The 3/3 Pattern: Living a Life of Accountability and Growth
Every follower of Jesus is called not only to hear God’s Word but to live it out and share it with others. Yet, without an intentional pattern of reflection, obedience, and sharing, we can easily slip into a passive faith—one where we consume spiritual truth but fail to apply it.
This is where the 3/3 (Three-Thirds) pattern becomes invaluable. It is a simple but powerful framework for accountability in our walk with Christ. The three-thirds pattern involves:
Looking Back – Reviewing how we’ve lived out what we previously heard from God.
Looking Up – Seeking fresh guidance from God through His Word, prayer, His people, and His works.
Looking Forward – Committing to specific, intentional obedience and sharing with others.
This process is essential for growing as disciples and making disciples. It develops a rhythm of continual transformation, ensuring that what we hear from God is not just a passing thought but something that changes us and impacts those around us.
Looking Back: How Have I Responded?
The first step is to look back and assess our response to what we previously heard from God. This is where accountability begins.
We ask ourselves:
Did I apply what God showed me last time?
Did I take action on what I committed to do?
Did I share with the person I intended to share with?
This step is most effective when we write down what we hear from God and how we plan to obey. If we don’t document it, we are far more likely to forget it. Writing creates clarity and commitment.
Application should cover both personal obedience and outward sharing:
Personal implementation – What changes did I make in my own life based on what God revealed to me?
Sharing with others – Did I communicate these truths to someone else? Who did I tell, and how did they respond?
Without accountability, we risk treating God’s Word as mere information rather than life-changing truth. Looking back ensures that we are not just hearers but doers of the Word.
Looking Up: Hearing Freshly from God
After reviewing our past obedience, we look up to hear from God again. This is how we receive fresh insight, direction, and strength. In the Kingdom of God, this is our spiritual inhaling—breathing in what God is revealing to us.
God speaks through multiple channels, and we must be attentive to all of them:
We Breathe IN When We Hear From God Through:
HIS WORD – The Bible is our primary source of truth. Every time we engage with Scripture, we should read it with an open heart, and seek guidance from the Lord regarding how we should apply it and whom we should share it with.
PRAYER – Through conversation with God, we gain clarity, receive wisdom, and align our hearts with His will. This is true in times of specific, focused prayer and in a lifestyle of awareness of His presence and being in constant conversation with Him in our minds.
HIS BODY – The church, the people of God, speak into our lives. God uses brothers and sisters in Christ to challenge, encourage, and confirm His direction.
HIS WORKS – Our life experiences, circumstances, and even challenges (including suffering) can be God’s way of speaking to us and shaping us.
Jesus promised that those who truly seek Him will find Him (Matthew 7:7). When we breathe in—when we seek, listen, and receive—we position ourselves to hear God’s voice clearly.
Looking Forward: How Will I Respond?
Once we’ve reflected on our past response and received fresh insight from God, we look forward with intentionality. This is where we commit to action.
This is our spiritual exhaling—we breathe out when we obey and share what God has spoken.
We Breathe OUT When We OBEY
Obedience is the natural response of a true disciple. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”(John 14:15, NASB)
Obedience can take many forms:
Changing our thoughts, attitudes, or actions to align with God’s truth.
Letting go of sin or unhealthy habits.
Extending forgiveness or love to someone who is difficult to live with.
Taking steps of faith, even when it feels uncomfortable.
We Breathe OUT When We SHARE
The truth God gives us is not meant to be hoarded—it is meant to be shared. Jesus commanded His followers to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). This means we should always be thinking about:
Who can I share this with?
When will I do it?
How will I communicate it?
Whether it’s sharing with a friend, leading a small group, or simply having a conversation with a coworker or family member, every believer is called to pass on what they receive from God.
Spiritual Breathing: A Critical Pattern for Life
The 3/3 pattern is more than a strategy—it’s a way of life. It mirrors the natural rhythm of spiritual breathing:
We inhale when we hear from God – through His Word, prayer, His people, and His works.
We exhale when we respond – through obedience and sharing with others.
A healthy disciple breathes in and breathes out continuously. If we only breathe in (consume without applying), we become spiritually stagnant. If we only breathe out (try to obey and share without hearing from God), we become exhausted. Both are necessary for a thriving spiritual life.
Practicing the 3/3 Pattern Personally and Corporately
This process should be practiced both individually and in community.
Individually:
Set aside time regularly to look back, look up, and look forward.
Keep a journal of what God is teaching you and how you are applying it.
Be intentional about sharing with others what you learn. This includes sharing with a personal accountability partner on a regular basis.
In Community:
Practice this in small groups, discipleship meetings, or accountability relationships.
Encourage one another in obedience and hold each other accountable for sharing.
Implement this corporately in your church or ministry settings to align your community with God’s Word.
The Reward of a Life Lived in Obedience
When we live according to the 3/3 pattern, we create a lifestyle of faithfulness. The more we listen and obey, the clearer God’s voice becomes. Jesus said,
"For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12, NASB)
When we are faithful with what God gives us, He entrusts us with more. This means the more we hear, obey, and share, the deeper our relationship with Him grows.
A Challenge to Take Action
How are you doing with spiritual breathing? Are you consistently inhaling God’s truth and exhaling through obedience and sharing?
This process is not just a suggestion—it is critical for every follower of Jesus. In the coming blog entries, we will explore specific ways to apply this pattern in different areas of life. From personal spiritual disciplines to corporate discipleship, we will look at how we can faithfully practice hearing, obeying, and sharing.
Let’s commit together to not just be hearers, but doers of the Word. Let’s breathe in, breathe out, and live fully in the life God has called us to!