Hebrews 12:1

Let’s take a moment to walk thru Hebrews 12:1.   This verse divides itself into six simple parts. The first part is “Therefore.”  Of course, we must ask what is therefore, there for? This is leading us from the previous verse, and probably Chapter 11, which emphasizes faith.  You could also say this references the entire previous part of the book of Hebrews.  Hebrews is the “Christ is better than book.”  He is better than angels, Moses, Melchizedek, and the Aaronic priesthood, and more.  It is about the power of Jesus and appeals to the converted Jew. The second part is “since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”  The literal meaning of witnesses surrounding us is “martyrs lying around.”   The men and women described in chapter 11 lived out their faith.  They committed before they would know what would transpire.  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, David, and Samuel trusted God facing significant trials and even death. God delivers believers either from trials or thru them. This concept of these heroes of the faith “lying around us” should encourage us to stay in the race. The idea of these men and women observing us from heaven is not evident in Scripture, but their example and many others that have gone before us, should encourage us to stay the course.  The believer must trust God in trials knowing He has purpose in it.  Have you considered others in your personal hall of faith? The third part is “let us also lay aside every encumbrance.”  This literally means to cast off...

The Fear of Failure

Who really wants to talk about failure? A recent article reported the phrase “fear of failure” as one of the top internet search items, so it appears to be on the mind of many today. Years ago, I experienced a failure “trifecta.”  After nearly 10 years of sweat equity and short-lived successes, my business venture with many investors failed financially.  Despite much prayer and counseling, my marriage of 12 years ended in a difficult and costly custody battle involving our 3 young kids.  My body started to fail as financial and emotional stress coupled with sleep deprivation further diminished my ability to do even simple tasks.  My thoughts became cloudy and my emotions often got the best of me. While it didn’t happen overnight, it all came crashing down in a matter of a few months.  I had been walking with Christ for over 10 years at this point but often found myself fearing failure more than fearing God.  In one of my worst days while I was cycling through deep anger, sadness, and doubt, I was crying out to the Lord and searching His Word for answers when I came across this passage in 1 Peter 5:6-10. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren...