Subtle Sin Steals Our Strength and Sets Us Back
By Keri Eichberger
Bible Reading:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. – Hebrews 12:1
There’s a Bible verse I keep getting tripped up on. Though, I’ve continued to feel flames of encouragement when I read a certain portion of these well-known words in Hebrews chapter 12. It’s the ones about running the race marked out for us with perseverance. It seems many like to isolate that snippet, which is really a section of a longer scripture. And I’ve at times wondered why that is. I love this part of the verse for the desire it stirs up in me to embrace perseverance. But when I look to the preceding words to clue in on how we might tap into such resilience, it puzzles me. Because it talks about sin. Saying we should throw it off and that it hinders us.
Well, what does sin really have to do with perseverance? I’d definitely like to know if it’s what sets us back and squashes our ability to persevere. Because I’ve felt the weighing and wearing down of the world lately, and I sure need perseverance to keep moving on the road God has marked out for me.
Do you need swells of strength and stamina to plow through too? Sure you do. Life wears us all down sometimes.
I opened my bible, sat, and stared at the entirety of the verse yesterday. Specifically the words “sin” and “easily entangles.” And simultaneously considering the words that followed about running with perseverance, I pictured myself on a road getting tangled and tripped up. Acknowledging there would have to be something specific in my path in order to hold me back or down. I saw this verse telling me that sin does that. The NLT version says, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” The Bible is clearly saying sin sets us back. This means if we can rid ourselves of sin, we might experience an opposite effect, a release of resistance allowing us to move forward. With more strength.
We know that sin separates us from God. And that God is our strength. Therefore, because he is our source of strength, the more we stay in sin, the more we’re separated from our ability to persevere. And as I kept leaning in, I began to wonder if that had anything to do with my weariness. I want to persevere, and have been praying for this reinforcement. But am I being held back because of my own sin? I never thought of myself as a blatant sinner, but I also think this is the way the enemy is sneaky with us. Because actually, we are all guilty—myself included. But it’s the subtle sins woven through our every day that we easily become blind to.
I kept digging deeper into what God wanted to reveal. I wanted to expose every sin Satan was trying to hide from me, to throw off every hindrance, and to run my race. So I did a quick search on biblical sin. And there it was. There they were. Many of my struggles stared me square in the face. Pride, comparison, and greed are a few that convicted my heart. Just as ugly and guilty as the seemingly worst of them. Little weights and trip-ups holding me down and setting me back.
What subtle sins can you confess that might be causing weight and weariness in the marathon of your life? Consider the not-so-obvious. Comparison that strives to the point of crash and burnout. Envy that constantly covets what others have. Greed that hungers for more and knocks you down with discontentment. Pride that drives you harder to be the best and slaves you to success and people-pleasing. Or anger, laziness, or lack of forgiveness. You name it; every subtle sin weighs us down and steals our strength.
It became clear. All sin drives us away from God and away from his strength, which allows us to sail more smoothly through. This verse tells us that. And it tells us to get rid of it. Then what I also saw was the relevance of the very beginning of the verse, reading, “since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses.” This intro tells me God’s people are part of his perseverance plan. His plan is to expose our sin and eradicate it. We all have sin, but we can’t receive the benefits of its removal if it stays. If we don’t identify it and confess it to God and others, then we can’t release it in repentance and take strides to step away from it.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
For the sake of the perseverance we all long for, let’s reflect on the subtle sins surrounding our lives. I want to encourage us both today to investigate and identify all our tendencies toward the sins tripping us up, and to ask God to help us run from them. Because when we do, we will find our way closer to the Lord. We will find increased strength. And we will find perseverance to keep running along the purpose-filled path he has planned just for us.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Chinnapong
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