Comments by Joan Boney:
Hebrews 12:1 ... lay aside every weight
weight: That which gives rise to a downward force
As I considered this, I knew certain people are a "weight" ... I told you before of the Catholic woman who wanted to have me go to lunch with her but she didn't want to hear about God and she was very scornful in speaking about others. I would be weighed down by her each time I went to lunch with her. Finally I gave her information concerning how evil the Catholic church is and she left me.
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Another weight for me is my answer phone: People were leaving messages which burdened me and caused me to think of secular subjects unnecessarily. I have set answer phone to "off" so it will not take messages now.
If our church members call me, and I am by the phone when it rings, I will answer phone. If I do not
answer phone, they know I am not by the phone and do not hear phone ringing. Our church group can still reach me by sending me email if I do not answer their phone call. I can then return their call. I check emails often during day.
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Another weight for me is my doorbell. I managed to disconnect the wires to the doorbell ringer on outside of front door.
In my situation, doorbell often wakes me needlessly.
(usually
kids trying to sell something ... or Mormons ... or other church people
wanting to invite me to come to their church... or adults trying to
sell me something that I don't want)
When I have sleep interrupted, I find it affects my ability to read Bible and to do the exhortations.
(Protecting my work in the ministry to which I have been assigned by God is a major issue in my life and has been for 30+ years)
I
just feel sluggish if I do not sleep my normal cycle. When I do sleep
normal cycle, I feel good and can approach Bible with pure heart unless I am trying to correct someone.
Then I have to be very careful ... sort of like when you have flu and
are recovering... you can't move about fully as you once did and you
have to be careful. I have to be careful with Bible until the correction matter has cooled off, so to speak. I recognize a danger in handling scriptures in such cases.
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Another "weight" which just happened this week ... my email provider has begun advertising movies on the full computer screen so when email is on I am troubled by the pictures they are showing that day on my screen.
I just found a way to by-pass this so I don't have to see it all the time.
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Each of us must take care of "weights" when we are committed to really focusing on God and Bible ...
Hebrews 12:1 ... lay aside every weight
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Heb. 12:1 ... (lay aside) the sin which doth so easily beset us
Each of us must identify those sins which so easily come to us and lay these things or people aside which open doors to those sins.
I Cor. 15:33 ... Be not deceived:evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God:I speak this to your shame.
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Heb. 12:1 ... and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
The race set before me is not the same as the race set before you, most likely.
"My race" on this earth, assigned by God:
- exhort the church
- edify the church
- care for the "children" of God in the church
- apostle/prophet work
You must identify the race God has set before you, your responsibilities to God and run that race with patience.
Knowing this: Our labor in the Lord (in the assignments HE gives us) are not in vain. I Cor. 15:58
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.