Laying Aside Every Weight
Hebrews 12 likens the Christian journey to a race. It then enjoins us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us so that we can run the race well. That makes sense.
Every serious runner knows that the more weight he carries, the more effort it takes, the slower he will run, the more quickly he’ll become tired. Equally so, when it comes to running the Christian race, holding on to excess weights will slow us down. Those things can cause us to become weary and to faint.
Now, a weight is anything that hinders our faith and keeps us from growing spiritually It does not have to be sinful. It just needs to be a hindrance to our spiritual growth. In fact, many of the heaviest weights we encounter that cause the greatest problems for believers are the religious ones–rules and doctrines that foster guilt and condemnation.
If you are suffering under guilt and condemnation today, you are carrying a weight you need to lay aside. Until you do, you won’t be able to run your race well. And if you are filling your mind with thoughts of how you have failed and are not worthy, your spiritual energy is being drained drastically. Deal with it before you faint from exhaustion.
How? Hebrews 12:2 tells us literally “to look away unto Jesus.” Practically, this means we should cast all of our cares upon Jesus and believe He will take care of them. When we replace self-occupation with Christ-occupation, and begin to see that He is the solution to every problem and the answer to every question, burdens are lifted, weights removed, and our joy is made full.
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Additional Resources:
“Laying Aside Sin” (CD)
“Laying Aside Sin” (MP3 Download)
A Moment of Grace 
Good morning Bishop, may the Lord Continuously add to your wisdom even as He keeps propelling you to tap into His knowledge.
Amen, Bishop. You have blessed me again!