Before we dive into today's sermon, let me share a funny story with you. There was a man who noticed that every day, his friend would eat an apple. Intrigued, he asked his friend, "Why do you eat an apple every day?" His friend replied, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." The man looked puzzled and asked, "How does it do that?" The friend replied with a grin, "Well, if you throw it hard enough, it should do the trick!"

While we might chuckle at the thought, sometimes, wouldn't we want to throw a metaphorical apple to get rid of some elements in our lives? That brings us to our topic today, "Get The Parasites Out of Your Life." Our anchor scripture comes from Hebrews 12:1:

"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."

Parasites in the natural world latch on to their hosts, feeding off them, often causing harm and draining the life out of them. Metaphorically speaking, the parasites in our lives can be toxic relationships, bad habits, harmful attitudes, or persistent sins.

Let's take a look at the story of Samson in Judges 16. Samson was a man of great strength, blessed by God, but he had a significant "parasite" in his life - his inability to resist temptation, particularly his attraction to Delilah. This ultimately led to his downfall. As we read in Judges 16:21, "Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison."

This serves as a strong reminder of the harm that parasites, be they habits, attitudes, or relationships, can cause in our lives if left unchecked.

Jesus Himself warns us about spiritual parasites, things that might defile us from within. In Mark 7:20-23, Jesus said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person."

The late British theologian John Stott said, "Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony." We must strive to eliminate the parasites of sin that seek to undermine our relationship with God and others.

Now, how do we remove these parasites from our lives? First, we need to identify them. We need to ask God to search our hearts and reveal to us any way that is unpleasing to Him. Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

After identifying these parasites, we need God's help to remove them. This requires a heart of repentance and a desire to turn away from whatever is hindering us in our walk with God. Just as the prodigal son in Luke 15 realized his mistakes and returned to his father, we need to turn back to our Heavenly Father, confessing our sins and seeking His forgiveness.

But merely removing these parasites is not enough. We need to fill the void they leave with the things of God. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us of the fruits we should strive to cultivate: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Filling our lives with these fruits leaves no room for the parasites to return. It's not just about getting rid of the negative; it's also about inviting the positive. As the famous evangelist Billy Graham once said, "God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better."

Finally, we need to stay vigilant. Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The parasites may try to creep back into our lives, but armed with the Word of God and the power of prayer, we can resist and stay free.

So, as we reflect on today's message, let's ask ourselves: What are the parasites in our lives? What is hindering us from running our race with perseverance? Let's identify them, bring them to God, and ask for His strength to throw off these burdens.

Let's pray, "Dear Lord, we thank You for Your Word today. We ask You to reveal to us any parasites that are draining our spiritual life. Help us to remove these hindrances and to fill our lives with the fruits of Your Spirit. Give us the strength to resist the temptations that may come our way. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen."

Remember, my brothers and sisters, the journey to remove parasites from our lives is not a one-time event but a continuous process. It's a daily commitment to live according to God's Word and His will for us.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He turn His face toward you and give you peace. Have a blessed week ahead!