Strip Off the Weight and Run Your Race to Win
A reflection on Sunday’s message by pastor Randy McGehee at ICC Rome
TL;DR: Every believer has been called by God into a race, not only pastors and preachers, and God created each of us to win it. As we run, the enemy tries to slow us down by adding weight a little at a time: unforgiveness, worry, financial pressure, broken relationships, and old hurts. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to strip off anything that holds us back and run with patience the particular race God has set before us. When we let the Holy Spirit show us what we’re carrying and hand it over to God, we’re free to run strong, be a living witness to the people watching our lives, stand with our pastors, and see God do incredible things in our church and in Rome. And if you haven’t started your race yet, Jesus invites you to lay your burden down and come to Him today.
Introduction
Some sermons you hear. Others you see. This Sunday, our message came with a live illustration: a few of our young people came to the front to be “racers,” and one by one, weights were placed on them as they got ready to run. It was funny, it was memorable, and it made a point none of us will forget anytime soon.
The message was built on two passages of Scripture:
“In a race, everyone runs, but only one person gets first prize. So run your race to win.” — 1 Corinthians 9:24 (TLB)
“Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1 (TLB)
You Have Been Called Into a Race
Everyone Runs, Including You
Notice the word everyone in 1 Corinthians 9:24. It’s easy to look at our pastors and think, “I’m glad they’re called by God.” But before we say that about anyone else, we need to be able to say, “Lord, I’m glad You called me.”
Not everyone is called to preach, but every believer is called to be His witness. Pastors get to touch hearts inside the church through the preaching of the Word. You get to touch the world outside the church through your life. Your workplace, your classroom, your family, and your neighborhood are all part of the track God has placed you on.
A Race You Train For
No one likes to lose. And anyone who wants to win a race knows it takes preparation. As the pastor put it with a smile, you can’t eat big plates of gelato; you have to eat insalata. You train, you run every day, and you work hard.
Spiritually, it’s the same. Listening to the Word, taking part in Bible school, praying, and letting the Holy Spirit instruct you are all part of your training. God has placed you in this church to be a winner for His kingdom.
The Weights That Slow Us Down
A Little at a Time
In the illustration, our racers started out strong. Then the weights came. First a little, then a little more.
That’s exactly how the enemy works. Satan rarely drops everything on us at once. He adds a little weight today and a little more tomorrow, until one day we realize we’re barely moving.
What Kind of Weight Are You Carrying?
The weight looks different for each of us. For some, it’s unforgiveness toward someone who hurt them. For others, it’s worry, like the student who stresses over every big exam. It may be a financial situation that keeps you up at night, or a relationship with a spouse or child who isn’t doing as they should.
Many of us carry the weight of hurt: hurt from family, from employers, from financial struggles, and sometimes, painfully, from people within the body of Christ. Some have cried and struggled so much that they’ve wondered whether they even want to keep running.
Why the Enemy Wants You to Lose
Here’s a striking truth from the message: Satan doesn’t really care if you run. He cares whether you win.
He wants people to look at your life as a believer and say, “You have more problems than I do. Why would I want to be a Christian?” The enemy also knows your weak spots and returns to them again and again. If you worry about finances, he’ll hit your finances. If you worry about your health, he’ll hit you there. If you can’t forgive someone, he’ll send someone else to hurt you even more.
But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Strip Off the Weight
God Didn’t Create You to Quit
God didn’t create you to lose. He didn’t create you to quit. He called you to be a winner, He called this church to be a winner, and He called you to impact this city for His glory.
Just as a runner strips off anything that slows them down, God is saying to each of us today: strip off the weight of unforgiveness, strip off the weight of pain, and strip off the weight of financial burden.
Let the Holy Spirit Show You, Then Give It to God
One of the racers in the illustration did it right. As soon as the weight came, he put it down and said, in effect, “I’m not taking your weight.” When the others finally set theirs down, the difference was obvious: it simply felt better.
That’s what happens when we’re obedient to the Lord. First, we allow the Holy Spirit to show us the weight we’re carrying. Then we’re faithful to give it to God, get back into a runner’s position, and be strong in the Lord.
A Word About Finances
The money we have belongs to God first; we’ve only been entrusted with it. So if you’re facing a financial struggle, ask yourself two honest questions. Have you done what is right before God with your finances, through faithfulness in tithing, giving, and planning for the needs ahead of you? If so, you have God’s promise that He will meet your need. But if you’re trying to do it your own way, don’t blame God for the weight you’re carrying.
You Have Authority
We often give the enemy far too much power. As believers, we have authority over him in Jesus’ name. Don’t let him load you down. Tell him plainly, “You’re not putting that on me.”
No One Is Too Old, or Too Young, to Run
Some might say, “I’m too old to run.” But this is a spiritual race, and no one is too old for it. If you’re still breathing, God has a purpose for you.
The same goes for our young people. The genuine love for God in our youth is something the rest of us can learn from. They may not have lived as long, but maybe they’ll run the race even better than we did. Whatever your age, your purpose is to run your race for God, to see this church win, and to win souls for the Kingdom through the life God has put in you.
Run Alongside Your Pastors
The message closed with an honest admission: preachers struggle too, and the enemy has an extra portion of weight for them. Our pastors carry their own weights, and they carry ours as well.
So keep your pastors in prayer every day. Your prayers form a hedge of protection around them, and it makes a real difference. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Go to them and ask, “How can I help us run our race well? Is there a need I can meet?” But first, get the weight off yourself, because they need people who are ready to run.
A Vision for ICC Rome
God has a wonderful plan for your life, for this church, and for this city. He doesn’t want you to leave the same way you came.
The pastor shared the kind of “problem” he’d love to see our church face: after all the time and money spent rebuilding our building, it’s already too small, and we have to do it again. When that day comes, God will give the victory again and again, and every one of us can be part of it. But we’ll all need to get the weight off first. We can’t truly rest in God’s promises while we’re buried under the enemy’s weight.
If You Haven’t Started Your Race Yet
If you haven’t yet received Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation, this message is for you too, because you’re carrying weight as well: guilt, condemnation, unforgiveness, a hardened heart.
The enemy will tell you that you’ve sinned too much and that God could never love you. That’s a lie. There is not one sin in your life that Jesus is not ready to forgive. He wants to take the weight off your life, set you free, and one day welcome you through the gates of heaven.
His invitation is simple:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
People are watching your life, and they need to see the freedom only Christ can give. Nothing God asks of you will be beyond what you can do in Him.
Questions for Reflection
- What weight has the enemy been adding to your life “a little at a time”?
- Is there someone you need to forgive so you can run freely again?
- How is your life serving as a witness to the people around you this week?
- What is one practical way you can pray for or support your pastors?
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for calling me into this race. Holy Spirit, show me every weight I’ve been carrying, whether it’s unforgiveness, worry, hurt, or fear, and help me lay it down at Your feet. Give me strength to run with patience the race You’ve set before me, and let my life be a witness that draws others to You. Bless our pastors, bless ICC Rome, and do incredible things in this city for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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