Hebrews 12:1 *"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us*"( NLT).
Sometime ago, I decided to register in a nearby gym. When I started, I had terrible pains in my thigh and other parts of my body due to the strenuous fitness exercises. I asked my gym instructor why I experienced so much pain.
He said, "you are just shedding weight gradually, that is why. The more you lose weight, the less painful these exercises will be and you'll become flexible to do things you are finding hard to do"(paraphrase). Now, what he said isn't scientifically accurate but it fits into common sense and my personal experience.
Since the day he made that statement, Hebrews 12:1 has not left my mind. It was as though God spoke to me through him. I noticed that after losing a little weight, the pains reduced and I became more flexible to endure some of the fitness exercises.
*"Let us strip off every weight that slows us down...*"
Not everything that slows you down in your Christian journey is sin. Some have been slowed down in their prayer life, evangelism, giving, church attendance and in their consecration. Most of the struggles we experience in our walk with the Lord aren't necessarily a result of sin but weights.
*A weight is anything that drains your spiritual stamina. Some weights are good things that have become heavy things*.
For instance, as a preacher or pastor over a growing church/ ministry, as good as growth is, you can become so busy with administration and neglect your prayer life and other personal consecrations.
*"...especially the sin that so easily trips us up*".
*Sin is different from weight; weight slows you, sin makes you fall*. For some it is anger, for some lust, lying, envy, unforgiveness. You know the one that always catches your leg. You need to identify the sins that you easily fall into.
If we want our Christian journey to become smooth and pleasing to God, we must identify our weights (things that slow us down) and the sins that we fall into easily and do away with them.
No one runs a marathon with a back pack strapped to his body neither can anyone run a marathon with a shoe that has a pointed hill. The former will slow him down while the latter will make him fall. God has set a race before us that we must run.
That race requires we identify weights and take them off and shun the sins that easily trips us up.
Father, I thank you for sending your word to me. I receive the grace to remove the weights slowing down my Christian journey and to shun besetting sins in Jesus name.