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Run the race and stay healthy!
LELAND ACKER
The great ones, athletes who compete in sports and achieve legendary

accomplishments, usually take special precautions to keep their bodies healthy. They watch what they eat, avoid drugs and make sure to get plenty of sleep.

Running the Spiritual race, which is what we've been discussing for the past few weeks, involves much of the same.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

Last week, we discussed laying aside every weight. This week, we're laying aside the sin that so easily besets us.

Sin has been described as a transgression against God. It has been defined as breaking God's law. Others define it as doing anything they disagree with. The first two definitions are correct, the last is not.

Many people are familiar with the 10 Commandments. Anytime you break one of those commandments, you have sinned. The commandments instruct us to honor our parents, don't lie, don't steal, don't commit adultery, don't covet the things that belong to your neighbor, or lust after his wife and don't commit murder.

If you have hated your parents, neglected them, lied to them, then you have sinned. If you have ever stolen, you have sinned. I think you can fill in the rest.

However, those are not all of the commandments. The other four call for us to Love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul and might. We are to worship and serve Him only. We are not to worship statues, etc. We are not to take God's name in vain and we are to keep the Sabbath holy.

Just failing to honor God for who He is, is a sin. Being lost is a sin.

Certain religious people will tell you that there are two types of sin, public and private.

Public sin is the sin that everyone becomes familiar with. Ted Haggard, former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs can tell you about public sin. It was public sin that ruined his ministry. Getting caught means losing credibility, suffering consequences and possibly having your life ruined.

However, private sin is more destructive, in some cases, than public sin.

Private sin, sin no one knows about but you and God, eats at your soul.

You become so guilt-ridden that you can no longer pray, let alone explore the scriptures. You wonder if anyone knows, and you may even come to doubt your salvation, if you are saved.

Such a mental and spiritual state will also affect you physically. Your energy level drops and you get sick more easily.

Such a condition hinders running the race (which we defined last week as getting to know Christ better) because it builds a wall between you and God. You don't feel comfortable in praying and studying God's word, and God does not fellowship with sin.

Private sin is just as serious as public sin, and needs to be done away with. Run the race, set aside the sin that so easily besets you. chreporter@mediactr.com