Hebrews 12:1 “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.”

What are the faith-killers you carry around with you? You know that athletes compete with as little clothing as possible for their sport, and they want it as light as possible. I remember picking up a pair of racing shoes for track and field for the first time. I mean shoes for competition, not for training. I was amazed at how thin and light they were. You can run a mile in a pair of army boots, too. Soldiers do it. But do you think you would win in the Olympics that way?

At the Winter Olympics, teams where special aerodynamic uniforms for various sledding events. A 3-D laser scan is taken of the athletes’ bodies to ensure a perfect fit. Special polyurethane fibers are used in the suit to eliminate as much wind-resistance as possible.

Two thousand years ago, athletes performed virtually naked. Our word “gym” comes from the Greek word for naked. Street clothes for both men and women consisted of robes that stretched to the feet, not unlike the one many ministers wear at worship. Can you imagine trying to run a race that way? So the robes had to come off if the athletes wanted to be able to move and not trip and fall over their own clothing.

What are we carrying around with us that is going to trip up our faith? Jesus refers to several obstacles in his parable of the Sower and the Seed. Remember the seed that fell among the thorns? “The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature,” he says. Money and possessions are tools we all need to conduct our lives. Sometimes God may bless us with large amounts. It becomes a problem for faith when we obsess about them, worry about them, and fall in love with them.

In my neighborhood, a car was recently stolen from a driveway and later used in an armed robbery. Some of my neighbors are in a panic. “Raise the homeowners dues and make it a gated community,” some are saying. “Hire armed guards to patrol our streets at night.”

Don’t get me wrong. I think crime is bad, and we should take reasonable measures to prevent it. But sooner or later, we are going to part ways with our things. They may wear out and we throw them away. Someone may take them from us. In either case, the Lord still promises to provide. Too much concern about them, or love for them, gets in the way of our faith.

It’s hard to finish the race in bulky clothing and carrying heavy dumb bells in each hand. Take it off and set them down. It’s hard to keep our faith with our hands so full of stuff that we can’t think about anything else. Better to let it go, set it aside, “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Some obstacles we can’t control. These we can. Avoid them, and then run the race God sets before you.