Simply the Bible Blog

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…” (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV)

Talk about a cloud of witnesses! It is quite a sound to hear 1,000 pastors singing and worshiping JESUS! That’s what we experienced last night at our conference, as we sought the Lord and prayed for one another–personally, our families, churches, church-at-large, and for a great awakening throughout the world. In such a gathering you cannot help but think that anything is possible! A cloud of witnesses ready to boldly share all that they have seen and heard in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! No wonder Jesus told His disciples to wait until they were “endued with power from on high” before they went out into the world (Acts 1.8).

But how quickly after we have experienced such an outpouring can the glory fade. The weights of worldly care press in upon our hearts like heavy cargo on a lifeboat. Besetting sins attach themselves like barnacles to the hull. Instead of speeding through the waters on course toward our destination we find ourselves slowing down, struggling against the oars, and soon we forget the power and Christ-ambition we had when we left port.

That is why the author of Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” The weights are those burdens that Jesus never intended us to carry. They do not help us keep His commandments but keep us from His commandments. Fear, worry, self-consciousness, self-condemnation, guilt over past sins already confessed, and depression weigh our hearts down. Other things are weights/sins that press in upon us always–anger, pride, selfishness, envy, resentment or bitterness. Then there are those sins we run into like reefs–murmuring, gossip, contentions, rebellion, lust, compromise or laziness. These weights and sins slow us down until we have stopped advancing in the kingdom and are aimlessly drifting at sea, subject to the ceaseless wind and waves of the evil one.

What can we do? We must purposefully lay these things aside. I do not believe this is possible without the help of the Holy Spirit…and sometimes also the prayers of the saints. We must cast all our burdens completely upon the Lord, for He cares for us. Then we must resist the temptation to take them back. Those weights/sins that always press in upon us we must ask God to supernaturally remove. Do not get discouraged if they don’t go away immediately, but continue to pray that God would break them up and loosen them from your heart until they are completely removed. When you first feel them welling up inside you, then call upon the name of Jesus to take them away. Finally, for the sins we run into that entangle us we must develop a strategy for avoiding them. If your boat hits the reef you learn to keep away. Likewise, stay away from those places where you easily stumble and fall.

By God’s grace if we watch over our hearts and steps with all diligence, then we won’t be slowed down in our race. But we will be free to run for His glory. We need such marathon Christians who will receive vision and power and not be deterred until they win the prize. There is so much work to do!