Obstacles in the Race

The Bible tells the story of the great patriarch, Abraham, who was called by the Lord to leave his homeland and his family. God would lead him to a land where he had never been.

Abraham wanted to take everyone along, but the problem was that many of his family members were unbelievers. They were dragging Abraham down spiritually.

Most notable among them was his nephew, Lot. God told Abraham to part company with Lot, but it took him awhile to obey. As long as Lot was hanging around, God’s blessing was not upon Abraham in the way it could have been.

Finally, Abraham obeyed the Lord, and he and Lot parted ways. Then God’s blessing came upon Abraham once again.

As you are running your race as a Christian, you may find yourself being hindered by someone. Is there someone in your life like Lot who is slowing you down? After spending time with certain people, do you feel spiritually drained? Perhaps you’ve thought, “That person brought out the worst in me. They didn’t help me in any way.”

While we want to minister to people and reach them with the gospel, we must be careful not to do so at the expense of our own spiritual lives. There might be someone who is slowing you down in the race of life.

Is someone dragging you down spiritually? Is someone hindering you from doing what God has called you to do? You need to ask yourself, “Is this person a wing or a weight? Is he or she speeding me on my way or slowing me down?”

Running the race is not just running toward what is right. It is also running away from what is wrong.