It's Dead

Dear Friends,

On the way to work yesterday I came across a large bird in the middle of the road, feasting on the remains of a small, dead animal. When the bird saw my car coming, it gripped the dead animal firmly in its claws, and tried to fly away. Unfortunately, the dead animal weighed too much, and the bird wasn’t able to take off. It was obvious that this bird did not want to leave its meal behind, but it also seemed to understand the danger my car presented - and so with very little room to spare, it reluctantly abandoned it’s meal, and flew out of the way.

As I passed by, I couldn’t help but think of how often we can do this very same thing in our spiritual lives - how we can put ourselves at risk because we’re reluctant to let go of the old, dead things that our sinful nature wants us to hang on to. Romans 8:13 tells us, “You have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” The bird yesterday put itself in danger because it wouldn’t let go. When we hold on to the things our flesh desires, we separate ourselves from God and the blessings that He has for us - and in doing so, we put ourselves in danger, as we open ourselves up to the enemy to have a foothold in our lives.

Which means that the question we need to daily ask ourselves is, “Am I holding on to anything in my life that is jeopardizing my walk with God?” And if the answer is “yes”, then we need to follow the instructions in Hebrews 12:1, and “throw off everything that hinders, and the sin that so easily entangles.”

So today, let’s do this. Let’s commit to letting go of the sins that are putting us in danger. Let’s put down the things that God has called us to let go of, and let’s resolve to not let anything keep us from fully following Him.

Amen?

Daniel