Blog, Influencers Devotionals

Know Your Hot Button by Rocky Fleming

November 1, 2022

“… 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 …” Hebrews 12:1(b)

I believe that all followers of Christ have a form of a spiritual battle going on all of our mortal existence.  There are times that it seems worse than others, and we think that is the only time we sense the evil man’s work against us.  But don’t be lulled into defenselessness, for we live in a world under his domain, and his best weapon is to create complacency, apathy, and then vulnerability.  It is in our vulnerability that he strikes quickly with surprise.  It seems to come out of nowhere.  But it is nowhere that it comes.  It is a skillful attack to concentrate on areas we are most weak, from the kingdom of evil that rules this world. 

As we read the admonition in the scripture above, we see two main areas that Christians can be weakest.  The first is not sin but rather an unnecessary weight.  There is no specific burden mentioned here, only that we can and should lay it aside to run our race better.   What race?  It’s our life, and specifically a life that is purposeful and honoring to Christ.  

Concerning the mentioned “weight” in the scripture.  Think about an unnecessary burden that you may carry in your own life.  Though we all share similar challenges there is still something specific with a man or woman that is particular to us alone.  What burdens do you carry that slow you down, steal your joy, and create unnecessary stress?   For instance, is there excess debt?  Is there out of control spending that requires most of your time to support the payments?   Are there two jobs, three or even four required to make ends meet, when simply adjusting your lifestyle can remove so many burdens from your life?  This is only one of many examples that can be joy robbers.  I mentioned it specifically, for it was the unnecessary burden that I needed to take off my back at one time, and once it was off it was the greatest freedom that I had experienced.   We can do something about these optional burdens by an honest evaluation of our choices and then create the discipline to remove those burdens, for I assure you that our life will be much better, and we will have more emotional and spiritual energy to run our race for Christ.  That is why the inspired word of God instructs us with doing something about it, rather than continuing to carry it.

The next challenge is not a choice as to why we have it.  We have a choice of what to do about it though.  There is a specific Sin Hot Button that you and I have.  What do I mean by this?  I believe an individual who follows Christ is predisposed to a particular sin that has the greatest appeal to us, and this is the area the evil man concentrates on.  There are three main roots of sin.  The desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life.  1 John 2:16 points this out.  Our specific predisposition is generally in one or more of these categories, such as love for money, will likely fall either in the desire of our eyes or our pride.  But, it opens the door to all kinds of sin, based on what scripture teaches.  The point is that there is a sin hot button that we all have and laying aside the “sin which clings” to us is the admonition given to followers of Christ, in the scripture above.

How do we lay these things aside?  It begins by recognizing the issues at hand, identifying them, and understanding our vulnerability to them.  Like an addict that must do the same to fight his or her addiction, we must fight against these things.  But we are given powerful weapons for spiritual warfare if we will use them.  It is not the potency of these spiritual weapons that makes them ineffective, for they can pull down every stronghold the enemy has over our life.  They are most powerful for this task.  The impotency of these weapons is when there is a half-hearted use of them, or not using them at all.  It’s like having guns and bullets but not loading them or firing them or pointing them in the right direction.  What good are they if they are not used properly?  There is a truth that I ask you to remember.  God never asks us to do anything without giving us the ability to do it.  We simply need to go to His spiritual arsenal and choose the weapon that is needed and use it. 

With your desire to overcome that weight and sin that clings close to you, and with the powerful spiritual weapons that God has provided you, you can stand victor over those things.  Go to Father.  Tell Him you want to battle and win the race.  Ask Him to help you, while using that which has given to you to battle and win.  The victory is yours for the grasping.  But you’ve got to recognize your hot button and keep it safe from temptation.  The battle begins there.