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| My friend, Bishop João Leite, didn't know where to put his backpack anymore... |
The Holy Spirit kept hammering this thought into my heart while I was climbing Mount Sinai a few days ago:
Whoever wants to get to the top, get rid of all the unnecessary weight.
Okay, it is an obvious rule of mountaineering. But it’s only when you are there — climbing that solid mountain with a heavy backpack under the hot sun, your knees on fire, and a sore back that aches with every step — that this rule hits home, loud and clear.
It’s no different in life. If we want to arrive at our desired destination, we have to let go of everything that is not needed for the journey, all useless luggage.
Paraphrasing Hebrews 12: 1-2, we could say:
Do you realize what this means — all those heroes of faith, pioneers in trusting in God, who cheer for us from their seats of honor in heaven? It means that we have to put aside everything that hinders us, all the weight that holds us down, continue the race, and never give up! No spiritual fat or sin that paralyzes.
Look at Jesus who started and finished the race that we are still running. Watch and learn from Him. Because He never lost sight of the target — to cross that finish line with God and for God. He endured everything in the way: cross, shame, whatever it was. And now he's in a place of honor next to the Father.
As we stand at the doors of a new year, another 12 months filled with goals, challenges, and mountains to climb, we must carefully check what we are bringing in our luggage. It's a good time to throw away everything that hinders, to get rid of all the weight that would otherwise wear us down and prevent us from reaching our goals.
Grudges, regrets, bad memories, failures, words of death spoken to us, open wounds, root of bitterness, hidden sins, lies, addictions, resentments, traumas, sadness, bad thoughts, distractions, complacency — everything that weighs us down and prevents us from running.
“But how?” — you ask.
By making a decision. Decide that you will not keep carrying this weight inside of you. It's over. Decide that, the same way 2010 has ended, this problem has also ended inside you. And only you can decide that.
As for me, I have decided. Because I want to run in 2011, not move like a snail.
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25 comments:
As 2011 will bring in new challenges we must get rid of all accumulated weight from the past year, or else we will fail! We can't expect to see different results if we keep doing the same things, or in this case- carrying the same weight.
Thank you Bishop
I really dont want to start 2011 with bagage in 2011 but I want to start completely free from all distraction and hinderniss there fore I will attend the night vigil tonight with a purpose for 2011 and I believ God will come and give me strenght to overcome because I did not just come attend one more meeting but,rather a meeting that will remove all the weight from my shoulders
Very true Bishop. Why shall we carry unnecessary things with us? We all know things that are essential for our spiritual life and those that will lead us to Salvation. Myself, I will make sure i will carry what will keep me moving in 2011.
Thanks a lot for the inspiration.
Amen Bishop! This is exactly what I'm doing tonight, leaving all the unnecessary weight behind and walking light into 2011!
getting to where we want to be can be so much harder if we are carrying extra weight around.
This is so true Bishop... If we don't let go of that weight we will never get to our goals... In 2011 I'm letting go of all the weight of 2010 and I'm going to run.
Leaving the past in the past and looking forward to a brighter New Year 2011. I am going to release all the unnecessary weight that has lead me down this year.
This is something so true and it applies into the everyday things. Now that we are starting this new year we are getting ready to set our goals. So, to reach those goals we have to get rid of that extra weight that stops us from reaching them.
Thanks Bishop for this post its so helpful because we dont want to do a halfway race we have to keep looking up to Jesus and to ourselves by examining our lives like you say, grudges,bitterness, lies etc. We may have big rocks little rocks trying to make us trip but we must find a way to go around it and not trip. Thanks for this post its very helpful.
"The weight"
This years i have decided to let go of everything that held me back in 2010 and one of them is being Shy...i have realized that Shyness was one of my luggage that i carry around with me and it had a great impact on me... i lost alot of opportunity because of it... Thank you for this message Bishop...
Bp Renato,
2011 is here and we need to start over and make this year different from 2010! I need to make the decision and stopped carrying these weights over me. Like you said in order to get to your destination you need to get rid of unless luggage. And so I need to see what is unless in my life and get rid of it so I can reach my destination with a success!
Susana
RI, USA
Bishop
i too i have decided to let go everything that can hinder me of seeing the greatness of God in 2011,i m moving forward.thank you Bishop
Thanks Bishop
For Is something that I need to meditate sometimes in life we say we want to start a new begining start at fresh, but when the opportunity comes we are not prepared to let go of the heavy bags that is weighin in our shoulders, and like you said is all about decision, is a shame that evrytime we delay is alyways when we miss a blessing. I will always remind Myself to look up to my Lord Jesus for He alone was a great example, if He overcame so can I.
Carole Bassecl
UCKG London, Croydon UK.
This is something, we must take with us daily in order to get to the place that we desire we like and snake shreds it’s all skin in order to uncover the new skin, it is essential to shed unnecessary baggage. I was thinking about how hard this is to practice when you first hear it because may be you have never done this before. But just like a mountaineer in the beginning would have made the mistake of carrying too much baggage on his first trip up but I want to make this a priority from today… not that I have not known this before however it can be easy to forget when you are already making your way up the mountain.
"Unnecessary weight" why is it that only when a new year approaches do we think to change things that God has been telling us to change through out the previous year. Its like we exachange the weight from the last year for new ones in the new year because unnecessary weight is something that many times we don't realise we are carrying. I am not going to wait until the new year to start letting go of past hurt, dissappointment, doubts and all the other things weighing me down. I'm going to start now.
I no this may be from last year but it can help many at any time if its next week in 2 years or even 10 years. If we want to move forward the only way is to remove the luggage from yourself yes its hard because first you need to recognise that its there first and accept that that's what bringing you down and remove, so you can be lighter and go to the top with no baggage.
I have been able to get the heavy weight things out of my backpack for the new year now i'm deciding to take away those little details that make a big difference
I completely agree, we have already enter 2011 and I think that I should had never left the pass behind in order to follow Jesus then I will definitely be in hell burning for something that I had a solution. God is my judge so I don't need to fear. Thank to our Lord Jesus, I am bless with the freedom, a happy family and with the peace and love that I also needed. Thank you for your advices.
yes each year has problems of it and you cannot run away from that. you cant expect good if you going wrong. and if you still want to reach the top you still have to go far more till you reach the destination without looking down. thank you
For as long as we want to be with God, there will always be baggage that we may carry, but if we ask God to empty us everyday he will help, because sometimes we may not even realise the weight we are carrying and we wonder and ask our Father why our life doesn't move on its because we are slowing ourself down.
Thank you Bishop, i will continue asking God to always look in me and remove all 'unecessary weight' that will make my journey with him heavy.
Bishop this post has just reminded me of the power of decision. Once we make a decision, a true decision, we will do what we need to get where we want to be and come what may we will not allow us to go back on our decision. On the other hand its going to make us fight even stronger. There are some decisions I need to make in my life, some luggage I need to let go of once and for all stop wathering and make that decision and now Im going to do it.
This message is very true,
as i fully realise now that sometimes I take a few items out of my bag to make it lighter, rather than letting go of the luggage. This is as good as negotiating with the problem, as you are only taking it to a level that is bareable for you, rather than totally getting rid of it. I know now just like a soldier prepares his sword for battle at the most crucial times, i have to use the power God gave me to overcome. Imagine- its like a soldier going to war- and he forgets to use his sword- he's gonna die straight away! i want to keep my life, so with God i am determined to get rid of EVERY heavy load.
A freind said to me today- that an occuring problem is like headlice on a child- you can use the shampoo, that takes it away, but if you don't tackle the cause of the problem it will come back again.
Thank You so much just want I needed.Now I have made a decision this year I will not carry any baggage around with me. It made me think that every day we decide what baggage to carry and what baggage not to carry. We make decisions everyday
i agree with you bishop, if we plan to reach the top we have to empty out our bag. in this case its more spiritual, in order for us to serve God we have empty out everything that is preventing us to serve God. i took and learn from this i cant carry anything else with things that are no more use for me.
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