Walking With Jesus

What Are You Carrying That You Need to Put Down?

Pastor Calvin Cook
July 17, 2026 – Day 9 of 40

Scripture: “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. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” — Hebrews 12:1–3

Pause this morning and notice these words from Hebrews 12:1–3. What words jump off the page at you?

For me, they are “throw off” and “entangles.”

There is a difference between carrying something and being entangled by it.

As I ponder these words, my mind drifts back to hunting during small-game season with my dad. While out tromping around the mountains and fields, kicking brush piles and listening for the bellowing of the beagle on the trail of something, we came upon a thick area of briars.

As we tried to work our way through the briars and vines that had invaded the area, the sharp points of the briars pierced our arms, and the vines seemed determined to entangle our feet. We felt defeated.

Through Dad’s encouragement—at least I think that is what I would call it—we persevered and were soon out of the thicket. We had scrapes, and the puncture wounds hurt badly. But we made it through the entanglement, threw off the obstructions of that rough patch, and continued on our hunting adventure.

I am really not trying to be casual this morning when I talk about entanglement and throwing off that which is consuming us, because it is a very real struggle.

There are things we carry because they are part of our responsibility. We have families to care for, work to do, bills to pay, people to love, and commitments to keep. These are part of life.

But then there are things we carry that God never asked us to carry.

Worry about things we cannot control.

Guilt over things Christ has already forgiven.

Anger over things we refuse to release.

The need to please everyone.

The opinions of people.

The pressure to fix everything.

The fear of what might happen tomorrow.

Before long, what we thought we were carrying begins carrying us—or perhaps controlling us.

The writer of Hebrews tells us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

Notice something important here. Not everything that slows us down is necessarily sinful. Sometimes it is simply something that has become too heavy. Something that takes too much of our attention. Something that consumes too much of our energy. Something that continually distracts us from Jesus.

Paul uses a similar picture when he writes to Timothy:

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” — 2 Timothy 2:3–4 (KJV)

It seems that the King James Version is especially helpful here because of that word: entangleth.

As we feel entangled, burdened, or weighed down by a heavy load, perhaps we need to ask ourselves a few questions:

Is this helping me follow Jesus?

Is this drawing me closer to Christ or distracting me from Him?

Is this something God has asked me to carry, or is it something I have picked up along the way?

For me, I think sometimes I have become so used to carrying the weight that I forget what it feels like to walk without it.

What about you?

Hebrews tells us to throw it off!

But then comes the most important instruction:

Fix your eyes on Jesus.

We often spend so much time looking at what has us entangled that we forget to look at the One who can set us free.

Peter discovered this when he stepped out of the boat. As long as his attention was directed toward Jesus, he walked on the water. But when he began looking at the wind and the waves, fear took over, and he began to sink (Matthew 14:28–31).

Maybe today Jesus is asking you to put something down.

A worry.

A resentment.

A disappointment.

A burden.

A distraction.

Something you have been carrying for so long that you have forgotten you were never meant to carry it forever.

You cannot run freely while holding tightly to everything.

Some things must be released.

Some things must be surrendered.

Some things must simply be laid at the feet of Jesus.

So today, ask yourself:

What am I carrying that Jesus is asking me to put down?

Throw off the weight.

Untangle your feet.

Patch up your wounds with the healing balm of Jesus.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.

And keep walking with Jesus!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, show me what I am carrying that You never asked me to carry. Reveal the weights, worries, distractions, and sins that have become entangled in my life. Give me the courage to lay them down. Help me release what I cannot control, surrender what I cannot change, and trust You with what I cannot see. Fix my eyes upon You so that I can walk freely and faithfully wherever You lead. Amen.