Every runner knows that unnecessary weight makes a long race harder. The same is true in the Christian life. Hebrews 12 calls believers to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” so we can run with perseverance the race God has marked out for us.
In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef identifies some of the spiritual weights that can slow us down: anxiety, worry, bitterness, greed, unconfessed sin, and doubts about God’s power. Left unchecked, these burdens can exhaust us and eventually bring our spiritual progress to a halt.
Another dangerous distraction is comparison. When we become preoccupied with ourselves or constantly look at how others are running, we take our eyes off the path before us. Scripture gives us a better focus: Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Jesus endured opposition, rejection, betrayal, suffering, and the cross because of the joy set before Him. He finished His race faithfully, and He now calls us to follow His example with our eyes fixed on eternity.
If you feel spiritually tired, discouraged, or tempted to quit, look again to Jesus. He is your source of faith, your example of endurance, and your strength for every step. Keep running. Keep persevering. The eternal prize is worth the race.
Prayer: Father, help me to throw off anything that is hindering me in my marathon of faith. Help me to stay focused on You and to follow Your example. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary” (Revelation 2:3).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon They Were Just like Us, We Can Be like Them: LISTEN NOW
The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
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