This morning during prayer, I felt the Spirit of God ask me, “Who told you to let off?” It stopped me. Because if I’m being truthful, somewhere along the way I had taken my foot off the gas. Not intentionally. I didn’t quit. I didn’t walk away. I was still showing up, still leading, still believing. But I had let off. Distraction, discouragement, and resistance have a way of doing that. You can still be moving forward without the same faith, intensity, and expectation you once had. And I felt the Lord remind me: I never told you to slow down. Put your foot back on the gas. Let’s go.
Throw Off What’s Hindering You
Hebrews 12:1 says:
“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.”
Notice that Scripture distinguishes between sin and what hinders. Not everything slowing you down is sinful. Some things are simply heavy. Disappointment can be heavy. Criticism can be heavy. Comparison can be heavy. Distraction can be heavy. Discouragement can be heavy. And sometimes the enemy doesn’t need to make you quit. He needs to distract you enough, discourage you enough, or tire you enough that you stop running at full speed.
But God didn’t call us to drag yesterday’s weight into tomorrow’s assignment. He called us to throw it off. There is too much ahead of you to carry what God never asked you to carry.
Lead Like the Promise Is Yours
I started thinking about Abraham. God gave Abraham a promise bigger than his lifetime. God promised to make him into a great nation and bless generations through him. Abraham would never live long enough to see the fullness of everything God promised. But he still lived like the promise was his.
Romans 4:20 says:
“Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.”
Then I thought about Moses. Moses knew he wasn’t going into the Promised Land. Think about that. He spent decades leading people toward a destination he eventually learned he would never personally enter. Yet Moses didn’t spend his final days coasting. He kept leading. He kept preparing. He kept investing. He continued getting the next generation ready for what God was about to do. That’s faith.
Faith is giving God 100% even when the promise may ultimately be fulfilled in the next generation.
We’ve made faith so much about what we will receive. But biblical faith asks a bigger question: What am I building that someone else will inherit?
You Can’t Pass Off What’s Unfinished
The next generation will carry some things farther than we ever could. That’s the goal. But our responsibility is to carry our part as far as God has called us to carry it. We don’t get to hand the next generation our unfinished obedience and call it legacy. We dig. We build. We sow. We sacrifice. We prepare the ground. We give everything we have to the assignment God has placed before us.
Paul said it this way:
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 3:14
There’s more to do. More people to reach. More ground to take. More seeds to plant. More leaders to develop. More families to impact. More prayers to pray. More faith to exercise. Maybe you’ve been discouraged. Maybe something didn’t happen the way you thought it would. Maybe resistance has made you cautious. And just maybe you didn’t even realize it, but somewhere along the way you took your foot off the gas.
So I’ll leave you with the same question I felt God ask me this morning: Who told you to let off?
If God didn’t tell you to stop, don’t let discouragement decide for you. If God didn’t tell you to slow down, don’t let distraction determine your pace. Throw off what’s hindering you. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Dig in. Press on. Give God everything you’ve got. Whether you see the fullness of the promise or your children and grandchildren do, live like the promise is worth giving your life to.
There’s more to do. Put your foot back on the gas. Let’s goooo!
