Our Mountains.

Friday, November 12, 2010
Our Mountains. I can almost see Caleb’s determined eyes as he admires the land he has set his heart on. He looks squarely at Joshua and says those famous words, “Give me that mountain.” At the ripe age of 75, many would have thought maybe it’s time for ole Caleb to slow down, to begin to think about retirement. Playing golf with all his retired buddies should be the way his days should be spent, not conquering new lands for God. After all, he’s faithfully trusted and served God for all these years, surely he deserves a break, right?
Well, that’s not his mindset at all. Joshua reminds him that the mountain he has his sights set on is full of giants. These are vicious, angry, aggressive, war-hungry mammoths of men. And yet here’s Caleb, eyes of steel fixed on the mountain before him, saying, “God’s going to fight for me. This is His will, and I’m going to obey. Give me this mountain!” And the rest is history, or should I say His-story.
Last summer, the summer of 2009, I felt God saying something to my heart. There are a few people that can vouch for this, as I spoke to them about it. My sister Kristi is one of those people. I felt, within my heart and spirit, that God was calling me back to reach and disciple students in Cabot. As I prayed through that decision, which I thought was strangely timed and would be greatly misunderstood by the folks I was currently serving with, I spoke to my best friend at the time. Their response was very simply, “No bueno. Not gonna happen. Period.” As I prayed through this troubling predicament that I found myself in, I remember uttering these words to the Lord, “God, whatever it takes, please let me be found serving You where You want me, taking every step in obedience to Your plan and purpose for my ministry.”
“Whatever it takes…” Dangerous words, but they were straight from my heart. And God heard, and God answered. The journey that would lay ahead, the journey of “whatever it takes”, would be extremely painful and difficult. Yet, as I look back over the journey itself, I could not be any more full of joy at where it led me. God used that uphill, painful, excruciating journey to bring me to a full view of the mountain.
Every time I look at students in this town, I see my mountain. I see eternal destinies, thousands of them. Sure there are giants in the land, and they're monstrous. Drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, rebellion, busyness, outright anger…these are just a few. And they are strong. And for far too long, they have controlled this land. But the time has come that God’s people in Cabot, Arkansas are beginning to stand up, look our Calebs straight in the eye, and with a resolve as solid as steel itself say our words of sheer commitment, “Give us this mountain!”
So I wake up each morning, ready for the day ahead. Ready for days filled with conquering mountains. This past week, God has allowed us to see 2 mountains conquered, as 2 students have given their hearts and lives to Christ. Just awesome. But may we remember: there are 10,000 more right here in this town that need Him all the more.
So stand with me, would ya? Let’s face the world straight on. Sure, we’ve been in this for a while. Sure, there are many that doubt the chances of our conquering the land. Sure there are a million reasons why we can’t. But God has called us to this. He’ll fight for us. He wants our obedience and trust. So stand up straight, fix your eyes on the eternal destination of those around you, and proclaim with all the might you can muster, “Give me that mountain!”


That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

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