IS THERE ANYTHING HOLDING YOU BACK?

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.Hebrrews 12:1-2a
There is so much truth in this verse,  let us unpack it, and let the Lord speak to us. The Bble tells us that God is OMNISCIENT, that He is all SEEING & ALL KNOWING, most believers need to get this as a revelation, that God is watching us ALL THE TIME.As a teenager I really got challenged regarding this, that GOD EVEN SEES IN THE DARK!!!!
Here the writer to Hebrews says not only is God watching, but there is also a “great cloud of witnesses” believers who have been promoted to glory, and they are watching also.
We are encouraged to do two things,

1. Lay aside “EVERY WEIGHT”  in my mind’s eye I can see a prisoner with a ball and chain around his ankle, and the limitations that causes a person in their walking. I wonder if some of these things could be those things Paul calls lawful but NOT EXPEDIENT, stuff that can become an encumbrance in our walk with the Lord, and can lead us to become “ensnared” like a rabbit in a trap.
2. The ‘SIN THAT SO EASILY BESETS US” We are all different and the “weights” we let ourselves carry can cause us to sin, and for us to lose the blessing of God on our lives.

Because of the staph, infection I picked up over three years ago, and took the medical world around two years to remove from my body, there has been considerable damage done to my knee, which makes walking difficult and exercise a real problem, consequently I have put on quite a bit of weight, this of course adds to the pressure on my body and heart (and knee) so under a Specialist’s instructions I have been put on a Very Low Calorie Diet, which is having a positive effect already, BUT I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.  (please pray for me,, that I get the all the excess weight off and keep it off?).

The write to Hebrews reminds us we are in a race, that requires endurance and lots of spiritual stamina.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

LOOKING UNTO JESUS.  This diet, is a direct answer to prayer, I actually was praying for months, I was sure hoping there was a simple answer to the problem, but there is a sacrifice in it for me (and us all spiritually) to have very limited food intake for months, and then smaller meals beyond that, and hopefully some ability to exercise to keep the weight from returning.

I am reminded of Andre Crouch’s song, It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Any sacrifice will fade into total insignificance in the light of eternity, I am praying it may also give me some more years of being effectively used by the Lord in ministry.

CAN I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LET THE HOLY SPIRIT SEARCH YOUR HEART

Are there perhaps some “lawful but not expedient” things in your life, that are limiting your walk with the Lord?

Are you aware of a spiritual ball and chain around your leg that is constricting your walk with the Lord and consequently your inability  to really run in God’s race?

Sometimes these “weights” and “snares” are hard to deal with, but as we look to Jesus, THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, and meditate on God’s Word, and see afresh the glorious inheritance we have in Christ, these weights and snares will disappear and we will start running live never before.

I do trust this blog has blessed and challenged you, may we with the Lord’s help not be satisfied with second best.

Have a fantastic weekend and may you see the Lord high and lifted up in church tomorrow.