“Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and specially 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
Me during the BDM 102kms last March 2010 with my hydration belt.
Running with weights, are you comfortable with that?
For some, it is beneficial.
For me, I can’t run without my hydration belt. I’m comfortable with it but to tell you honestly, it can impede my speed and slows me down at times.
Today let me share with you ‘running in ancient times.’
I just pray that you will learn something from it.
Come with me to the ancient Greek games. As the fastest runner in the Roman Empire gather at the starting line, the tension and pressure is mounting. They are about to run the race of their lives. The crowd rises to its feet in anticipation.
The runners begin to remove their outer warm up robes. Nothing must slow them down. They then remove their loose-fitting tunics. No garment must cause any wind drag.
Then, in a startling move, the runners remove the rest of their clothing. They strip down. Completely. To the buff.
They are totally nude. This has become R rated.
These Greek athletes have stripped down so nothing-absolutely nothing-will slow them down. They will do anything to gain an advantage over the competition. They are willing to risk the embarrassment of public exposure. To run without any hindrance. All to win the crown.
Their bulging muscles and finely tuned bodies ripple in the open arena. With sculpted torsos that looked like they have been chiseled out of marble, they resemble exquisite masterpieces. These are the finest athletes in the Roman empire.
These naked runners are highly motivated to jump out to a fast start. If you fall behind this bare-bottomed pack, the view can be pretty rough.
Considered offensive by women and Jews, such nudity was the accepted practice of these world-famous athletic games. Nothing must be allowed to impede their speed. not even clothing. Because winning was everything!
These are men whose burning passion is winning. At any cost. So they remove all encumbrances that would hinder a swift performance. All to capture a crown, if not a cold.
Men, these are the bare facts. Very revealing.
Just as the first century athletes stripped down to run with maximum speed, we must strip away every spiritual encumbrance that would impede our progress in God’s race. Pursuing the ultimate prize requires laying aside anything that would slow us down.
I know what some of you are thinking, “If God wanted us to run naked, we would have been born that way.” That’s precisely the point.
Too many of us run as if outfitted with layers of restrictive clothing and with heavy weights. We must strip down and run unencumbered. Take it all off!
-Copied from PROMISES TO KEEP: Daily Devotions For Men Seeking Integrity by Nick Harrison pages 230-231
– MEN WHO WIN by Steven Lawson
runnerforchrist 
hi, i would like to share the F.E.E.T. that slows us in our mission or i would say running towards HIM.. .to His Kingdom. These are F- Fearful; E- egocentric, we are sometimes self centered; E – excitement driven , at times we just excited to follow and often times we do not know what are we really doing; T- tailgaters, we at times join not for the sake of our true intentions rather we follow to find faults in others or the one’s leading the race/run.. whatever you call it :).