Everything

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how He did it. BecauseHhe never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again,
item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through.
That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message

We are in a long distance run in our life of faith. Our time on this earth is short. Our heavenly hope is eternal. I like to run and lift weights. The principle of building muscle and building faith is the same. When you tax your muscles, your body steps up to the challenge and builds more muscle. The more you work out, the stronger you get. It's the same with your faith. The more you exercise your faith in Jesus, the more faith muscle He gives you. When you stop working out you lose muscle. It's the same with faith.

I like to run. The more I run, the farther I can go. Day by day, month by month, year by year. The more I run, the stronger I get. When I quit running, my physical conditioning gets weaker. When I start up again, I don't start by running six miles a day. I have to walk a couple of miles over a period of time. Only after a time of walking can I begin running again.

The Bible tells us to cast off every weight or hindrance that slows us down and makes us less effective in the race of life. How do we do this? By staying focused. We keep our focus on Jesus. When anything tries to stop you, or slow you down, focus on Jesus.

The problem for most of us is that we become comfortable with some of the weights and hindrances in our lives. We accept and even get friendly with the things that weaken and slow us down.

It's time we strip off everything that gets in the way!