Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,let us Lay aside every weight and the sins which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us". Heb. 12:1
Life is a race and certain things must be done for anyone to reach the finish line.
Just like you have spectators who throng the stadium to watch any race be it relay or marathon so also do we have cloud of witnesses here on earth and even in the heavens watching us as we run the race of life.
I discovered that there are weights and sins that easily get in the way of people running this christian race. These weights are programmed to slow us down or keep us from getting to the finish line. Weights are not necessarily sinful but are they are not helpful either.
It becomes every individual responsibility to personally get rid of everything that slow us down, especially the sin that just won't let go.
Before we begin another series this month, it becomes pertinent that we put behind us the failures of past months. Stop holding on to the past you can not change. You have in you the power to change the future if you gladly let go of the past. Don't live out July's pain and setbacks in this month of August. Now that we have that out of the way, let's shoot into the word for today.
Weights may come in short supply to some people who have trained themselves in the discipline of spirituality. However, weights are those hindrances that delay us our progress in our pursuit of fulfilment. Weights are burdens of worries and anxieties that seeks to magnify those unfavourable conditions around you. Weights are emotional clutch that you are strongly attached to.
A great friend of mine recounted the story of a woman who lost her husband about some seven years ago. Unfortunately for this woman the first thing she says whenever she has a chanced encounter with any man of God is that they should follow her to the gravesite to raise her husband from the dead like Jesus did for Lazarus. This is an example of a weight. That woman should have moved on with her life but she allowed the obstacles of the past to keep her from embracing the future.
There are clouds of witnesses on the other end of the line who are cheering you on but you have to consciously put aside those weaknesses of yours that seem to get in the way of God's best for you.
The sin that easily besets us are habitual sins such as anger, lying, fear, disobedience, pride, lust, fornication, greed, and a list of other character flaws. These sins are so subtle that we often overlook them. Nevertheless they are the little foxes that stain the garment of our holiness.
Anything that you cannot give up is already a weight. For some of us, our own weight is procastination. We're always in the habit of postponing till
tomorrow what you're supposed to do today. Anger was the weight that didn't allow Moses get to the promised land. It was pride that brought King Asa down. Coveteousness was what the devil used to destroy the ministry of Gehazi. Saul lost his throne because he was a people pleaser. Greed was what destroyed Judas Iscariot ministry. Lust was Samson's syndrome. Pleasure almost made Solomon lost the reality of eternity.
Initially, these things didn't come across to these bible folks as sin but it didn't help them finish strong.
Jesus said He has given us authority to tread upon snakes and scorpions. The similiarity between snakes and scorpion is that their stings are both poisonous and they attack their victims at their heels.
Sin is similiar to the poisonous stings of snakes and scorpions. It doesn't kill immediately but gradually. What it does first is to slow down the metabolic process of its victim as it makes its way to the heart where it slowly pollute the flow of blood before terminating the life of its victim.
So also is sin, it will not kill you immediately. It will only slow you down from reaching your destination on time. It will delay you or put your eyes off the goal. What should have taken you two days to achieve can take you twenty years to get done if the issue of sin is not tackled in the place of prayer.
When Jesus talked about snakes and scorpions, He literally wasn't refering to animals. He was only refering to people that have the ability to sneak into your space uninvited and turn your world upside down with their poisonous suggestions.
These set of people are too smart to do you evil at first. Their appearance is so friendly that you may not be aware of the gravity of the damage they have inflicted upon your family, business and destiny until after their disappearance.
Their operation is so subtle that it can go unnoticed at first. They are underdogs masquerading in the garb of religious effigy. They are beautiful attractions seeking to distract you from paying attention to the race set before you.
The devil will never offer you a cake without icing. If you're a christian, he won't send an unbeliever to entice you. No, it is a fellow believer like you that the devil will send to deceive you. Don't forget that it was somebody in the inner circle of Jesus that betrayed Him. If the enemy within cannot get you, no opposing force from the outside can reach you. No wonder Jesus said beware of wolves in sheep's clothing.
Don't go about life as a simple Christian. Be wise as serpent and innocent as dove. Learn the tricks of the enemies but don't pay evil back with evil. Simply protect yourself. Do not be ignorant of the devices of the devil. You don't need to be hard on anyone or be suspicious. Only a weakling go about being suspicious.
The power of love is all you need to win any war before it starts. People subconsciously expose their ulterior motives when you show the Jesus Kind of love.
Whenever you notice any strange move by any one around your space. Don't say a word. Rise up in the middle of the night and take up the matter to God in prayer.
This month of August, I challenge you not to live a casual life. Evaluate everything you're doing and cut away anything not adding value to you.
Kindly share.
Moses Abiola
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"And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." Acts 24:16
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