Treasures New and Old
Treasures New and OldBesetting Weights
What exactly is a weight in the verse in Hebrews 12:1 which says, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us“? This is a very good and important question, because it affects all of us. There are a couple of words that we will define before we tackle weight.
The first is lay aside: apotithemi means to renounce, lay down, cast off, to throw off, to thrust away, to let go, or to send away (Zodhiates, 1992, #659, p. 240). You can see by the use of this word that the action to be taken by us as we “lay aside” a weight may be different depending on the weight that is plaguing us. Some weights we hold onto ourselves unknowingly (or knowingly) and we must, by God’s grace, let them go. Pioneers faced that dilemma when they, in order to traverse a high pass or stream, had to lighten the wagons and cast aside furniture or other goods they had hoped to carry with them to their new homes.
The second is easily beset: euperistatos means easily surround, easily encompass, easily overwhelm (Zodhiates, 1992, #2139, p. 680). A compound word with three parts: eu: easily; peri: around or surround; and histemi: “to stand” (Zodhiates, 1992, #2139, p. 680). A besetting weight will at times control or overwhelm us to the point of bringing us to to a stand still. Like falling into quicksand, we believe that movement is useless, and we are bound and frozen in our predicament unable or afraid to move.
Finally – weight: ogkos (it even sounds bad) “[a] tumor, mass magnitude, weight, burden,” oversized, swollen, “impediment” (Zodhiates, 1992, #3591, p. 1025). Yuck! Weights are those things that we tend to pick up in our childhood (they were little and cute then) and have carried around ever since. The problem is that they have grown to be huge hindrances to our personal relationship with Christ and with others, as well as a hindrance to our own growth. Weights demand care and feeding and consume our time and our thoughts, they stop us from doing things we know we ought to do, and they rob us of the joy of the Lord because we are unable to respond to the Lord as we ought. Weights may also have been forced upon us as in childhood abuse or worse, or a prejudice we picked up from our parents or friends.
Weights come in all shapes, sizes, and types. It is likely that we all have them. For some, they are blind spots we can’t see (growing on our back), but for others, it is a known burden, swollen to the point of being overwhelming, but we can’t seem to get rid of it. Fear is a weight. An offense turned into bitterness is a weight, An addiction is a weight. A false belief is a weight (this can be something you falsely believe in the Scriptures or something you falsely believe about someone you know). Trying to accomplish something God did not call you to do is a weight. Accepting a lie about someone or even yourself is a weight (the ol’ “you never amount to anything!” accusation).
How do I “cast off” that weight? Part of the answer is in Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith . . . .” He bore our grief and our sorrows. When faced with a specific kind of weight, we need to find a principle or promise in the Scriptures that God can use as the tool to pry that thing out of our heart. For example, “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18), or “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Casting off a long held weight will not be easy – often our flesh (carnal nature) actually enjoys the weight and will give it up VERY reluctantly (which is why Paul had to die daily).
Start by following these steps: (1) Look unto Jesus – He is the author and finisher of our faith. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [His return or our home-going]” (Philippians 1:6). (2) Ask Him to help you cast aside that weight. Few people in quicksand can get out alone – they need help. (3) Memorized the principle or promise God has given you. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). (4) Pray back to the Father that promise when tempted to pick the weight back up.
Say something like this: “Heavenly Father, I know You have begun a good work in me and that YOU are performing that good work. I know that Jesus bore my grief and sorrow at the cross, and I know that (say the weight is fear) perfect love casts out fear and that I have been given Your spirit – a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. I confess that I have been carrying this fear when I should have dropped it at the cross a long time ago. I now by faith give my fear to Christ, and I now accept what is mine in Christ – victory over this weight, and I now by faith cast it back down – I refuse to pick it back up – by Your power and by Your grace. I bind by faith any attempt on the enemy’s part to make me pick that swollen, massive, spiritual cancer back up. I choose to walk in newness of life in Christ this day. Thank you for the work You are doing in my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Bro. Joe
References
Zhodiates, Dr. S. (Ed.). (1992). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.