Shedding Weight
The yoke of sin.
Sin weighs us down.
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. Hebrews 12:1 NIV.
The NLT version says:
“let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up”
The verbs used to describe sins power in the different translations are: entangles, hinders, trips, slows, and clings.
Yes, sin weights us down in traveling the path God intended or “marked out for us”
Imagine now, being weighed down and trying to run a cross country race. It would be like carrying a yoke across your back…throughout your life.
The term “Yoke” is often used in the Bible to represent subjugation or burden. But a yoke is actually a large wooden or metal beam that lays on the neck of two oxen to keep them together.
Galatians 5:1 NIV says
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Slavery to what? Slavery to sin and yoked under it’s weight.
Jesus says instead to take upon his yoke because his yoke is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
So in order for one to take upon Jesus’s yoke, you must cast off the other.
Galatians 5 says that Christ has set us free and to “stand firm” not letting our self “again” become burdened again…or yoked to sin.
You may have read that the Bible calls us to cast off our burdens and many of us go to God with burdens like anxiety and worry, but we don’t go to Him with our sin.
Psalm 55:22: Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
But isn’t sin a burden too?
Psalm 38:4 HCSB Says “For my sins have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear”
Casting burdens (and sin) off means giving it to God. That means transferring ownership and possession.
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that God made Jesus who knew no sin to become sin for us.
The God’s Word’s Translation says:
God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God's approval through him.(emphasis added)
The scripture says that Jesus “took” sin and it’s power from us.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. (Romans 6:7 NLT)
So when we cast off the weights, it is Jesus who lifts it and takes it from us.
Sometimes though we have become to accustomed to the added weight we carry. We can’t see Christ standing there with His arms out saying “give it to me.” Then of course others aren’t fully ready to part with the weight or just haven’t recognized it as such.
Are there things in your life that you might not recognize as a yoke of sin?
Is there something weighing you down that you have been holding on to or just keep coming back to?
Sometimes we have convinced ourselves that these yokes are for our benefit or not that harmful. Maybe they provide a false sense of relief or escape. The alcoholic beverages, the drugs, the pornography, the cheating and fornication. Or maybe they aren’t as obvious as this. Maybe it’s being yoked to money, success, or pride. Maybe it’s anger, resentment, or unforgiveness.
It’s time to let it go. And sometimes that means getting help from others. God can uses things such as programs, small groups and even counseling.
But temptation will always exist. You will still need to pray to remain vigilant and to be led away from temptation even once free. Some battles we are just not strong enough at certain moments to face…but if we are in Christ, He is.
Like the woman in the crowd …We have to live each day reaching out for the hem of Jesus’s garment. We have to love and want Him more than the world and we have to make our His identity our identity. I realize this is not any easy task. It requires us to consistently and continually separate our spirit from our flesh. And it’s a process of growth and maturity and it’s often uncomfortable.
Sometimes, the weight has to come off in sections throughout the journey. God doesn’t always instantly deliver for some people, while for others He does.
I don’t pretend to understand His process and methods but don’t be discouraged if the miracle or breakthrough did not yet happen or occur as painless, spontaneous and instant as with others. This is important because sometimes we compare the deliverance and testimony of others, and the enemy can use this to sow doubt and disappointment in our situation.
God knows what He is doing with your delivery, if you continue to trust in Him. He knows the timing and proper process for each individual. I wrote previously about this in the devotional “Individual Care Plan” a while back. Also check out “Holding Pattern”
Stay focus. Jesus loves you. Keep handing over your burdens. You weren’t meant to do this alone.