Nougat 24

Siblings please be reminded, we will be on a break until further notice after this reflection today. You’re welcome to revisit older messages during the time.

When Life’s Lifing, as it often does, may Today’s Holy Nougat be a comfort to our souls.

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” ‭‭

Strip off the Excess

Fat is important. It insulates us, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure in check, absorbs nutrients healthily, and protects our organs. Yet, despite its value, when there’s too much fat in our bodies, our health is seriously compromised. At that point, even good fat is recognized as dangerous when there’s too much. Hence most medics insist that we strike a visible balance.

This often takes a multi-pronged approach: a shift in our routines through diet, exercise, perhaps even supplements. For some of us, the shift is unthinkable, and we persist with our lifestyles until it’s too late (or very close to late, at the least). Others take a preventative approach. We regulate our diets, ensure we make room for exercise, and keep check on how our body functions. Within reason, those of us who practice the matter are considered healthy.

This concept is helpful for reflecting on our Nougat today.

Self-Check

What kind of lifestyle do you maintain – healthy, moderate, or indulgent?

Is there a difference with our spiritual health?

Application

Siblings, our spiritual lives also require tending. There is an enemy of our souls whose desire is to distract us spiritually, as compound issues come our way, thus affecting how we live our Faith. Work and school present their share of burdens, although they can support in their own ways. Social and community activities may offer distractions, support, or added weight. Our places of worship should offer some strong support for us, but even similar faith practitioners may add to our burdens if God isn’t the very center of our fellowship. Moreover, the domestic sphere can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing.

Whether it’s one or all of these that’s creating weightedness, anxiety, or distractions in our spiritual life, it is important that we address it urgently. Our Nougat tells us to strip off every weight, particularly sin that tries to endure … Some call those besetting sins. Besetting sins become entrenched, and before we know it, we think it’s part of our lifestyle.

Note carefully, when we strip off the weight, our spiritual health is improved. It does not say we have to do it all on our own. In fact, there’s a crowd of witnesses who are rooting for us, and they are proof and encouragement that by faith and in Christ, it can be done. Our recourse then, is to run this race of faith as if our life depended on it. Because it does.

Assignment

So, let us

I) identify the weight of sin that easily beset us and trip us up spiritually (if necessary, ask God to reveal them)

II) strip them off by God’s intervention through repentance and confession

III) encourage each other as we run the race

We’re in this together – by faith we’ll win

—

May all we seek be found in Christ