Do you have what it takes? By Gerald Flurry

Mountain climbers are willing to risk it all for a chance to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Jim Wickwire (pictured below), after conquering K2—the second highest mountain in the world, bordering on Pakistan and China—tried to climb the world’s tallest mountain, Mt. Everest. But the weather became too treacherous. He waited for a month close to the summit but had to retreat for lack of time. He said when you get up that high, you only have to make one serious misstep and you’re dead. That has happened to many climbers.

Wickwire, who co-authored Addicted to Danger with Dorothy Bullett, underscores the many dangers mountain climbers face. In his book, a man related a story about how he watched one of his best friends fall into a crevasse; this man had already broken his shoulder, so he couldn’t retrieve his friend. He just had to sit there and watch him die. He has had many friends die around him, and he keeps climbing.

I may not agree with all of their motives for climbing, but one thing I admire about mountain climbers is their adventurous spirit. They embrace life in a more adventurous way than most.

Do you realize that, as a teenager, you are being offered something far more exciting? God has given you the tallest mountain—spiritual Everest—the highest mountain man will ever climb. If you reach the peak—if you conquer that mountain—you can help Jesus Christ rule the world and the universe forever! God offers young people the chance to actually be kings in the wonderful kingdom He is about to establish over the whole earth.

What a challenge God gives young people! There will be dangers. In fact, most young people are slipping—wasting their lives on frivolous pursuits.

You, however, can be different. You can reach the peak.

God has called you to the greatest adventure in the history of man. Can you capture some of that adventurous spirit? Let us consider how to reach the summit of our spiritual mountain.

Self-Control

First of all, you will never reach the summit by just talking about it; it requires action. And there is only so much time to take action!

“The words of king Lemuel [Solomon], the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings” (Proverbs 31:1-3). You need a certain strategy to reach the summit of your mountain. Part of this strategy is staying away from things that are not for kings. Your potential is to become kings, and there are certain things kings shouldn’t do. He particularly mentions to the young men not to give their strength to women.

Solomon’s mother knew what she was talking about. We see young men give their strength to women and amount to nothing. They can’t climb any mountain because they can’t control their passions. Any­body can act like an alley cat or a stray dog. But you must act like kings! That’s what you are; that’s not a fantasy.

The filth and vulgarity in this age is something to behold. With the Internet, you can view all kinds of nudity and perversion. That’s the age we’re living in. What’s wrong with that? You can wreck your lives before even learning how to live. You’ll grow up and become addicted to lustful sex and never be able to understand the real beauty of a family perhaps until after many years of instruction. Solomon was told by his mother, It’s not for kings to get into such slop as that. It’s all around you, and if you don’t heed these words, you will give in to it, because it’s such a strong pull. Get rid of your computers altogether if you can’t control that.

God wants you to focus on family. He wants you to have an exciting spouse. He wants sex between a loving husband and wife to hold that family together—to strengthen that union. Yet, look at how illicit sex has destroyed families.

“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink” (verse 4). Don’t let drink take you away from God or cause you to make ungodly decisions. Verse 5: ”Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” That kind of lifestyle perverts your judgment. It keeps you from realizing your potential—from reaching the mountain peak.

Becoming a king is not easy, but it can be done. You just have to climb a large mountain.

We’ll continue next time with another trait we need to reach the summit of our spiritual mountain.

Click here to read part two.