As we are begin the third year in which I have written this Word for the Week for our Internet friends, I want to do a brief review of its purpose. When given the visions that I wrote about in The Final Quest, I climbed a mountain with different levels, which represented different biblical truths. Climbing that spiritual mountain has been the quest of my life ever since. It is also the purpose of this Word for the Week. My prayer is that all who read this would be encouraged, helped, and continually go higher in the Lord. Our goal is nothing less than to be like Him and do the works that He did, to the glory of His name.
As I climbed that mountain in The Final Quest, it took a supreme effort. Not only did it require the concentration to watch every step, but I also had to fight the enemy at the same time. I can still vividly remember the elation and relief as I reached every new level that gave me room to rest, and regain my strength, as well as get a clear view of my position and the battle that was raging all around the mountain. I could also see above me and identify the best path to continue the climb.
I also felt like I needed to stay at each level until I had the sense that I had really been established there. If you have been reading these Words for the Week from the beginning, you may have noticed that our ascent has been painstakingly slow, and that we stayed at certain plateaus for some time. In the vision, I saw many who tried to race to the top, but none of them made it. Therefore, my goal is not speed, but spiritual growth that proceeds from a rock solid foundation. As we are told in Hebrews 6:11-12:
It takes faith and patience to inherit the promises. Have you ever wondered why we have such a large “faith movement,” but have never even heard of a “patience movement”? For everyone who reads these words is from the two verses above, I pray that you:
- grow in diligence so that you do not become sluggish in your walk,
- grow in the full assurance of hope that will keep you to the end,
- and grow in both faith and patience so that you inherit the promises.
We should each have a vision of ascending in our walk with the Lord. However, the height of our ascent will be dependent on the strength of our foundation. I am continually alarmed by two things that I repeatedly see in believers. The first is that those who tend to have a strong foundation for their beliefs usually do not have a vision for going higher, and the second is that those who have a vision for going higher usually have a weak foundation because they were too impatient to lay a strong one.
We must learn to continually strengthen our foundation, as well go higher in both vision and true spiritual attainment. Those who are not growing spiritually are at least drifting into lukewarmness, if not backsliding altogether. Until we are like the Lord in character, which is the fruit of the Spirit, we have not yet attained our purpose on this earth. If we are not doing the works that He did, which is the effective use of the gifts of the Spirit, we have not yet attained the maturity to which we are called.
My strategy for this Word for the Week ministry is to have a call and vision for higher ground embedded within the continual reinforcement of the practical teachings of the faith. The call and vision for higher ground must necessarily be subtle. This is the way that the Lord and the apostles taught because subtlety automatically separates those with the vision and maturity to go higher from those who are not yet ready.
True spiritual growth is not for the purpose of personal recognition. As I climbed that mountain I could see only a level or two above me, and sometimes could not even see anyone else above. The higher you go in the Lord the fewer the people who will be able to recognize it. This cannot be done for personal recognition, but only for the Lord. To see more and more of His glory is worth it. Even after you have attained the greatest heights, when you descend to help others, you must wear the cloak of humility so that they cannot even recognize that you have been in the glory. This is why Moses had to wear a veil. That veil or cloak can only be removed in His presence.
The glory is meant to change us from the inside out, and the glory is hidden so that it only comes out through our words and our actions. Therefore, those who have the most glory often wear the most humble clothing. Those who have seen His glory are appalled at the very idea of trying to draw attention to themselves. These live to see the name of the Lord glorified. Those who have seen His glory know that even the greatest glory that we could attain in this life will fade like the stars when the sun rises in His presence.
The ledges on the mountain that represented the higher truths became increasingly narrow and precarious. One could not safely climb the higher part of the mountain without having the surest footing. Our goal this year is to go higher, while at the same time making our standing even more sure. Therefore, the vision we seek will always be embedded securely in a constant examination, review, and honoring of the basics.
I am convinced that there is more depth of wisdom and understanding in even the most basic Christian truths than anyone has yet been able to fully comprehend. The examination of the basic truths of the faith is a mine that always leads to the mother lode of wisdom that can never be exhausted. Each one contains unfathomable treasures that could capture our interest for many, many years. I therefore greatly appreciate those who park at any level of the mountain to mine the treasures there. These provide a continual enrichment of the faith that we all benefit from.
Even so, I know that my own calling is mostly to those who want to keep climbing. That is my goal for those who read this Word for the Week—to help those who want to go to the top. Let us now determine that by the beginning of next year we will all be on a higher level, and that we will know the Lord better and be more like Him.
