Every weight

I've been feeling more and more the call to give up the things of this world and replace them with God. To spend more time with Him and replace my thoughts with prayer. I read things like:

Hebrews 12:1, 2 "... let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith..."

Another version says "let us also lay aside every weight..." In the context of a race, you do not want things weighing you down. In the race of faith we are called to run, the things of this world are like weights to us.

The Great Controversy pg. 16 "...those only who were willing to forsake all for the truth's sake desired to become His disciples."

And I do so long to be a disciple of God. To be used as He sees fit. And to do that, I must be willing to forsake everything that is not of God.

James 4:4 "... do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

The things offered by Hollywood, the music industry and especially gaming bring things into our minds that Jesus warned us to not have any part of. Even if we have the ability to discern good from evil we do not want to put ourselves in the position to have to make that choice. By beholding we become changed. And we know from our personal experience that when we spend time with Jesus we take on some of His attributes. Likewise, if we are spending our time with things of this world, we become more like the world. And if we are like this world then we are enemies of God and therefore not welcome in Heaven.

What would happen if we gave ourselves completely over to God and had nothing to do with this world. I believe it would allow the Holy Spirit to work wonders in our lives and allow Him to do things through us that He would otherwise not be able to do. And maybe, the reason He hasn't come, is because He's been waiting for a generation to separate themselves from the world so that He may be glorified through their lives. And perhaps when Jesus comes back He will say of us "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12

Prayer: Heavenly Father, precious Jesus, loving Holy Spirit, I thank you so much for being in our lives in such a powerful way. Thank you for never giving up on us and thank you for your ever present pleading for us to live life your way. I pray for the strength and the wisdom to completely sever any link we have with the world. I pray that in it's place you fill us like we've never been filled before. I only ask that your will be done in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.