..My New Prayer
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Shaun Groves
8:52 am
dang this is good. my final-2 needs some accountability!
alece´s last blog ..i’ll be here for a while still
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alece
8:53 am
Dang son, you gotta ask permission before posting stuff like this!
Thanks.
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Kenyon
9:04 am
Convicted and hopeful.
Ronne´s last blog ..A few words about Easter.
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Ronne
9:04 am
“how are you doing with that final 2%?”
ummmm……not quite sure about that.
Rachel´s last blog ..I never thought I’d be a Yankees fan.
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Rachel
9:14 am
It’s that 2% that shattered Ted Haggard. He said he’d been “battling” all his adult life. But that can’t be true. Because God tells us if we fight we will overcome. But he doesn’t say anything about “managing”. And that is what Pastor Haggard was doing. He was managing his sin – and it included concealing it.
Like you suggested Pete, the couple times he tried to confess to someone and be accountable in his early years they weren’t good acountability people. He needed someone that was going to be a help, not pass him off.
We do need to confess, but our world is woefully devoid of people to whom we truly can confide.
CFloyd´s last blog ..Gentle Spirit
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CFloyd
9:34 am
Love the last phrase! Not sure why I read your blog, you always step on my toes!
I guess I like the pain and challenge 
As always, thanks Pete!
Kristyn´s last blog ..Easter 2010
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Kristyn
10:09 am
touche.
patricia´s last blog ..4.4.10 cupcakes.
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patricia
10:25 am
partial obedience is not obedience at all… I’ve been wrestling with the full scope of obedience the last couple of days… what it looks like, what it is, what it is not.
this is a good reminder… thank you!
Jenny´s last blog ..Morning Rant-o-rama
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Jenny
10:33 am
I am very blessed to have several accountability partners that help me with that last 2%.
Kevin´s last blog ..Is that contestant on American Idol a Christian Scorecard
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Kevin
10:45 am
Wow Pete..As always, I get more out of your blogs sometimes than my home churches sermons!! That 2% is what I have been stuggling with my entire 26 years of being a Christian. I of course come loaded with reasons and can play the blame game very well. However, when I meet Jesus face to face…who is going to hold all accountability for that 2%….ME. After all these years and now since I am home bound at 45 I have asked someone to disciple me..And your blog is just the right form of encourgement. The first thing my friend said to me is that I need to be transparent or else the “meeting together” was not going to work. Now, I should have ran right then. I did not. I am wondering why right now. But, after reading your blog, I am thanking the Lord I did not. Again, thank you Pete. You are as always a great pastor of your people!
Fondly,
Part of your congregation in Pennsylvania:))
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barbarajn
12:55 pm
You know Pete, sometimes I think I need to read your blog with a helmet on. LOL That way when the Lord hits me in the head with the 2×4 I’m prepared. I have been thinking of this and pondering your message on going first, which led me to reflect on your post about engaging or withdrawing. Bringing it altogether, I have withdrawn from bring real with people in my church because of the fear of the hidden bias. So, I don’t go first, then I am angry that I feel like I have to live behind a mask, so I live in a circular pattern which keeps me in bondage and keeps me frustrated.
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
A withoutwax helmet may be a great marketing tool.
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Pearl Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I’ll take one in pink please, with matching steel-toed boots. Size 6.
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Julie Reply:
April 6th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
LOL Pearl, the boots are another necessary accessory aren’t they?
Julie
1:33 pm
Thank you for this timely reminder, Pete. I needed it.
Grant Jenkins´s last blog ..The Kindness Of The Lord
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Grant Jenkins
3:14 pm
The group I’m involved in at church doesn’t have an accountability system set up. I’ve never had an accountability partner before.
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 5:09 am
This is going to be tough for any church to set up for you. Trust me when I say accountability is something you’re going to want to set up in your life through a trusted, tested, friend.
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Chelsea Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!
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Chelsea
3:30 pm
I just need accountability plain and simple. I have people who help me out with the big stuff, but I only give them shallow details afraid of being a burden to them. So just pray for me.
Carolina´s last blog ..Sustained
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Carolina
3:36 pm
I love my Bible Study, it definitely keeps me accountable about so many sins God has been revealing to me lately.. but at the same time, I wonder if there are people who view accountability as a way of fixing ourselves, and trying to seem like we have the power to change ourselves and be enough for ourselves instead of Christ?
I constantly am praying for a heart change and for Christ to change my desire for sin in addition to just having my friend ask me about it.
Does this make any sense? It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I’ve seen so many people use accountability as group therapy or ways to strive to be better for God… but we can’t be better for Him.. but we can allow Him to work in us, and change us.
That being said, I just read some of 1 Peter today which talks about being holy as He is holy, so we do need to take action.
Anyway.. ramblings.
Alicia´s last blog ..Day 117
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Alicia
3:56 pm
This post reminds me of the question you raised not too long ago about not fearing of being wicked but deceptively good.
I think I have categorized certain parts of my life into buckets that certain people are allowed to know… and those things I would never want anyone to know.
Someone above raised an interesting question about feeling more at ease ‘confessing’ to unchristians versus those that profess Christianity. Two thoughts come to my mind when thinking on that.
1. That is a sad place to be when those who proclaim Grace are just not good at practicing it.
2. If I am honest, there are things that I wouldn’t even want to confess to an unchristian. That is a complex statement that would take a post to break down and explain.
Tony York´s last blog ..Church Hunt Week 5
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Tony York
6:11 pm
Wow – you totally nailed me with this one. Here I am feeling really good that I share 98%…but you’re right, the other 2% is where I need God’s healing and restoration most! Have always appreciated that specific proverb.
Tracy´s last blog ..Healing Tears
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Tracy
8:48 pm
Whoever is reading this…please, if you would, pray that I will have someone in my life that I can be ALL me with. My best friend and sister left me 10 months ago. Since then, the only person I can talk to is God. That’s because all my other friends followed her. So, if you would, please pray that that person will come into my life. I want to be accountable, but it’s harder to do on your own.
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 5:05 am
Praying!
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OneGirl
9:31 pm
I haven’t been blogging for a while, and I come here and this? Dang it. For me, because we live “so far away” it is hard to find even the 98%. I desire it, I want it, I crave it. But life is complicated and those I know and trust are now 3 years and a world away. I am not sure how to reconcile that. I think that people mean well and they fiercely love us/me, but I battle with the burden it would cause.
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 5:05 am
That’s really tough Kristi. I think doing missions makes this situation even more complex. I don’t have any easy answers but I think this is a reminder of how we should be keeping you guys in our prayers daily.
Ministry is tough enough when you’re doing it in a familiar culture surrounded by friends.
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kristiapplesauce Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 10:30 am
I absolutely agree. I probably pray more for those in ministry then any other. Thanks for this encouragement. I hope that with all these insights, you are better able to mold something….It seems like you always have something on the cusp to teach us.
Um, that is my new favorite word….cusp.
kristiapplesauce´s last blog ..Wednesday Prayer
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kristiapplesauce
3:00 am
It’s that 2% that destroys my confidence. Those secrets that chip away at my manhood and leave me floundering, second guessing and insecure.
But when I reveal this smallest of portions, only then do I become powerful.
Great stuff.
Angus Nelson´s last blog ..Chatty Cathy & the Margin
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Pete Wilson Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 5:03 am
Wow Angus. I loved when you said, “Those secrets that chip away at my manhood and leave me floundering, second guessing and insecure.”
That last 2% chips away indeed.
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Angus Nelson
4:58 am
That 2% can sometimes feel like 2000%.
I know the reasons why we don’t share, but reading the comments one can quickly summarize the we ALL struggle with something. So why don’t we anyway? Just thinking out loud…
Pete, thanks for challenge as always.
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Jonathan
6:40 am
i had to come back over and chime in again.
i think it would be really helpful to hear your thoughts on what accountability really is. what it means. what it looks like. how to receive and provide it well.
because, honestly, i feel like i don’t really know what healthy accountability is. i haven’t seen it modeled. and i’ve hated any structured accountability that’s ever been forced on me because it wasn’t natural. it wasn’t built on trust but on position.
so i really would appreciate hearing your thoughts on how to do accountability well. because i definitely want to.
alece´s last blog ..outta my shell
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Carrie Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
My current accountability partner may not know I consider her to be one. We never really discussed our relationship (haha). We just both like to run and we run together…and when we run, we talk. It’s amazing the hard, nasty stuff that tumbles out when we’re running. I think it’s because there is so much empty time, and you’re not actually looking the person in the eye. It feels safer. Plus, we are totally busy with our families so we have no time to chat otherwise.
Last week we went running for the first time in many months, and the 2% just bubbled up. One of us shared a little, the other, a little more, and pretty soon it was all out on the table.
Anyway – it’s not perfect – it’s not that frequent – but that’s how it’s working for me right now.
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alece Reply:
April 7th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
that’s how i am with my best friend. we’ve never dubbed ourselves “accountability partners” or ever even talk about the A-word in general. we just… are.
love hearing you have a friend like that too.
alece´s last blog ..outta my shell
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Carrie Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 6:53 am
The A-word kind of kills it, if you ask me. Everyone kind of stiffens up when they hear it. Too much pressure. It’s just a loaded word.
alece
8:35 am
Thank you for this challenging post. It sure is tough to reveal and work on the last 2%, but it is also so necessary.
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Jesse
9:28 am
I’ve found blogging to be great for me, because I feel more open and honest as my life has gotten harder. I laid my 2% out there a few weeks ago… talking about that little part of life I held with my fingers crossed behind my back.
It didn’t make my insecurities go away, but it sure is nice to be honest with myself.
gitz´s last blog ..Pour Out
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gitz
1:58 pm
I like the feel of books. I’m not a Kindle kind of guy and I don’t like to read books on the computer.
Could the ipad change all of that (what with the ability to turn pages an all)? The feel of a book, the size and what’s more, going on vacation I can carry my whole library with me (my wife would not call that a vacation).
Anyhow, the most impractical thing I could own right now would be a boat. (I really wish I had a boat!)
Derek´s last blog ..God’s Type of Normal
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Derek
3:11 pm
Crap. That last comment was supposed to be on the post with the ipad. Oops
Derek´s last blog ..Bookmarks: The Sacred Journey
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Derek
3:12 pm
This is why I feel that Accountability for most doesn’t work. Because of what you just said. Most of us feel they will be judged if they confess it all. This is why we as accountability partners really need to be listeners and be willing to give Radical Grace. We need to comfort our friends so they feel open to truly opening up and not feel like they will be judged for messing up.
Robert Williams´s last blog ..Reality Check Ahead
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Robert Williams
6:08 pm
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