Climbing Mountains
May 31, 2009 • By Ed Wrather
SW05.31.09am (After Children's Camp)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58.
INTRO: These are difficult days that we live in for millions of people. From the prayer requests being posted at the Burning Bush website there appears to be an increase in desperation and an increase in urgency. Here are a few quotes:
"I am struggling financially, emotionally, and physically…."
"Please pray for a miracle that my husband will find the job…."
"I am suffering emotionally, spiritually, financially. I am dead inside and I need a miracle to change my life."
"…pray for a financial miracle and healing in my body."
"Pray with me for financial break-through in my family."
"Please pray…that God will provide the money for my electric bill this month."
"Please pray for my son and his family. He is not working, his wife is carrying the load and now he has started using drugs."
When you are experiencing personally situations like those you feel like there is a mountain ahead of you that is almost impossible to climb. At Junior Camp (Children's Camp) this year most of our group went mountain climbing a couple of times. I didn’t go either time because they probably would have had to carry me back down. I have only climbed those very small mountains that some would consider hills that are down at where we have our camp for children.
I. Even looking at a small mountain prior to climbing it, we can see in our minds the problems, hazards, and expenditure of energy that will be necessary. Usually we overestimate how difficult the climbing will actually be. Dennis Proffitt a psychologist at the University of Virginia has actually performed a study which concluded that most people when standing at the bottom of a hill will believe the impending climb looks a lot more difficult than it really is. Profitt in his study determined that people would consistently overestimate the slope of shallow hills. The people involved in the study would judge five-degree slopes to be about 20 degrees. According to Profitt there appears to be a mental protection mechanism at work here. The mental mechanism causes the eye to overestimate the task at hand, which helps prevent you from overexerting yourself.
In modern life the mountains we face are all too often not in the physical realm. However, they can be just as difficult to climb. It is easy to become discouraged in life. We can look at our work or the problems facing us and feel overwhelmed. It may only be a five-degree climb, but it looks completely vertical from where we stand.
We face one problem after another, and they take a toil on our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual stamina. As a result we may come to a standstill as far as doing anything for the Lord. The apostle Paul would tell us to be steadfast, immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Yes, you may be facing another problem but most likely it is not as bad as you think. Your mind is telling you it cannot be done but Paul would say that you can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). Believe it! One step at a time. One day at a time, climb your mountain with the Lord by your side. He will give you the strength, the courage, the wisdom, and provide whatever else you may need along the way (Philippians 4:19).
We are going to face a lot of mountains as we live our lives but God can give us what we need to climb them.
II. A mountain that countless people across this world are facing is the mountain of addiction. How do you cope with an addiction? What can you do about it? Sadly, many simply don’t do anything about it. They look at the mountain of addiction and think that to overcome it is a mountain that is simply to difficult to climb. And so they don’t even try. They have failed before they even started.
Whatever the addiction whether, it is drinking or doing drugs or something else. That mountain can be climbed, it can be overcome, there is help for you. Who is it that can help you? Jesus is the One who has the power, the wisdom to lead up and over that mountain; He is the One, who can lift the burden from you.
Jesus says to the addicted, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30)."
And as the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Let's say it together, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
III. Another difficult mountain to climb is that of a bad relationship. Most of us have been there at some point in time. We’ve gotten crossways with someone. It may have been a friend, or our husband or our wife, or brother or sister or our parents or someone else. The sad thing about this mountain is that if we don’t successfully climb it, that bad relationship will just keep eating away at us and cause more and more problems.
It seems to be human nature that we want to win, we want to come out on top. But the way to win in relationships is to lose. We have to give up some of what we want for what is in the other person’s best interest. Jesus tells us how to climb this mountain when He says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:44-45a)” The apostle John tells us in 1 John 3:18, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” You can climb the mountain of a bad relationship and Jesus tells you exactly how to do it.
And the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:13 (Let's say it together), "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
IV. Often the mountain that we face is caused by a lack of knowledge, a lack of wisdom. How do we do this, or how do we do that. We don’t seem to have the brainpower, or the skills to do what needs to be done. What we need to climb this mountain is wisdom.
The way to become wise is through the wisdom of God, and we are given some examples in the Bible of how God was able to supernaturally give wisdom, knowledge, and skill to individuals. In the book of Exodus, we are told of those who were given skill as craftsmen.
In the book of Daniel, we are told of the four young men who were given "knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom."
Then there is the example of Solomon of whom it is said that he was the wisest man who ever lived. We are told in 1 Kings 4:29-32, "And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men—than Page 6Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five."
Solomon’s wisdom came directly from God and God is the source of all true wisdom. Shortly after Solomon became King, God told Solomon to ask whatever he wanted from God. Instead of asking for riches, Solomon asked, "…give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours (1 Kings 3:9)?" God gave Solomon, "a wise and understanding heart (1 Kings 3:12)."
If you really want to be wise, if you want to climb this mountain, you must go to the source of true wisdom which is found only in God. If you really want wisdom then do as Moses says in Deuteronomy 4:29, "… seek Him (God) with all your heart and with all your soul."
You can climb this mountain because as Paul says in Philippians 4:13 (Let's say it together), "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
V. Perhaps the ultimate mountain that we will face in life is sin. We do have a spiritual enemy and Jesus says about this enemy, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10a).” Sin is a hunter which catches its prey. Sin catches us. We become "caught in the cords" of sin. Our "iniquities entrap" us, and although we may think of a sin as a single event; once we have sinned, we are caught, entrapped. As a result, we sin again and again. We may keep trying to climb the mountain but never make it to the top.
Those who have battled an addiction understand this because even when they want to stop it is very difficult to do so. However, it is the same for other sins. You tell a lie and the next lie is easier and sometimes because of the lie you first told you have to tell additional lies to cover up that first lie. You steal and then you steal some more. You become caught by your sin. The little hill continually grows larger and larger until it is a mountain that stands in the way of your having the abundant life that Jesus wants you to have.
The very best thing that we can do is to avoid being caught by sin in the first place. However, after sin has caught you - what do you do? How do you escape the trap of sin? How do you climb this mountain? You cannot climb it on your own. It is a spiritual trap, a spiritual mountain blocking your way and requires a supernatural solution. Jesus is the solution. The apostle Paul says (Let's say it together), "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)."
Jesus has what you need to climb over the mountain of sin. First you need forgiveness and Jesus is the One, who can give you the forgiveness that you need (1 John 1:9). Then, you need the resources, the empowerment to keep you free and Jesus has those resources. Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-11), read and study the Word of God (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17), and be faithful in attending church (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Whatever the mountain you may be facing in your life, Jesus has what you need to climb it. The mountain that you are facing may look like Mount Everest when it is really just a little hill. Whether it is large or small with Jesus you can do it, you can climb it. Because as Paul says (Let's say it together), “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).”
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