Hebrews 12:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

When I was in combat training we were forced to wear full field packs with every imaginable weight inside. We would never carry such gear into combat but the training built up endurance in us that would be needed when it came time to do battle.

Much of our spiritual life feels just like that. We carry burdens in our own strength and try as we might we do not seem to be able to shed the burden. While God tells us our sins have been cast any from us it does not feel that way. Perhaps that is because we are in training and the real battle has not begun.

When that day comes when we will do battle, He will order us to dump our field packs and get ready to do battle. When it comes to the battle the enemy is before us and our burdens are behind us. The issues of battling spiritual forces has our foe on the run. Defeated at the Cross our foe does what we call in the military harassing tactics. Unable to effectively fight us, he snipes at us with lies and temptations.

Having shed those burdens we are better able to endure the battle and chase him off the field of battle.

Endurance and character are built during times of struggle when nothing substantial within our souls is at risk, like our training grounds.

Are you ready for battle or still training?

Hebrews 10:22 English Standard Version (ESV) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

I finance my car and my lender demands full coverage. The value of the car must not be less than the lenders investment. If I default on the loan they want to recover their losses. I was pondering this issue today in comparison to our full assurance of faith and how that might relate to this verse.

Hearts, conscience and our bodies are covered by full assurance of faith. Our bodies belong to Jesus and it is in our best interest to not damage His vehicle. He has made provisions much like the insurance company to cover any and all damages, to restore our value.

It troubles me to see a new car damaged and the owner has not taken the vehicle to the shop to be fixed. It says something about the owner. There may be extenuating circumstances for sure but what would the lender say if the damage went without repair?

We as humans get dinged up all the time. Much like the car owner above we cannot get repaired without making a claim. We walk around damaged, ashamed, and fail to report to our Lord for a variety of reasons. Here is the difference, our Lord knows about our vehicle condition at all times, the car lender does not.

Confession is for the cleansing of conscience. It has nothing to do with the value Christ has invested in us. It is about appearance and goes straight to our relationship with our Lord. In the case of the car a report has to be filed to determine fault. Not so with our Lord, He knows all things and does not want to hear excuses, pointing fingers, and assigning blame. His concern it restoration by full assurance of faith.

Cars don’t get repaired without insurance and souls don’t get repaired without faith.