Keeping the Fire Burning (Part 2): When Your Faith Feels Stalled

If you’ve never driven a manual transmission, you’ve missed a treat. At 19, I had a 1980 Toyota Corolla but didn’t know how to drive it. A friend coached me as I learned how to press the clutch, shift gears, and time everything just right. If you know, you know.

On one of our instructional drives, he gave me the ultimate test. While we were stopped at a red light on a steep uphill grade, he silently slipped the gear into neutral, so when I released the clutch and pressed the gas, nothing happened. Well, actually, something did happen. I started rolling backwards towards the car behind me. Thankfully, his previous training paid off!

Have you ever experienced a time in your walk with God when it felt like you were stuck in neutral? You know you should be growing closer to him. You see other Christians who seem to have something you don’t, but no matter how much you try to move forward, you can’t. Your faith isn’t going anywhere. Or worse, it’s going backwards.

What can you do?

Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us practical steps in moving forward in our walk with God:

Therefore, 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

God is showing us how we can get our walk with him into first gear so we can move forward. The author sets the scene: you’re on a track in a stadium packed with people who have finished their race, cheering you on as you get ready for yours.

It’s your turn to run, but there are some actions you need to take to win. First, look at the crowd around you. Look for good examples of Christian maturity in your life. Find other mature Christians and learn from them.

Next, before you run, get rid of anything that might slow you down.

… let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

The word for “throw off” means to “lay aside” or “lay down.” Paul used this word in such places as Romans 13:12, “put aside the deeds of darkness,” Ephesians 4:22, “put off your old self,” and Colossians 3:8, “rid yourselves of all such things.”

The author here is saying the same thing – get rid of, put away, throw off anything that hinders your walk with God.

At the Olympics, you sometimes see runners arrive at the track wearing backpacks filled with their gear. Can you imagine a runner wearing a backpack in the race? That would be dumb. But for many of us, it’s what we do. We run the race of life, still hanging on to our baggage.

What could that be in your life? We’re not necessarily talking about bad things here. Even good things, such as friends, hobbies, or money, can weigh you down.

Stop for a moment as you’re reading this, and ask God to show you what’s keeping you from growing. What’s stopping you from spending time with God? What is it in your life, good or bad, that’s hindering you from knowing God better and better?

Write those things down. Make a list. Then ask him for the strength to get rid of those things.

The author also says we need to get rid of “the sin that so easily entangles.” If we’re going to run our race well, we have to get rid of anything in our lives that doesn’t please God. For some of you, you know right now, immediately, what it is. Write it down.

For others, you may need to sit in prayer, asking God to show you specific things you need to get rid of. In Psalm 139, David writes this:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

David is asking God, “Show me my sin, and then help me get rid of it!” Pray that same prayer. Ask God to show you your sin, then ask for his help as you put away what he shows you.

If you have a yard to take care of, you know the easiest place to grow grass is in the cracks in your driveway. All Satan needs is a crack in our spiritual lives, one little sin problem, and he can stop your race in its tracks.

Regularly ask God, then, to show you any sin. The pursuit of holiness is an ongoing journey. Ask God and keep asking God to show you where you fall short. Write down what he shows you. Work in the strength of the Holy Spirit to get rid of the things on that list.

Getting the hang of a stick shift wasn’t easy, but once I did, driving was a lot more fun. The same goes for our walk with God. If you feel like you’re stuck in neutral or rolling backward, don’t panic. Lay aside every weight. Deal with your sin. And trust that with God’s help, you’ll get moving forward again.