A ship is usually very big. Many ships are bigger in height and width than some great hotels. However, once it’s anchored, nothing will ever move the ship from its position. A heavy wind may blow the ship, making it move forward and backward occasionally, but it will never leave its position as long as it remains anchored. Weights in the life of a Christian are like that anchor. They hold you down but permit you to move forward and backward, as though you were making progress, but you would really only be stagnant. This is why so many people wonder why they have been Christians for a very long time without any evidence of their knowledge of Christ. As long as there are weights in your life, they will always hinder your progress with the Almighty God.

Weights, are not necessarily sin, but are things that, if indulged in can lead you to sin. They may not be counted as iniquity, but can stop you from making progress. Weights are the lawful things that, if indulged in without moderation, will hold you back from making progress. Apostle Paul said:
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1 Corinthians 6:12

He said this because he did not want to be brought under the power of any weight. Apostle Paul did something about this: he disciplined himself.
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
1 Corinthians 9:27

Sleeping well is good, but it becomes a weight when you sleep too much. Eating is good, but it turns into a weight when you become a glutton. While it is not a sin to watch television, being addicted to your TV set will not allow you to make progress spiritually, because the more you feed your flesh, the weaker your spirit becomes. Whenever I want to fast, I would approach a calendar and look at a date. I would then tell my body “You see that date? From that date, you will not eat again until so and so day“. After this, I would discipline myself to fast. You must discipline yourself to engage in those spiritual activities that would strengthen you. Spiritual growth does not come by magic. If you want to experience real spiritual progress, especially in the coming year, you must lay aside every weight that could prevent you from achieving that goal, even from now.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.