Held Back

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)

Must of us have probably heard the term “held back” when referring to a student who did not pass their classes so they did not advance to the next grade or level. This has been called “being held back.” The student would have to repeat the same grade level because they didn’t learn their lessons.

As believers, we can be held back when we don’t learn our lessons. God is always trying to teach us and sometimes we don’t learn what we need to learn. We may wonder, “Why am I not being promoted or advanced to the next thing?” Maybe we aren’t ready yet. If God advanced us before we learned the lessons of the current place we are in, there would be gaps in our learning, in our development. After a while, our learning could be stalled, halted, or we might learn the wrong things. We must learn each lesson along the way so we know how to use what we’ve learned and can move to the next thing.

Don’t let pride, unforgiveness, or immaturity (which is often the biggest hindrance) hold you back. As we mature in Christ, learning our lessons and applying what we’ve learned, we’ll be on our way.

Being held back is no fun. You may lose friends when they move on and you have to repeat lessons you already took. You will waste time and energy on information you’ve already received but did not absorb. And, the plans God has for you will be delayed.

However, as we sit, wait, listen, and learn from our teacher, the Holy Spirit, He will educate us, teach us, train us, and develop us. We’ll grow in God, line upon line, precept upon precept, step by step, and day by day. A solid foundation of learning is something we can build upon. We can use what we learned and what held us back will no longer do so. Instead, we’ll be whole, with nothing missing in us or in our lives. We’ll be good students of God’s Word, learners of God’s ways, and followers of Jesus Christ. We’ll be walking with God, moving forward from faith to faith (Romans 1:17), from strength to strength (Psalm 89:7), and from glory to glory (II Corinthians 3:18).

Then, one day we will graduate to Heaven. We will receive our diploma, our reward, which will be Jesus Himself! The reward will be well worth all the learning and work!