Spiritual Mountain Climbing
I recently requested prayer from a dark valley after several stressful events. God is still answering prayers as this time has been a blessing–a time of spiritual assessment.
Spiritual Mountain Climbing
It has been helpful to me to see my spiritual journey as a climb up a mountain. The Bible is a map to the path up the mountain. In mountain climbing the terrain becomes steeper and steeper, but with each level there is greater vision.
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? Psalms 121:1 (NASB)
The mountain top is crowned with God’s glory. Going higher and being able to see you are getting closer to the top is energizing.The closer we get to the top, the more humble and holy we become. In Psalms 24 King David speaks of the hill of the Lord,
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?
or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart…
Firm Foundation
It is critical to have a sure footing before going to another level, else we slip and slide back several levels. A bad fall can end with serious wounds that take a long time to heal and seriously delay the journey.
There is a need to stay at each plateau long enough to learn what God is teaching us. Moving too quickly can be dangerous. Our zeal or our want-it-now mentality can make us want to take a helicopter shortcut to the top in order to skip levels. But the climb is an important step-by-step learning experience. Remember, the most attractive shortcuts lead to disaster.
Each level of the mountain demands constant reference to the map and prayerful evaluation of our current footing and vision. Without a sure foundation, the higher up, the more dangerous the climb becomes.
Moving at God’s pace, following God’s direction, with firm foundations on every level we get closer and closer to the top. Doubt will cause us to teeter on a ledge. The closer to the top, the more glory we see and the more spiritual fruit is evident in our lives. The higher we go, the more critical it is to refer to the map. God forbid we forget the map on any level.
The spiritual ascent is not a work but a becoming or transformation. You can’t hide when you’re on the mountain. Weaknesses and strengths are exposed. The goal for the climb will determine how high and successful the climb. The higher up the mountain, the fewer people will be found.
A climb for personal recognition will be shallow and eventually fail. A submissive, humble climb with the purpose of honoring God will cause one to ascend each level revealing less of self and more of Christ.
Lightening the Load
During the climb, works of the flesh are exposed openly until they are cut away. If this flesh is not cut away it is almost impossible to have pure motives. This is a spiritual circumcision, ridding us of the carnal nature that makes climbing difficult.
As we go higher, we mature and our motives change. The path will become increasingly lighter and brighter. Once high enough to get a glimpse of God’s glory, we will be elated. Our thoughts will become more like His thoughts. Our actions will become more like His actions. We will become more and more humble in the light of His glory. Our time will be spent going higher and going back to help others climb, as He helps others climb.
Seven Mountain Levels
2 Peter 1:2-7 reveals how we can participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires by climbing the seven levels of the mountain:
And for this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
- Faith
- Virtue
- Knowledge
- Self-control
- Steadfastness
- Godliness
- Love
Each of these qualities builds on the previous quality. Each level contains a gold mine of wisdom if we take the time to experience and investigate the level. As we climb each level we should see more fruit of the Spirit in our character.
We begin the mountain climb on the faith ledge. We ascend to the glorious top to find perfect love. Trust is an essential trait for those who climb the mountain. We get a sure footing on this ledge by believing in God, knowing He is real, and understanding that He loves us. If we move to another level before we have this sure footing we will later fall.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. (Hebrews 11:6).
Stumbles and Falls
I have fallen many times. I tried climbing from the faith ledge to virtue and knowledge ledges while I doubted God’s love for me. Accepting the love of God through Christ is a basic truth I did not have a firm grip on. Not understanding God’s love for me caused me to stumble, never allowing me the required sure footing needed for a successful climb.
Unforgiveness and resentment caused me to stumble and fall and become wounded, hindering my climb. Such sin causes bitterness, bondage, and strongholds. At the time, I didn’t realize why I wasn’t getting victory over sin in my life–I didn’t understand the reason I struggled with the same sins over and over.
Forgiving others would heal my wounds and allow me to climb strongly again, but somewhere on the journey, when I hadn’t taken thoughts captive, I allowed unforgiveness back in resulting in deeper wounds. Hurtful wounds caused more sin and obstructed my climb even more. I would be stuck on a level recovering, frustrated that I was not climbing higher. At times I knew what was holding me back, other times I was deceived and didn’t understand the reasons.
I also stumbled several times by being impatient. I can look back at my disastrous attempts to find a quicker path than the path God chose. We can only increase to higher elevations without falling by waiting on God’s perfect timing.
Dusting Off and Climbing Again
Praise God, I know I can slip and stumble, incur wounds and injuries, and suffer setbacks but our loving Father continually picks me up and helps me find the path again. Isaiah 58:8-9
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Rejoice in The Adventure!
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. God’s paths are straight, His paths are narrow. To follow keep your eyes on Him.Climbing these levels can be very hard especially when faced with unexpected or particularly difficult challenges. But, the climb can be seen as exciting when we reach this stage. It becomes an adventure—a chance to see what God will do next and how He will work out the situation.
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[...] wrote a post on my valley to mountain journey this morning. Leave a [...]
Keep on climbing… I have 2 Peter 1 on my refrigerator door to remind me that the goal of godliness or love cannot be reached without first treading through self-control and perseverance. It doesn’t come easily, but it’s worthwhile.
Praise God that life is indeed a forward journey. We may have setbacks but there is always reason to hope: HIM! Blessings to you. e-Mom
How interesting that we both are thinking in terms of mountains and valleys! Thanks for sharing your thoughts here!
Hi Robin,
Wow, I think I feel the Holy Spirit saying to me, “get ready to climb.” Perhaps I am struggling in a valley now. It was encouraging to read your words here.
I think I will go back and read how it all started. Thanks Oh, and thanks for stoppin at my place and at Laced With Grace.
That is an awesome analogy of climbing! It sounds to me like you are not only climbing, you are SCALING that mountain! You go girl!
I really enjoyed this post. I’m going to copy 2 Peter 1:2-7 and keep it in the front of my Bible as a reminder
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I’m really enjoying the study and enjoy writing about it when I find the time. It’s perfect timing for us. We are not involved in organised church and BEING the church as the followers in Acts as been a burning desire for us for a while. God is Good.
Robin,
I am copying this post to place in my journal for my own mountain experiences that will come..your words are wise..and compel me…
you ‘stung my heart’ with…”You can’t hide when you’re on the mountain. Weaknesses and strengths are exposed.”
It is in those experiences that we are exposed and only there can HE do the work we need to do!
You are right…you have helped and led me in more ways than you will likely ever know…
praying for peace…lived the hotel room life…cling to that ROCK!! Those mountains of God are worth clinging too!!
love you,
lori
Hi Robin,
Great insights. They remind me of Rick Joyner’s book The Final Quest and also of Hind’s Feet on High Places. I believe God does use mountains to help us understand what our spiritual journey is like. I’ve never climbed a mountain in the natural, but it looks pretty grueling from what I’ve seen. Climbing in the spiritual has been pretty grueling, too. Your additional insights show how careful we must be in our climbing. Thanks for reminding us of how we can avoid dangerous falls on our way to the glory of God.
Love,
Penney
Dear Robin,
What a beautiful analogy you have written!! So many times, when in the valleys I struggle to keep myself in “climbing mode”–but the word picture you created will stay in mind…thank you!
Love Deanne
“Our thoughts will become more like His thoughts. Our actions will become more like His actions. We will become more and more humble in the light of His glory. Our time will be spent going higher and going back to help others climb, as He helps others climb.”
I also thought right away of Hind’s Feet.
I have been struggling with condemnation over a sin I committed after I was saved. This post encouraged me that my Father does lovingly pick me up and help me find the path again.
Thanks.
Shalom Robin. Thank you for this post. I’ve been in a major battle with some issues that I seem to be getting WORSE at instead of better.
Your words sent a ray of hope through my troubled heart. Maybe things seem so much worse because He is refining me and making me more like Him. Maybe it hurts to have these old worthless things removed from me. I pray He’ll do his perfect work in all of us.
Have a blessed Sabbath
Thank you so much for this! This is excellent. I have linked this on my own blog because I just love your words & heart so much on this topic.
This is lovely, Robin. I am printing out to save in my Bible and in my ‘Encouragement’ notebook! Psalm 121 is one of my favorites. I kept reciting it when I was in the last stage of labor with my 5th child…his name is written next to it.:0) Take heart, God is doing a great work in you right now! I have been where you are…literally waiting in a hotel room with 5 dc while our home closed and the moving company showed up. Not 3 weeks, but long enough to thoroughly appreciate the blessing of our home afterward!
For a year now, our family has been in a valley. My husband went through his 2nd corporate buy-out in 3 years and we decided to just sell it all and RV’ed with the dc for 5 months. Now that was neat because we had no ‘home’ and we didn’t know where we would end up. The journey was truly one of faith (and still is, as is all of life here on earth. Hence our e-mail name!) We finally landed here in TX. We were in escrow on a small working CSA farm. Ended up having to pull out of escrow because of disclosures that were not disclosed! We bought another home because if we didn’t, we would not have any money left. Then my husband tried to find work…months later he is still working for a temp agency (even with 25+ years experience managing warehouses!) and they just told him yesterday that he must work night shift now (12hr shifts running forklifts) or lose his job. Here he is, just turned 50 years old. with 5dc still to raise, always a loyal employee, and doing this kind of work. During all those months of unemployment, we had to file bankruptsy on the RV, had to accept gov’t help to keep food on the table, our oldest dd left home against our wishes. It has been so humbling.
I say all this, not to whine, but to show that through anything, God is a steadfast ROCK, ever faithful to us. We must continue the ‘climb’ no matter how many times we slip, we injure ourselves. No matter how many times we want to give up. FAITH will get us to each new level,eventually to the mountaintop, but our faith must not waiver. As this weeks’s Torah portion says…GO OUT (or spiritually, GO UP!) We need the faith of Abraham to just go and keep going.
Keep on keeping on, Robin. God loves you, you are so precious to Him. You have been a ‘friend’ to me and many others over the years with your wise words. God has bleesed you with this gift.
Blessings,
Lori in TX
Robin,
I am so happy to hear that you see God’s hand and His answer to prayer in your life. You have a wonderful spirit and a humble heart. Thanks for sharing your life with us.
Robin,
Thank you for this! I should have known the comment you made to me would end up a full-blown, rich devotional! I need to think and pray about this more and more….
Terri L.
[...] And finally, I refer you back to Robin’s website for her insightful writing, “Spiritual Mountain Climbing” [...]
Read 1/2-way through, and I am going to have to come back for the next 1/2… when there are no interruptions! I love you, Robin! I am so thankful for these honest, transparent and Godly posts!
blessings!
-Jacque
ok, I got through it all. wow… hard stuff to swallow, huh?
>> You can’t hide when you’re on the mountain. Weaknesses and strengths are exposed.
man, that didn’t show my whole comment….
Anyway… your post was really excellent.. one to put in my delicious file for sure! I will want to refer back to it for encouragement!
I think you should make a Robin’s Devotional Blogs Ebook too.
I hope all is well with you and yours.
Blessings!
love, J
[...] Spiritual Mountain Climbing [...]
very very good .
I share the metaphor of mountain climbing. I too feel that this is a very interesting journey for me and my family. Thanks for the post.
Excellent post you certainly lifted my spirit of climbing the mountain with zeal and yet firm determination. I would like to thank god for each moment of life given to me and one thing is for sure that where there is a will there is a way!You can reach the mountain but it does certainly takes a bit of time because the best doesnt comes easy…
Excellent, uplifting, and encouraging–thanks Robin for your insightful article. I too am on a remarkable climb right now and God has set me in places I never thought I would find myself. It’s true the higher you go, even though it gets tough at times, things start to become more clearly. It’s changing my attitude, outlook, and purposes in life. I listened to Miley Cyrus song “The Climb” as I read your article several times. God used both to touch and speak to my heart. Thanks for letting God use you to touch the rest of us. The higher we go the less people we see who really understand what it means to ascend the mountain.
I really like this topic. I had a dream about my pastor climbing a mountain on his knees.
Now he just had open heart surgery and has took a turn for the worse. This is his mountain, except in my dream he came back down with the glory of the Lord shining about him. He was gone for 21 days on the mountain. Today is the 21st. Please pray for him. His name is Gary. Thanks so much.