Remain competitive against the enemy!

Hebrews 12:1
Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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.

I remember one night before a state swim meet in high school. Half the swim team had a shaving party. All of us boys shaved our entire bodies seeking to shave off seconds of our times. The next day, most of us had personal best times.

Its interesting that something that doesn't even seem like much hindrance can be considerable hindrance. That's how it is in our spiritual lives. We can get rid of obvious hindering garments but its the small stuff that can cause us to stumble or slow down in our race toward the mark.

Let's think about our spiritual race we are called to endure. Do inventory on all the things that may hinder you and get rid of them! This is part of the daily work we must do to remain competitive against the enemy. Don't just sit around waiting for God to wave his hand and magically remove these things, its OUR job!