Getting rid of what trips you up

Don't you hate it when you bite your lip and everytime you take a bite you bite that same spot over and over again. 

There are some things in our lives that we just keep coming back to without wanting to.  They weigh us down and we just can't seem to be victorious over them. 

The writer of Hebrews explains it this way.

Heb 12:1 — Heb 12:2

Hebrews 12
​ THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

In the previous chapter the writer provides a list of people in the past who had struggles and dealt with sin in their lives.  They overcame to be known as the heros of faith. 

They overcame:

1. Weights

Weights are things that aren't sin but draw us away from God.  These would be things like entertainment, sports, or money.

These are not sin, they just weigh us down with concerns. 

2. Sin

These are things that God says He does not like or that we shouldn't do.  Things such as sexually immorality, muder or stealing.

So, the next time you are struggling with something or have fallen into sin, remember you are not alone.  Some of the greatest people of faith also had these issues.

These men and women were able to overcome by looking to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. 

The next time you are struggling set your eyes toward Jesus.  He knows what you are going through and the struggle you are facing.  He can help you through what you are facing. 

Lord, help me today to put my sight toward you when I am facing something that seems to bring me down.    Only you can lift me up and set me on a firm foundation that is you.  You are my victory.