Hebrews 12:1

“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,”

Sometimes we need examples of faith, testimonies of victory, that are an inspiration for us to push on further. The 11 Chapter of Hebrews provides this information.

The 12th chapter opens by talking about this same cloud of witnesses. People of faith who have used their faith in God to accomplish great things. We are to take these great examples of faith a step further. We are to take corrective action.

Know Yourself

With the exception of God, no one knows you better than you know yourself. You know the things you struggle with, you know the things that you fall prey to over and over again. You know those things that adversity impact your ability to please God, or to be used by him.

To this end, God speaks directly to us. I am paraphrasing here – “look at the great heroes of faith. See how they conquered and/or what they accomplished through faith? Learn from them, and look at yourself. Lay aside those things that may not be sin, but are certainly designed to weigh you down, preventing you from pleasing me. Remove those sins that persistently trouble or threaten you. After this is done, then run your race.”

Running Your Race

What is your race? Our individual race is the life that God has given us. Our race is unique to us. What makes ours different from another? The choices we make. and how we deal with the consequences of our choices. Whether they be good or bad.

With every choice we make we shape our lives. Deuteronomy 30:15-16. We are told to chose between life and good, death and evil. In Joshua 24:15, he reiterated the choice, and advised of his own. We all need to make a choice. The hope is that we will choose life and good, that we will choose to serve God.

Choices Have Consequences

With every action we take, we are to underscore our initial choice. We do this by seeking guidance from God as we go through our daily lives. We ask for his help, we ask God to order our foot steps, to place us in the position we need to be in. The little choices we make shape our lives. We need to be lead by God for every decision we make. By doing so we are in line with Proverbs 3:5-6, we don’t lean on ourselves, but we are trusting God.

Poor choices reap less than favorable results. For example, If you choose to spend your money on excessive or needless shopping rather than paying your bills. Your decision can lead to loss (such as losing the use of utilities, car, home, poor credit). Your choice has shaped your life. Now you must deal with these consequences.

When you make wise or godly choices the blessings of God are evident in your life.

Understand we are not perfect. At some point we all make bad choices. But God remains faithful. He will give us grace even in this. We should not make a practice out of poor choices. We still walk by faith, even in the face of poor choices we made.

God is Faithful

If we go back to Hebrews 12:1. If we lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily trouble and threaten us, we are able to succeed. By getting rid of these things we become lighter. We are now able to run this race with patience. We can live a victorious life through faith. We will have a testimony that we can share with others. A testimony that will strengthen others, and inspire them to greatness.

Yes, our struggle is real, but the God we serve is faithful.