THURSDAY AND FRIDAY- REMOVING STUFF TO FINISH STRONG

If I were to tell you that you were going to have to run a long race, what would you take with you? Would you take a suitcase? A cooler? A huge queen sized bed? Probably not. When runners run a race, they take with them the bare essentials.

According to the writer of Hebrews, endurance is just as vital when it comes to our spiritual journey. And just how do we manage such stamina? Listen to his words: “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” (Hebrews 12:1–2 NLT)

Briefly put, we’re to remove all of the excess stuff that distracts us and slows our pace. As runners in the race of life, our focus needs to be on Christ alone.

Our human tendency is to believe we possess the ability to unclog our lives without God having to plunge his hands into the thick of it all. The truth is, however, that the greatest obstacle to God fulfilling his purpose for our lives is not other people but ourselves – our own goals, ambition, pride, and self will. Although it’s difficult to comprehend, God, in his amazing grace, actually yearns for his children to hand off this deadweight. Yet we so often insist on carrying it with our own limited strength.
So what is slowing your down and distracting you from living a totally surrendered life? As you look into your soul and take an honest inventory of your life, make sure you give God all of it by giving him your:

Worries – The things that are causing you anxiety in life.
Wounds – Your past hurts and pain that may still be robbing you of the life God has for you.
Wrongs – The times you hurt others and may still need to seek forgiveness.
Weaknesses –The things in your life that you don’t think God can use, but he wants to use.
Wishes – Your dreams and desires for God’s Kingdom.

TODAY: I want you to think about what might be holding you back. Write them down. What baggage are you carrying around?

TOMORROW (Friday): I want you to spend some time making a plan on getting rid of the "Things that are hindering" your life with God. Make steps to streamline. Let me know how it goes!