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Pastor Beal

THE BACKSIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

"...Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired
to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
But I have prayed for thee..." Lk. 22:31, 32

Have you noticed that after exciting, thrilling, monumental, and climactic experiences, that they are so often followed by a time of testing, depression, pity, discouragement or failure? In the Bible you will find example after example of mountain top experiences followed by Satan's attack. In Ch. 3 of Matthew, Jesus was baptized; but if you read on, what followed was an attack by Satan in the wilderness. There Jesus prayed and fasted 40 days to win the battle. Peter one day told the Lord Jesus that he was ready to go both to prison and to death with Him (Lk. 22:33). Yet, we know that in a few hours, he was instead cursing and denying his Lord and Savior. One day Elijah took on 850 prophets of Baal in one of the most astonishing feats of faith in the Bible. In a short time we see him (1 Kg. 19) running from one woman, Jezebel, and throwing a pity party. I could go on forever with examples of great moments, followed by a downward slippery slope. I have noticed while in the mountains, that there wasn't much growth up there. The rich, lush, and green grass is in the valleys. Mountain tops are peaks, with nowhere to go but down. Once, when I was young and foolish (careful...), a friend and I decided to try and climb a huge mountain of gravel on our dirt bikes. As I somehow made it to the top, I got so excited, that I forgot that there was only about 8 feet before the trip went downward. Fortunately, my friend grabbed me as the bike went tumbling down. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 10:12, "...TAKE HEED LEST HE FALL."

Thanks! Pastor Earl Beal