Column: Time to throw off anything that slows us down

Life can be tough—especially when it feels like a weight is holding you down. But this is not God’s will for His children. In the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, God makes His will clear: we are to “throw off the weight that slows us down and the sin that so easily trips us up.”

There’s a difference between a weight and a sin. We all know what sin is. But each of us also carries things in our lives that may not be sinful, yet still act as weights—holding us back from doing God’s will.

Notice that Scripture says, “Let us throw off the weight.” We have an active role in defeating what weighs us down. We aren’t told to pray, “Lord, take this weight from me,” but instead to take responsibility and cast it off ourselves. That doesn’t mean we can’t ask the Lord for help. We can pray that He provides resources, people or opportunities to make our “throwing off” easier. But ultimately, we must make the first move to release what is holding us back.

This reminder appears throughout the New Testament. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Regarding your former way of life, throw off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. Be made new in the attitude of your minds. Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Again, we see that believers play a vital role in overcoming the weights and sins that hinder our walk with God.

These weights look different for everyone. They might be your job, your family, your hobbies—anything that begins to take priority over your relationship with Christ. These things may not be sinful, but they can become strongholds that distract us from prayer, worship and time in the Word. Our weights neutralize us; sin destroys us. Both aim to trip us up.

Olympic runners wear as little as possible to move freely, and swimmers even shave their bodies to glide faster through the water. They understand what every believer must learn—it’s time to throw off anything that slows us down in our walk with the Lord.

Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove, which meets at 9:30 a.m., and Harrisville Methodist Church, which meets at 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations. Text Ken at 918-852-9797.