Removing The Hindrances

Four ways to build spiritual strength below the waterline:

1. Thirst After God- (Ps.42:1)” As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2. Relinquish Your Will to God’s Will- “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” –Ephesians 5:17

3. Leave No Place Undefended- “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

4. Throw off Everything That Hinders- “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)

North Bay Community Church July 31, 2022

TITLE: “REMOVING THE HINDRANCES”

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

PASTOR RUTTER…WHAT ARE YOU DOING? [I’m training for a marathon] The Christian life is not for sprinters...it's for marathoners who can steadily keep moving toward a dream. We're in a race...a spiritual race. Many will never complete the course.

YOU HAVE TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT PREPARING TO RUN THE RACE…IT MEANS REMOVING THINGS THAT WILL SLOW ME DOWN.

I. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS ABOVE THE WATERLINE-DEAL WITH YOUR VISIBLE LIFE- Mary Fairchild writes, “Recently, I have been questioning my lifestyle and whether or not it is necessary. By this I mean that I am unsure if I should feel guilty that I have so much when there are people in the world who have so little. As I said, I feel that I do try and moderate things and I do try to never spend frivolously.

My question, therefore, is this: Is it right to enjoy the things I am lucky enough to have, be it objects, friends or even food? Or should I feel guilty and perhaps try to give most of these up?"

Here are these 2 points that relate to this question:

'

Misconception 1 - Christians should not enjoy any earthly pleasures. I believe

God created all of the good, wholesome, enjoyable, and fun things we have on this earth as a blessing for us to enjoy. The key is not holding on to these earthly things too tightly. We should grasp and enjoy our blessings with our palms held open and tilted up.'

Misconception 2 - Becoming a Christian means giving up all my fun and following a life of rules. A joyless existence of mere rule-following is not true Christianity and the abundant life God intends for you.'

James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (NIV)

So, should we feel guilty about enjoying earthly pleasures?

I believe God created the earth and everything in it for our pleasure. God wants us to enjoy all of the beauty and wonder that he made. The key, however, is always holding onto God's gifts with open hands and open hearts. We must be willing to let go whenever God decides to take away one of those gifts, whether it be a loved one, a new house or a steak dinner.

Job, displayed the Godly disposition when he lost everything. He said in (Job 1:21)

“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” (NLT)”

II. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS BELOW THE WATERLINE…THE AREA OF THE SOUL.

Let’s not talk about the what… Let’s talk about the how. How can I successfully throw off the hindrances that entangle us and slow us down while running the race?

A. The Christian Needs Self Discipline- HOW DO YOU DEVELOP SELF-DISCIPLINE IN ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE?

So we’ve got the power and strength of God within us to be self-disciplined, but how do we tap into that power and strength? How do we develop this Christian self-discipline and apply it in real life?

1. SET YOUR GOALS AND COMMIT THEM TO GOD- Regardless of what areas of your life you are planning to work on, there must be a goal in sight. Paul that expresses this all to well in [Phil.3:12, 14] “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.v14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.