Last week we studied, “The Wait” in our lives; those times we’re in situations of waiting. Some wait times are short while other waits are more lengthy and more stressful. We addressed the opportunities that these waiting times give us to: worship God, attend to His Word, imitate Jesus, and trust God.  I do hope you are putting those suggestions into practice for a life-style change.

Now we are going to look at weights in our lives.  Most of us are aware of the different types of weights used by physical trainers and in fitness centers that can help a person strengthen their body to get into shape and live a healthier life. However, today we are going to discuss spiritual weights that keep us from being all that God has intended for us to be. Weights that get heavy in our heart hinder the strength of our faith and keeps us from fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives.

Hebrews 12:1 reads, wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. I see four things in this scripture: witnesses, weight, sin, and race. Look at it this way: our race (our life and purpose) is to be run with patience, without sins and weights, and we are surrounded by witnesses. This week we will mainly address the weights.

The Christian Standard Bible uses the words every hindrance instead of weight. The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition uses every encumbrance.  Other translations use every impediment – meaning anything that interferes with the progress, or obstructs; and everything that slow us down; and every burden – referring to something that oppresses us; and anything that gets in our way.

So, what are some of these hindrances that slow us down and keep us from growing and interferes with us being the very image of Christ?  Well, some might be how we spend our time, such as watching so much television or movies that we neglect Bible reading/study, praying, or even attending church. Perhaps camping and fishing are your thing; or reading romance novels, or other fun activities. None of those things are sinful in and of themselves, but in excess can keep a person from being, and living the life God fully intends for them to be and to live.  Procrastination seems somewhat innocent at first, but it’s a big problem for many people and keeps them locked into a paralytic state of non-productiveness. Even the idea of taking it easy can lead to laziness which the Bible calls slothfulness and slow moving. Several verses in Proverbs tell us that the slothful is a great waster; an idle soul; and are void of understanding. (Proverbs 18: 9; 19:15; 24:30)

Though these weights appear and affect our natural lives, they also hinder our spiritual lives; our witness of God’s goodness, and will keep us from living in victory.  We can see that even though many hindrances may not be sins in and of themselves, any extreme or excess lead to the sin of disobedience to the will and direction of our Lord.

Technically all these are heart issues; they come from a carnal heart where our selfishness wants to be in control, instead of a mature heart with the image of God reigning in our heart.

When a heart is spiritually immature (carnal), a person can have trouble with not only the weights of hindrances but also with sins such as jealousy, envy, covetousness, bitterness, resentment, anger, impatience, being critical and judgmental, being rude, have un-forgiveness toward another, and many others that you might even be thinking of.  If you see yourself in any of them, don’t be offended because I mentioned them, be assured that God wants to set you free from the bondage and the consequence of them.  Think about it: when our heart is filled with anything but the love of God, those things push out God’s love and power from working in our lives.

Remember, there are people (witnesses) watching us; what we do and say affect them as well as ourselves. None of us are an island unto ourselves. We are to redeem our time wisely because others who need Christ need us to show Him to them. (Colossians 4:5) We are to run our race, live our lives, with patience, showing the love and kindness of God in our words and behavior. (Ephesians 4:22-32)

You might be wondering how to get the victory over one or more weights in your heart, and I have some Scriptures to help you.  They have helped me throughout the years to grow and mature in the Lord, (and still help me I might add, because like you, we are all still growing in our knowledge of God).  These are in no way the total of Scriptures you could use, or all that would/could apply to the list above, but they will get you started, and hopefully inspire you to seek out Scripture that minister to you.

We were not created to carry the weight or cares of the world on our shoulders – not even those in our individual lives. We are to humble ourselves under the hand of God and cast our care upon Him, as instructed in First Peter 5:6-7.  We are to leave our cares with Him by monitoring our thoughts and imaginations to bring them into obedience to Christ as instructed in Second Corinthians 10:5.

As the old saying goes, what we look at is what we become. So, make the commitment to spend more time in with of our Heavenly Father in prayer and His Word, and you will begin to see those weighty hindrances be replaced with a determination to live pleasing unto God.

Ephesians 4:22-32, in a nutshell tells us to: put off conduct that corrupts according to deceitful lusts; renew our the spirit of our mind; put away lying; speak truth; not to sin with our anger; don’t give any place to the devil; to work good with our hands; to share with those in need; don’t let corrupt words proceed out of our mouth, but those that edify the hearers; not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God; let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from us; and to be kind to one another, to be tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how we can walk in victory in all those areas; and mostly it has to do with how we think: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these thing”.

First Peter 5:7 is also good instruction in getting the victory over worry and anxiety: “casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you”; referring to leave our cares with God when we are praying.

First John 1:9 is what I call the “setting free” Scripture, because when we do as it says, we are freed from our sins: “if we conferee our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.  This is not a license to sin but the deliverance from “when or if” we sin.