In the book of Hebrews, our life and time on this earth is compared to an athlete running a race.  A runner must build up endurance, and experience personal training to be equipped for an upcoming event.   Accordingly, God has provided us with training instructions that we need to stick to, in order to complete and win the heavenly prize for our earthly life’s race.

  First, we are told we must throw aside every unnecessary weight or burden and that shortcoming that cleverly clings to and entangles us. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Holding on to encumbrances and hindrances will interfere and sabotage our ability to keep moving forward spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  When we hold on to the burdens of hurt, anger, fear, un-forgiveness, and negativity the Enemy is given an opening to trip us up by ultimately generating unbelief in Christ’s ability to bring us through to victory. That is why it is very important, crucial, and necessary for us to repeatedly work out our heart’s burdens with our faithful Lord Jesus. When we are able to throw aside and let go of our emotional baggage with the erroneous thoughts connected to them, we will find the weight of the burden lightened.

  Next, we are told to run our race with patient endurance and steady, active persistence the appointed course before us.  Sometimes when life’s race is long and hard we are tempted to get caught up in complaining and weariness.  Still it is God’s will to use these hard times to develop us into patient, stable, energetic believers that are totally dependent on God, and develop the perseverance and determination to finish the race. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us, by the great witnesses who encircle us like clouds, each affirming faith’s reality.

 Last, we are told to look away from all that will distract us and look to Jesus. We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection.” His example is this: Because his heart was filled with the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!”  Jesus is our leader and the author and finisher of our faith.  He has the grace we need to keep moving forward, and He longs to have a deeper, more loving, and living relationship with His blood- bought children. It is God’s will and delight to bring us, His children, to maturity and perfection in His kingdom, as we continue to step forward and run the race that is set before us!

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 it’s Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection] Hebrews 12:1b-2a