What is an encumbrance? It is an unnecessary weight. If you are going to walk on the water, the last thing you need is weight. “And that sin which so readily, deftly and cleverly, clings to and entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1 AMP). Notice the Amplified says “clings to and entangles us.” Not only do we have the encumbrance and the weight if we allow ourselves to get caught up in the things of the world, but also we have sin, which cleverly clings to and entangles us.  Being all tied up and having extra weight is not a condition that a Christian should be in.

Every one of us has a goal before us. We should be headed toward that goal. We must be steady and have an active persistence and patient endurance. I know a lot of people that endure, but they don’t endure patiently. There is a difference. You can always tell somebody that is not enduring patiently, because they tell you how much they are enduring. Patience is peaceful. If you are patient, you will be at peace. If you are not at peace, you are not being patient.

Jesus pressed in toward His goal and He was able to do it because He did not waver from looking at the prize that was before Him. He was not distracted. Sin equals weight. Anything that hinders you on the way toward your goal is sin. If God has placed a goal before you, if He’s put a calling before you, anything that hinders you from obtaining that goal is sin because it is not of faith. The scriptures tell us anything not of faith is sin. The only way to combat the encumbrance is to fight the fight of faith.

The only person who loses when they are trying to press in is the one that quits pressing in. As long as you do not allow the weight to encumber you, you will win. As long as you do not allow yourself to get tangled up, you will win. As long as you don’t get into a pity party because you think you are all by yourself, you will win. As long as you keep pressing in with faith, you will win!

Faith always wins! Quitters always lose!

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