Peter used the word “perseverance” to describe the fifth level of spiritual development through which God desires to bring His people. In the New International Version of the Bible the term "perseverance" occurs thirteen times, all in the New Testament; and is always translated from the Greek noun “hypomone,” which refers to “endurance in the face of trials.” When applied to followers of Jesus, “perseverance” describes the ability to continue following Him in spite of hindrances or opposition from the Devil, the flesh, or the world. In short, “perseverance” is the ability to “keep on keeping on.” It is refusing to quit. The author of Hebrews offers three keys to achieving “perseverance” in our spiritual lives. He wrote, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2a, NIV). First, he said that we must recognize that we are “surrounded by…a great cloud of witnesses.” We talked about how that relates to perseverance in the first lesson on this passage of Scripture. Next, he said that we must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Finally, he said that we must begin “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” In this lesson we will consider “Throwing Off …the Sin that So Easily Entangles.”