Check Your Friends...

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Studies have shown and proven that it is easier to run when you are not hindered in some way… Today’s passage starts off by teaching us two very critical points regarding our mission and ministry in Christ; the first is that we must surround ourselves with people of faith and the second is that we must “lay aside every weight”… When we are surrounded by God fearing individuals we put ourselves in a position to prosper and grow in Christ… I can count plenty of times when I felt down and in despair and it was the encouraging words of a man or woman of God that kept me from giving in to the mental snares of the enemy… Understand today what is meant by the author when he says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses…” Everything that you are currently going through, there is some body that has been there and seen the hand of God move… Even though you may feel alone, there is a testimony which speaks too your current circumstance… A witness is someone who has seen, viewed or observed something… I think we all are witnesses to God’s sovereign power and saving Grace…  I can recall how my life could have been had I not had the hand of God move on my life and take form in my oldest sister… I know all too well where I could’ve ended up had it not been for the love and support of a close nit family… The enemy wants you to give up, he wants you to turn away from your destiny; however, you must learn today that you can’t do it on your own… You need Christ, you need fellowship with believers in Christ and at times you need a crutch or a shoulder… How often do you examine the people around you? How often do your really take an in-depth look into the people that you are surrounded by or allow into your inner circle? I ask these questions because the author of Hebrews declares a powerful point today that we must grasp and meditate on when he says that we have a great cloud of witnesses… Being surrounded by the right kind of people in your life is of the utmost importance in fulfilling the will and vision that God has for your life… A lot of us have been encamped or associated with the wrong type of people and it is because of this that we haven’t been able to adhere to the next step in this verse which is to “lay aside every weight and sin…” We have allowed people to hold us down, allowed people to make us feel weak and have missed out on so many blessings because we place value in the wrong things or individuals… Take a self-inventory of your life, look at your friends, colleagues and other relationships. The reason this needs to be done is because we should surround ourselves with people who are spiritually strong and motivated to do the will of God. Can you see a great cloud of witnesses around you, do you find strength in and through the people that you call “friends…”

Believe it or not, but it is through your relationships that you are able to lay aside every weight (when things aren’t going well, a friend will lift you up and not step on you…); your friends are the ones who should keep you going, your church is the foundation that should be a source of healing and refuge, testimonies should be evidence that God doesn’t make mistakes, but that He is rather making/molding you into the spiritually prospering child that he called you to be… You can lay aside that weight because your friends help you realize that that addiction, that habit, that relationship or that skeleton in your closet isn’t worth carrying… Laying the weight aside should be made easy because of your friends, if your life seems to be more complicated when your “friends” enter the picture you need to check that, if your are being drug down instead of being exalted you need to check that, and if you find yourself straying away from God, you need to check that… This passage says that we not only should lay aside the weight, but “the sin which doth so easily beset us…” I think we all can agree that it doesn’t take much for us to find ourselves in a downward spiral, one action can lead to a lifetime of regret and sorrow, and one choice can bring grave consequences. That is why the author tells us to run with patience’s; we have to remain careful and vigilant at all times, we have to be guarded about those who enter our inner-circle (of the twelve disciples, there were three that Jesus became closer too). When we surround ourselves with praying and faithful people we can avoid the traps and snares of the devil. When we adhere to the will and journey of God and not feed into the sin and lust of the flesh and world we can run this race with patients, understanding that God is in control and that things will be made plain and clear when it is your season to reap your harvest. Lastly, let us remember who has made this day possible (the air you breathe and the blood flowing within your veins). Through all your heartache, through your suffering and pain, remember that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever… He will hear your faintest cry, He is your comforter, He is your strength, and He is your prosperity. He died on the cross so you can live, and surely He wants to see you live throughout all eternity. The same faith that has given you life through is blood will be the same faith that will meet you in the air when He returns! Looking to Jesus keeps us from being distracted, looking to Jesus keeps us from falling by the wayside, looking to Jesus will keep us from placing value in the wrong kind of relationships, looking to Jesus will keep us from losing out on the spiritual riches that He has and wants us to receive… He authored your faith on the cross, because without His death we could not live… He gave birth to a new you when He shed His blood on Calvary… He died because He saw the diamond that your life could be, surely He will not allow His death to be in vain, so understand that He has authored your life to be successful and victorious, and He will not see it any other way… He will finish what He started; you just keep your faith and surround yourself with people of that same faith…

BE BLESSED!!!