What Is Holding You Back

What have you removed from your life that allows you to run more freely? What needs to be cut away from your stride so that your running can actually thrive? Please do not rush past that. Pause. What really needs to be cut away?

The Apostle Paul once said,

“Let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.” (Hebrews 12:1 NCV)

Another version says “cut away the things that get in the way.”

So why cut away bad things? Is this about sin or just behavior management? Not at all. Think about the good things we do. We feed our kids, stay loyal to our spouse, respect our parents, and so on. We do not do those things out of duty, but out of love.

Paul says remove the things that hold us back. Holds us back from what? Holds us back from our relationship with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, and from our relationships with others.

So what are the things in your life that need to be removed? Our language, sex outside of marriage, neglecting our Bible and worship, or the lack of prayer. Even obvious things like drinking too much, eating too much, laziness, an addiction, or discontentment. This list could really just keep going.

So what will you and I do about these things? I say evaluate the “why.” Because if you and I are not sold out and desiring a close relationship with God, then we are simply back to sin and behavior management. And we all know those are short lived.

The deeper evaluation is this. Why do you love God? Why do you love others as yourself? For your own benefit or to honor God and serve others? Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37 NCV) It is simple, but life changing.

The starting point is confess what is wrong and pray, asking God to give you a love. Ask the Holy Spirit to change your desires and mine. Because the truth is, we desire the wrong things. It is just true. It is crazy, right?

Paul gives the answer. He says look at Jesus.

“Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect.” (Hebrews 12:2 NCV)

If we look at Christ the right way, our love should grow. We should see Him leaving heaven for you and me. We should see Him growing up, becoming a man, and never sinning. Never. Who can do that? We should see Him coming for a purpose. He came to pay for your sin and my sin. He came on mission to pay the price by dying on the cross for the very sin that entangles us.

And this is where the gospel becomes personal. Jesus did not die for a polished version of me. He died for the real one. The sinful one. The wandering one. The one who drifts more than he thinks. “Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NCV)

The love that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit show us is a love given to the unlovely. Christ had a mission.

“He suffered death on the cross. But he accepted the shame as if it were nothing because of the joy that God put before him.” (Hebrews 12:2 NCV)

He did this out of love for us. We did not earn it. We never could.

Jesus paid the price in full. But we must see Him. We must accept by faith that He can help you and me overcome the things that weigh us down. That is the reason He came. He makes us perfect in the eyes of God. Not our sin management. Not our improved behavior. But because of what Christ has done on our behalf.

So Paul tells us what to do next.

“Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying.” (Hebrews 12:3 NCV)

So like Jesus, hold on to the good and holy things in our life. Stay the course, but stay the course out of love, honor, and worship. Worshipping our Lord and Savior. I know to many that may sound religious, but it is what gives us life, a full and complete life.

We must keep going. And the only way to keep going is to keep going. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will empower you and me. But we must pray. We must ask for the help. “The Lord hears good people when they cry out to him.” (Psalm 34:17 NCV)

Here’s a prayer to consider:

GOD, why do I desire things that are not from you? Please give me a desire to live life as you prescribe. Help me live this life out of a love for you, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit and for others. Holy Spirit, help me do the things that are good for me. Help me remove the things that get in the way of totally loving you. LORD, I want to love you not for what you can do for me, but just to love you, desire you. It is a bit foreign, but help me make it my home. IJNIP amen ♥️