Running the Race Marked Out for Us

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus Hebrews 12:1-2 Dearest Sisters who are in the LORD, You who are His treasure, God's greatest agony and His greatest glory are revealed in the Cross. Also obvious is God's great love for mankind and mankind's great hatred toward God. The Cross means daily death to us who love our Lord. Jesus could not return to His glory in heaven until he first surrendered to death. The Holy Spirit applied this principle to me letting me see its importance: in my life and fellowship with the Lord Jesus, it is impossible for me to share the fulness of His life until i have first surrender myself  daily as having died to sin and the world. There are believers who think once they have claimed Christ's death in the fellowship of the Cross, and have counted themselves crucified with Him, they now consider it as past and done with, but this is where we are to abide unceasingly in our daily walk.  The attitude that was my Lords is to be the disposition that marks my life daily.  AW Tozer writes: A bad disposition has been called 'the vice of the virtuous,' which brings us directly to the conclusion that it is time we Christians stop trying to excuse our un-Christike dispositions and frankly admit our failure to live as we should! Ephesians 4 speaks of putting off the old (that which is of the flesh) and putting on the new (that which is of the new nature.) So Bartimaeus the blind man threw off his begging cloak, representing his old life and all he was, when he came to Jesus. He was dead to the old. He could not rightfully go back to his old life of begging.  We too, leave behind the old and put on Christ. Hebrews 12 instructs us as believers to throw off everything which hinders and the sin which so easily entangles. We do this by counting ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ; daily denying ourselves and taking up our Cross. God's provided no other way.  If we are weak in understanding the principle of complete justification by faith, we will be strong in seeking to produce our own sanctification. mjs Paul speaks in Philippians 3:7-8  I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom i have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish that I may gain (know intimately) Christ. Beware this hunger consumes the heart and it is in loss we gain Christ. Counting myself dead to sin I am alive in Christ. Loss for gain.  It is easy to make excuses of why we behave badly blaming our weakness we rationalizing our repeated struggle with sins of our disposition.  "I'm just naturally impatient" or "sensative or resentful or I speak my mind and give my honest opinion or I was born with a temper it's just how I am made." To walk by faith is not  to live by how I feel, but daily allow the Holy Spirit to apply the Cross to my flesh, my old sin nature and know the freedom that resulted from Christ taking us to the Cross with Him. It is so amazing that this God who is beyond definition, too great to explain or understand, bends low sharing our tears. His love meets us where we are and lifts us up, enabling us to walk in strength and obedience to Him. He knows our struggles and waits for us to surrender our 'rights' and die to self so we might know Him and become like Christ.  It is what we are that tells. It sends us to the cleansing blood, to Calvary. AC Let His words in John 14 move you to pursue Him and know Him intimately: "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments."  Oh that we might receive all that He has provided. Our reward? Himself! Let this promise of Jesus to disclose Himself to You, lift you up. As I allow God to fill my heart with this Truth i throw down my begging cloak and run to Him " Lord i want to love you well, fill my heart with love for You!" Then I hear this conditional promise and my heart skips knowing in myself i cannot 'keep' His commandments, only as i die to self do i know His life in me. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21 I it any wonder Paul counted all things loss for the excellency of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord?! Adonai, You who left the glory of heaven to save me, I am in awe of You. Search me and reveal where there are things that 'hinder' and any sin that so easily 'entangles' that i may repent and be cleansed in the fountain of blood. Abba, You who know where i struggle to trust You fill me with faith and teach me to count myself dead to sin and alive to You daily taking up my cross. I love Your word and ask to be given a greedy hunger to know You through Your living word. Thank You for lifting me up for being Strength and giving me a heavenly perspective of this temporal life. i want my life to count eternally and this will only happen if You do the impossible through me. i pray in dependence on You my King and Daddy. In the holy Name of Jesus who promised to disclose Himself to me, amen Running the race marked out for me, az