Hebrews 12:1
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)
The Burdens We Carry Every Day
In the life we live each and every day, we all carry some form of burden.
There is perhaps only one group of people who truly do not live under the weight of daily anxiety—little children. Children live freely, not because life has no challenges, but because they trust completely. They know someone is watching over them. They know someone will provide. They know someone will protect them.
They go to bed exhausted—not from worry, fear, or overthinking—but from fully living the day.
And this raises an important question for us as believers:
Can we, as children of God, live like that?
Can we trust our Father in heaven so completely that we run the race set before us without dragging unnecessary burdens?
Childlike Trust Is Not Childish Faith
It is not only children who have lived this way.
Hebrews chapter 11—the chapter immediately before our text—tells us about men and women who lived with this same kind of trust. They were adults with responsibilities, trials, and uncertainties, yet they trusted God fully and ran their race faithfully.
Think back to your childhood.
One day your parents said, “Let’s go to Accra. I have something to do there.”
You did not know where Accra was.
You did not know the route.
You did not know the stops or the dangers.
Yet you got up, dressed up, and followed.
Why?
Because Mama was with you.
Along the journey:
- You crossed roads
- You changed vehicles
- You stopped to eat
- You rested and continued
But when you left the house, you planned none of those things.
All you knew was this: “My parent is with me, and I will be fine.”
Beloved, this is how we are called to live as children of God.
Life Is a Journey with an Unknown Path
Our lives on this earth are like that journey to Accra.
There is a destination—Heaven—but along the way there are:
- Ups and downs
- Unexpected stops
- Delays and surprises
- Trials and uncertainties
And the truth is, we do not know what tomorrow holds.
On a Sunday in November 2025, an elderly woman came to church to worship God. She sat in her usual place. During the service, she stood up feeling unwell, collapsed, and ended up spending the rest of the day in the hospital.
Did she plan for that?
Did she expect it that morning?
No.
Beloved, none of us knows:
- Whether we will be promoted or demoted
- Whether we will rejoice or grieve tomorrow
- Whether we will need an umbrella when we step outside
We are just like that child on the journey—unsure of where to stop, where to turn, or what lies ahead.
So the question becomes:
Would it not be wise to let God guide us?
Mama knows the way to Accra.
God knows the way to Heaven.
Living Like Orphans Instead of Children
Yet instead of trusting God, many of us live like children who lost their parents halfway through the journey.
Such a child must:
- Guess where to alight
- Follow whoever sounds convincing
- Turn left or right without direction
- Chase every shining object
Eventually, that child becomes lost.
This is how many people live their lives today:
- Chasing money
- Chasing fame
- Chasing pleasure
- Carrying burdens God never assigned
And in the end, they live full lives—but never reach the destination.
Beloved, the Lord God is calling us to remember that the destination of our life’s journey is Heaven.
What Must Be Laid Aside
Hebrews 12:1 gives us a clear instruction:
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.”
1. Every Weight
Not every weight is sin—but every weight can hinder.
A weight is anything that slows spiritual progress. Even lawful things become dangerous when they interfere with obedience.
Common weights include:
- Comfort
- Ambition
- Fear of men
- Traditions
- Worldly attachments
In a race, you do not carry luggage.
Many believers fail, not because they rebel openly, but because they are entangled with the weights of this world.
Jesus explained this in Matthew 13:22:
“The care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
2. The Sin That Easily Besets Us
This refers to sin that:
- Clings closely
- Wraps around the feet
- Trips the runner
It differs from person to person:
- Pride
- Unbelief
- Fear
- Lust
- Bitterness
- Love of the world
- Doctrinal compromise
The greatest danger is not only the sin we fall into, but the sin we tolerate.
No one runs well while entangled.
Run—But Run with Patience
After laying aside the weight and the sin, Scripture says:
“Let us run.”
The Christian life is not passive. It is not spectatorship. It is not spiritual laziness.
It requires:
- Effort
- Discipline
- Focus
- Endurance
And it must be done with patience.
Trials will come.
Delays will test us.
Weariness will tempt us.
Do not go back to pick up what you dropped.
Trust your Father.
Encouraged by a Cloud of Witnesses
Hebrews 11 reminds us that many have gone before us. They trusted God, endured hardship, and finished their race.
Their lives testify: It can be done.
We are not alone.
We are not abandoned.
We are not without examples.
Final Call: Lay It Down and Run
Beloved, Heaven is the destination.
Anything—anything—that hinders that journey must be laid aside.
Trust your Father.
Run light.
Run focused.
Run patiently.
Mama knows the way to Accra.
God knows the way to Heaven.
Lay it down.
And run.
Amen
By Br Valentine Kekeli Dzah
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