I can do this!

Rev. Sudha Mehta©

areal photography of snow coated mountains under clear blue sky — Photo by Denis Linine on Pexels.com

Recently when my son spoke of his desire to go to Nepal and see Mount Everest up close, this memory not spoken of in many decades came bubbling up.

In my teens, I went to Nepal on a college trip.

We had a great time and loved every minute of it. Yet, the trip back on the plane was more memorable than anything else. Back in those days the regulations were not as stringent, so the Captain allowed some of us to stand behind him in the cockpit to take in the view as we flew over the Himalayan mountain range, and to see Mount Everest in the distance. I knew it was as close as I was going to get to it.

The Bible says:

Phil.4: 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.(AKJV)

It is true, but I don’t think you do any injustice to this verse if you say:

I can do all things {He calls me to do (Italics Mine)} through Him who strengthens me. You see, I am not called to climb the Everest, if I was He would give me the strength to do it.

Though my calling has not been to climb the Mount Everest, or any other natural mountain, He has set many a mountain of different kinds before me to climb and I have done it! I am also sure there will be more to scale before I go home to heaven.

cold snow winter mountain — Photo by Public Domain Pictures on Pexels.com

What He called me to do was to prevail in the supernatural against the enemy of my soul. I did! when He called me to persevere in very difficult circumstances, I built a lot of spiritual muscle and managed to come out on the other side much stronger. There were many times when naysayers said I would never prevail. They said I would lose everything, that I would even lose my most precious treasures (my children), and that I would end up penniless. They said I should give up on God, for He was not there for me, but just as Job I prevailed with His help. He gave but one mission, “Go tell!” I did and do and will!

I came to the US at the age of twenty as a young bride. Thousands of miles and many oceans away from home, to a small town without any support group. Fortunately, I knew the language, so that was no issue, except I spoke with a very British accent at the time. I had never written a check, grocery shopped, cooked on an electric stove, done laundry in a machine, used a vacuum cleaner, or driven a car. I knew nothing of how life worked in small town USA. To top it all, the life dealt to me in marriage was anything but easy.

Once I found Christ at the age of twenty-five, life without Him was beyond comprehension, I had found my safe harbor in the midst of life’s every storm. I climbed huge mountains when I raised my kids in the midst of great opposition to serve Christ. There was no choice but to scale more cliffs to study for Ministry, and finish my MA. Ordination was not an easy achievement but I did it. Counseling was what He called me to do, and I loved the task. When He called I found the door open. I told the Lord I would never push open a door, but I would also not hesitate to walk through a door He opened.

Here I am now decades older, with wonderful adult children and absolutely fantastic grandsons who make me totally proud. All of them love the Lord and I am one proud mama. The mountains and valleys look different now than before, but whatever the landscape of life, I press on toward the calling just as Paul did:

Philippians 3:12 It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus.(ISV)

Paul won his battles, scaled his mountains, crossed his oceans, tolerated his prisons and persecutions and went to his reward. Mine were not anything like his, but I learned from his example how to bear mine.

Many times they said “Your God has left you, just deny Him and you will be accepted by us,” but He strengthened me and I won.

I have never been in the military, or fought in a war, but I have done much battle in the supernatural, and for that I have weapons that are not of this world.

2 Corinthians 10: 3 Of course, we are living in the world, but we do not wage war in a world-like way. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments 5 and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah. (ISV)

When it all looked bleak, and I lost a battle or two, the Lord brought to mind that the battle may be lost but the WAR HAD ALREADY BEEN WON BY HIM, and I rested in that.

John 16: 33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.(AKJV)

1 John 4:4 Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.(ISV)

We all have different battles and different battlefields, different mountains to climb and valleys to pass through, different rivers and oceans to conquer. If it is a task He has given you to do, you will do it . . . WITH HIM. That He will strengthen you is beyond question. That He loves you and is your source, that He will never leave nor forsake you, that He will comfort you, that there is neither valley nor river so deep that He can’t reach you, no mountain so high that He cannot scale it to save you, should bring you the deepest level of comfort. If His death on the cross, His resurrection, ascension and His promise to return for you doesn’t give you that confidence of His ever present love . . . nothing will!

Romans 8:37 In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord.(ISV)

What is your mountain? Go climb!