The challenge of the climb

The challenge of climbing a mountain is not the mountain itself. Yes, the climb may be difficult and must be done carefully, but the challenge of the mountain is not the mountain, but something you can't see. The great challenge and enemy of the mountain climber is gravity. Pulling against him every inch of his climb is an unseen opponent that is silently threatening defeat every moment. Gravity is his enemy, but without it the mountain would be no challenge at all. It's the reality of this enemy that makes the mountain such a challenge. There are two victories for a mountain climber who makes it to the top- the victory over the mountain itself, but also the victory over gravity's tug. Half of his victory is this simple reality...he didn't fall! That is as much a victory as the climb to the top of the mountain. In fact it's part of the victory. The challenge of his conquest is the price of loss. He's risking his life to climb this mountain and his enemy is unseen, but never sleeping. His enemy will kill him if he relaxes for even a moment.

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In my quest for a victorious Christian life I find I'm constantly fighting against a similar unseen enemy, my old nature, constantly pulling at me to bring about my fall, to cause my demise. It's an ever present enemy, an ever active adversary. Like gravity my old nature is constantly pulling at me to cause my failure, my fall, as I grow in faith. The challenge of my climb of faith is the reality that I have an ever present and unseen enemy that is seeking my fall. But it's the reality of that nature's pull that makes any victory so sweet. If I reach the peak I have won a victory in two ways- I have grown in faith and have resisted the pull of that old nature. If I ever forget that this enemy, although unseen, is real then I will soon find that I have fallen. Fallen in the very sin I'm trying to climb out of. Fallen to the bottom of the mountain to once more begin my ascent to the top. In the Christian life there is the thrill of victory, but there is also the ever present threat of defeat.

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Any climber who is still living will tell you that you have to be careful. You have to anchor to the mountain as you climb. There must always be a rope secured to the mountain as he climbs so, if he loses his grip, he will not fall. His safety precautions are based not on his lack of confidence, but on his knowledge of the enemy. Because he knows the risk he has safety measures in place. It is not a lack of confidence that causes his safety measures, it's wisdom! Every climber knows that he could lose his grip and so that rope, secured to the mountain, is wisdom. Confidence in our ability should never cause us to abandon the wisdom of knowing what our enemy is capable of doing to us.

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Sin's pull is strong. It's difficult to climb above its grasp. It may be unseen, but its tug never weakens. Paul described this battle as we climb and grow in our faith. He talked about it in his own life. The great conflict of faith is the desire to grow in faith while dealing with the pull of sin working against us at the same time. There is victory! There are thousands who have climbed the mountains of faith and won against the pull of sin, but they will all tell you to never dismiss the power of this unseen enemy to bring about our defeat. Paul's closing words give us all hope. These words are the promise to each of us. The climb demands safety ropes so that, if grip is lost, we will not fall. What do we tie our ropes to? How do we make sure we don't fall? Connect your ropes to other believers, to God's word, to prayer. Don't climb alone. Make sure you are climbing with others to keep you from falling. Climb for the peak, but never get careless and think this is easy....it isn't.

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Romans 7:15 ...For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

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Victory is possible! The mountain peak is ahead! Keep climbing!

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