By Gerald Flurry

If you missed the preceding sections, here is part one and part two of “Conquering Spiritual Everest.”

Get in Shape

“During the four months preceding the trip,” one climber noted in Addicted to Danger, “I did more to get in shape than before any previous expedition. I ran nearly every day, climbed stairs, undertook a rigorous weight program to strengthen my arms and shoulder muscles.” He had to be in top physical form to climb a mountain.

How much will we get in shape to climb this spiritual mountain? Love is growing cold in society and in families, because people are not sharpening their spiritual tools. They are losing touch with God.

Again, this means action. There are two ways, primarily, in which you get to know your Creator. First, by praying you are actually talking to God. Second, when you study the Bible, God is talking to you.

Now prayer is something most young people don’t do. By prayer, I’m not talking about a group of teens holding hands, praying openly in front of the school before the bell rings. Neither am I talking about vainly repeating the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” before the start of your school basketball game. I’m talking about the kind of prayer God loves, where you go into the privacy of your own room, shut the door, kneel down, and talk to God like you would your best friend.

Read Luke 18:10-14. In that passage, Christ describes two different people, one who prays to get noticed —to be thought of as righteous—and one who prays in private, admitting his sins before God. Which one do you think Christ exalts?

Matthew 6:5-13 and Luke 11:1-4 give you a clear, concise outline around which you can build your prayers. That doesn’t mean you should just repeat those passages over and over. That doesn’t mean anything to God. God wants meaningful conversation. Base your prayers on that outline, and then talk. Tell God about your fears and worries. Admit your faults and sins. Pray for others—ask God to forgive your enemies. Pray that His kingdom would come soon so that this world’s suffering might end. And ask Him to teach you how to reach the summit!

If you pray for God’s guidance, then act! Open your Bible. Study Mystery of the Ages along with your Bible. That will enable you to understand God’s master plan. You need this understanding. That will help you realize why you are climbing the mountain.

Beyond that broad perspective, the Bible fills in so many other details—it’s astounding really. Did you know that there is an entire book of the Bible devoted to young people especially? The book of Proverbs will teach you how to live properly. Do you want to be a success? Do you want honest, reliable friends? Do you want to be honest and reliable? What about a happy marriage? Do you want good health for your entire life? The book of Proverbs gives instruction on how to succeed in all these areas. You just have to be a teen who acts—who studies those principles and then puts them into action.

The apostle Paul explained in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” God’s word is in­spired and is profitable for you—if you will use it. How? 2 Timo­thy 2:15 explains: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We can help provide you with the proper tools: Mystery of the Ages, this website. But you must use them. And that means work—hard work. Mountain climbers have to be in the best possible shape to ever be able to reach their goal. The same is true for you to reach the spiritual summit.

Reaching the Summit

Time is fast running out on this evil society. Fix your eyes firmly on the summit and the reward you will receive for reaching it. “After two days of superb climbing, most of it on ice and a few short stretches on exquisite granite,” this man wrote after reaching the mountain top, “we stood on Abbey’s Summit. Knowing that we were the first ever to stand there, I felt elated.”

What will it be like to get to the top of this spiritual mountain? Seize the moment now and you’ll be the first ones to reach the top. Talk about being elated! That will be an experience unparalleled in all eternity. Could there be anything greater?

If mountain climbers can risk injury and death to climb a physical mountain, then certainly we can risk it all to climb this spiritual mountain. And we can use the Spirit of God to make this the greatest adventure of our lives. So let’s get prepared (Luke 1:17), get in shape and make sure that we reach the summit. There will never be an opportunity like it ever again, for all eternity!