Entangled

THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS I would like answered. Can anyone tell me why my favorite necklace, which I always place carefully in my jewelry box, somehow becomes entangled with other jewelry? How does my dress hanger get tangled with a skirt hanger, wrinkling both pieces of clothing and trying my patience as I attempt to separate the two? And let’s not even discuss kites intertwining with one another as they fly high overhead, sometimes causing both to plummet to the ground. Our family gave up on flying kites long ago. Too much entangling!

The Bible also deals with entangling, but unlike the examples above, the culprit is identified. You probably already know what it is, but like me, perhaps you’d rather not deal with this topic. The race of life is at stake, however, so we must face the reality of deceptive, entangling, life-ruining sin! Our ultimate goal is to run our races in such a way that we will win (see 1 Corinthians 9:24), and that’s not possible if we’re perpetually stuck in sin. The sin in our lives entangles us, slows us down, and eventually halts our races altogether. Our sin is the focus of the familiar rhyme I taught my kids: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Why was this devotion low on my list of possible subjects? Because I don’t want to dwell on entangling sin. Who does? But we need to if we are people who choose to run life’s race free of sin’s weight and distractions. Our enemy lurks over runners’ shoulders, speaking deceptive lies in our ears. He knows the weaknesses that can entangle us, slow us down, and even halt our races. However, we also have a whole cloud of witnesses serving as examples to follow, people who ran the race before us and are cheering us on. Hebrews 12:1 tells us, “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

How are these witnesses involved in our races? The one thing they all have in common is their faith. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Hebrews 11, which briefly recounts the stories of many biblical figures who lived by faith—Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and others. No matter how many times you’ve read this familiar passage, you’ll be encouraged to read again how these men and women tied together their faith and their walk with God. Their stories remind us that we need to persevere to the finish line, getting rid of anything that slows us down. Faith enables us to confess whatever entangles us and then trust the Lord to forgive our sins.

Just as jewelry, hangers, and kites are easily tangled, Hebrews 12:1 states that sin also “easily” entangles us. For a season, I was entangled with thoughts I shouldn’t think, which evolved into actions I shouldn’t do and words I shouldn’t say. I attempted to justify my slowdown by calling sin another name. Maybe I fooled others, but I didn’t fool the Lord.

Why would I choose to stay in a tangled, miserable state? I’m not really sure why anyone makes that choice when we have another option: coming to the God who loves us and stands ready to forgive us and untangle our messes.

Finally one day I called my sin what it was: sin! By faith I confessed it, and by faith I asked for help to lay down the heavy burden and untangle my wrong thinking. What a relief! I also put in place a time in my schedule for regular confession. I recommend this for everyone, because we all get entangled by sin. As hard as it is to admit, there is always a word, a thought, or an action to confess. But by faith we’re forgiven when we confess that specific sin. First John 1:9 tells us that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Once we’re no longer entangled by sin, we get back in the race—fixing our eyes on Jesus with a clear, untangled conscience—until the next time we sin. There will always be a next time for us while we’re on earth, but someday we will go to heaven and meet Him there—our Savior, the One who died to free us forever from the sin that entangles us.

REFLECTION

Read Hebrews 11 and the first three verses of Hebrews 12. Then ask the Lord to help you identify sins that cause you to become entangled. Confess them and thank the Lord for His forgiveness. Ask Him for grace to keep your eyes on Him and run your race with endurance.