Run With Perseverance
Have you ever felt like quitting? Of course you have.
Maybe it’s a job, a relationship, or a commitment that once brought you joy but now feels like a burden. You’re tired, frustrated, and ready to throw in the towel. If you’ve ever trained for a marathon or pushed yourself to the limit in any physical challenge, you know the feeling. That voice inside your head telling you to stop, the cramp in your side, the overwhelming urge to give up—it’s all too familiar. But what do you do when the race you’re running isn’t just physical, but spiritual?
In Hebrews 12:1-3, we find an encouraging reminder: “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, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” The writer of Hebrews (likely Paul) has just finished praising the faith of numerous Old Testament heroes, referring to them as a “great cloud of witnesses” whose lives should inspire us to keep pursuing God with steady persistence.
Why did they need perseverance?
Because they were facing persecution. Life was hard, and it would have been easier to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to their old ways. While most of us may not face the same kind of persecution today, we can all relate to the struggle of maintaining our passion and conviction in the face of life’s challenges. Many start out strong in their faith, but over time, their enthusiasm wanes. What was once a priority—prayer, reading the Bible, time with church family—starts to take a back seat. And before they know it, they’re no longer running the race with the same vigor.
How is your race going? Have you quit running?
Are you struggling with a spiritual cramp? Walking when you should be running?
The inability to persevere is one of the greatest deterrents to a life of faith.
What’s hindering you?
What’s robbing you of spiritual oxygen and slowing you down? It might not be what you think.
It’s easy to think that it’s the big sins that trip us up, but often, it’s the small, seemingly innocent things that become obstacles. They may not be wrong in themselves, but they can still impede our forward progress. In Luke 14:25-27, Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
This is a call to examine our lives and remove anything that is competing with our devotion to God, even if it’s something good. But what does Jesus mean? We aren’t to literally hate our families…that’s contrary to what is taught throughout the scriptures from beginning to end. So what is Jesus saying. Simply put…
If you’re going to follow Jesus, nothing else can compete.
Nothing else.
Think about your life for just a moment. Your family’s schedule, your job, or even entertainment. These things aren’t inherently bad, but if they become supreme in your heart, they will slow you down and impact the race God has called you to run.
What do we do?
Consider the practice of a Foreign Object Debris (FOD) walk in aviation. Everyone, from the president of the company to the janitor, participates in walking the tarmac, looking for bits of metal, rocks, screws, or trash that could get sucked into a jet engine and cause disaster. It’s a small task, but it’s crucial. In the same way, we need to regularly examine our hearts and lives for anything that might cause spiritual disaster.
Perseverance in the race of faith often requires us to make tough choices. It’s about removing not just the sinful, but even the good things that might be hindering our pursuit of God. It’s about fixing our eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him, and finding the strength to keep going.
So…what’s slowing you down? What needs to change in your life to run with perseverance? Remember, the race isn’t just about starting strong—it’s about finishing well. And with God’s help, you can find the endurance to keep running, keep pushing, and keep the faith.