Friday, March 5, 2010

Identifying the Weights


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, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 (New King James Version)


What is it that encumbers, hinders, entangles or ensnares you on a daily basis? What is it that has a grip on you even as you want to lay it aside? For each of us it may be a different area or issue and yet we know that we know it is in us. Those closest to us can see the consequences of its presence in our life even if they don’t fully know every detail. It leaves us with deep feelings of failure, discouragement, and disappointment. Most of the time, the proverbial tunnel appears to have no light the end. Failed attempts to walk in victory leave us wondering if deliverance will ever be our experience in this life.

Let me say, if you (like me) have come to believe that freedom is out of reach for you, than you (like me) have bought in to one of the most damaging lies of the enemy. He knows no child of God is beyond the work and grace of God and yet if he can convince us we are an exception then we remain in bondage. I do not want that to be the end of my story!

Here is the catch though. There are times when we are not fully aware of what our exact weights are. I am coming to learn that what I label as emotional may have a physical component. My mood swings and spiraling thoughts may actually be an indication that there is something physically wrong. If I am going to run my life’s race with endurance then I need to know what it is that keeps tripping me up. So I am on a quest. It involves asking lots of questions, talking to many individuals, and taking the necessary medical steps to determine what is going on in my body as well as my mind. As I do, I saturate the steps with prayer that God would lead me to the right people to help me lay aside the unnecessary weights I carry and tunnels in which I find myself. I firmly believe there is not only a light at the end of this tunnel but a whole new way to live my life.

The bookends God has placed around me at this time are the prayers and unconditional love of others. I marvel at the ministry of the body of Christ. There are individuals who not only want to see me walk in freedom but urge me on in my quest to find it. I thank God for them!

Father, I marvel at the way You work. With hope in my heart I anticipate all that is possible in Christ. Amen.

He Knows My Name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.