Who or What Might be Cutting in on You?
Let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith- Hebrews 12:1b-2a NASB
The New Testament is packed with the literary device known as a metaphor.
A metaphor (for those who have been out of school a while) is when one compares two totally dissimilar things WITHOUT using the words “like” or “as”. The Apostle Paul was especially fond of this particular figure of speech. He REALLY liked metaphors related to athletics. At least nine times Paul compares the Christian life to running a race or participating in an athletic contest (Acts 20:24, Romans 9:3, 1st Corinthians 9:24, 1st Corinthians 9:26, Galatians 2:2 Galatians 5:7). In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul used the following metaphor to describe their spiritual state:
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? Galatians 5:7
The “who cut in on you” part got me thinking. It is simply a fact that life is full of events, situations and people that have the potential to “cut in on” our faith journey and sideline us spiritually.
Sigh.
The most common things that have the potential to “cut in” on our race of faith are:
The trials of life-
Trials are painful, frustrating, life-altering events. Some of the most painful trials involve broken relationships and betrayal. Trials can include (but are not limited to) difficulties in or with our marriages, children, careers, families, friendships, health and money (1st Peter 1:6, 1st Thessalonians 3:2-4). When trials pile-up or go on for an extended period of time, they create a sense of hopelessness. Unfortunately, the only way out of most trials is through them. The only way to survive an excess of trials is be intentional about making prayer a regular part of our routine. Prayer will not make a trial go away. However, a robust prayer life does give us the strength to power through the painful stuff of life with our faith and sanity intact (Romans 12:12, Proverbs 28:14). A commitment to trust, obey and stay faithful to God no matter how difficult, painful or weird life gets is also essential because those commitments are faith in action. Without faith we cannot please God, nor will we survive spiritually (Hebrews 11:6, 1st Corinthians 16:13). When we choose faith, we survive the trials of life, and as an added bonus we go on to become better, wiser, healthier versions of ourselves (James 1:2-4). We also forge a closer connection to Jesus in the process. All wins.
A spirit of jealousy and/or competition-
Jealousy and its foul cousin, a spirit of competition, rarely get the credit they deserve for the trouble they cause in our spiritual lives. These sins are problematic because Christians are called to unity (John 17:20-23, Ephesians 4:1-3, 1st Corinthians 12:12, 1st Corinthians 3:3). Jealousy and competition make unity in the body of Christ impossible. Jealousy and competition turn our focus entirely onto ourselves and what we don’t have, this leads to thanklessness, covetousness and eventually even idolatry (Romans 1:21-23, James 4:1-3, Galatians 5:19-21). Jealousy, covetousness and/or disunity will cut in on or race of faith. Every. Single. Time. These sins must be dealt with quickly and decisively or moral chaos WILL ensue (Matthew 5:30)
Bitterness-
Bitterness is a defiling force in our lives and a fast track to spiritual ineffectiveness and even generational brokenness (Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:31). Sadly, hurt, pain, loss, betrayal and disappointment are inevitable in this life (Psalm 90:10, John 16:33, Psalm 22:11). Everyone experiences these things at one time or another. However, we get to decide for ourselves whether or not we will allow our pain and disappointment to morph into bitterness, cynicism, resentment and hostility. The keys to preventing bitterness are to choose forgiveness when hurt and to commit to trusting God with the stuff in life we are helpless to understand or process (Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 4:5, Psalm 9:10, 1st Peter 2:6).
Bad doctrine-
Many (not all) modern-day Christians tend to think the finer points of doctrine are irrelevant at best and divisive at worst. It feels much kinder and more inclusive to just let people believe whatever makes them happy. Nevertheless, it was bad doctrine that was tripping up the Galatian Christians. Wrong doctrine always leads to wrong thinking. Wrong thinking always leads to wrong behavior. It’s critical Christians know the Bible and do their level-best to live it out (1st Timothy 4:13, 2nd Timothy 3:16, 2nd Peter 3:16).
Bad company-
There is nothing wrong with being on friendly terms with immature, unsaved or even slightly shady people. Christians are called to influence, inspire, lead and evangelize all people, not just nice people (Matthew 5:13-16, 2nd Corinthians 5:20, 2nd Timothy 2:15, 1st Peter 3:15). However, we are also called to be very cautious about who we allow to influence, inspire and lead us (Proverbs 12:26, 1st Corinthians 15:33). Those closest to us ought to be people who inspire us to better things in every area. Anyone else will cut in on our race of faith.
It is up to us as individuals to be aware of the things or people that have “cut in” on our race of faith (Hebrews 2:1). Anytime we sense ourselves becoming less faithful or interested in the things of God we must do some soul searching, repent of any sin we may be harboring and seek Jesus (Proverbs 26:13, Matthew 3:8, 2nd Corinthians 7:10). Then we need to ask God for the spiritual refreshment necessary to get back in the race of faith (2nd Corinthians 13:5, Revelation 2:4-5)
