Burn the Ships!

Good afternoon, friends!

This past Sunday, Pastor Chip preached an outstanding message titled Burn the Ships. (If you haven’t heard the message yet, you can watch it through the app, YouTube, Facebook, or right here on our website.) In a nut-shell, the message had to do with letting go of things that keep you from going all in with God and not allowing the enemy to stop you with things from your past, your present, and in your future. Below is an excellent scripture on “Burning the Ships” in our lives and pressing on in God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 has to do with great examples of faith and endurance found in the people of the Bible. Chapter 11:39 states “all these people earned a good reputation because of their faith.” Then, Chapter 12 begins by talking about these people, great people of faith, that have now become witnesses to our faith. Our faith is being watched daily. Not our mistakes, but our life of faith is being watched by this great crowd of witnesses. Not only do those in heaven watch our life of faith, but people on the earth are also watching our life of faith. Chapter 11 is a “ticker-tape parade” of the life of faith - from Abel to Sarah. Every day of our lives, we are creating a “ticker-tape parade” of our life of faith in God. What does yours say? 

But! Look what is stated next! After we realize that we are being watched, we are told to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Let’s look at this phrase backwards. What trips us up in life? SIN. Immediately when that word is spoken, people begin to tune you out, or stop reading, or even think, “I have no sin in my life”. But any lack of faith is sin. The Word also tells us that if we say we have no sin, we lie. Identifying sin and burning that ship is not a bad thing. It is a pretty easy thing to do.  

1st step: Identify

2nd step: Repent

3rd step: Daily strip off the weights.

Now, let’s look at the phrase, “strip off every weight.” BURN THE SHIPS. We all have things in our lives that have become a weight. God never meant for us to run a race in Him with all these weights attached to us. But, because of our flesh, we deal with weights that need to be stripped off and burned. We can strip off a weight one day, and pick it up the next day. But! If we BURN THE WEIGHTS, we cannot pick them up again; and we can move forward with endurance in God.

-Pastor Candace