One of my favorite TV shows back in the 60's was the original Star Trek. I also have enjoyed the many spin-offs and movies. Lately I've been watching Deep Space 9 on Amazon Prime and one of the main characters is a Klingon. In this case, he's a good guy, but through most of the Star Trek shows and movies, the Klingons were bad people.
Why do I bring this up and what does it have to do with anything relating to your life? That's a good question and I'm glad you asked, because the Lord has been talking with me about "clingons". Those sins and habits that we cling to that keep us from a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord.
Hebrews 12:1-2 reads, "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, 2 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."
We see two parts to this. First, everything that hinders. These are not sins, but habits that hinder us. For example, too much social media, watching too much tv or listening to too much talk radio or or eating too much food, even exercising too much. These all take time away from the Lord and can hinder.
The second part is the sin that so easily entangles. This would include lust, anger, envy, gossiping, coveting, pride/arrogance, bitterness, complaining, drunkeness, fear, hatred and so many others. Sin starts out little - just a quick negative comment about what someone else is doing, that one drink, the quick look at porn or the smutty romance novel, a little complaint here and there - and it gets bigger over time, as we become numb to it. Sin leads to destruction and death.
The key is in Hebrews 12:2 - Fixing our eyes on Jesus. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we won't cling to any habit or sin that would get in the way of our relationship with Him. Remember what He did for us on the cross and keep your eyes (and ears) on Him.
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