Acclimating to Elevation (Part 2)

If you haven’t already, take a few moments and check the first part to this three part series! Don’t worry…we’ll wait.

Let’s recap: Acclimatization- the process or result of becoming accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions. In the first part we talked about Adjusting Your Community according to Exodus 19.
When researching techniques professionals use in preparing to climb a mountain, the advice given was quite profound when applying it to our preparation for elevation.

1.) Professional Climbers suggest you climb the mountain slowly so that your body has time to adjust to the changing oxygen levels. Stop every 1,000 feet with a rest day every 3,000 feet. WHY? If you climb too fast, you invite the risk of altitude sickness. (REST is necessary…don’t forsake day 7)
• Don’t be afraid of what seems like slow acclimatization. Many of us are in the process of change or transition right now as God takes us to another place. And it can feel like it’s taking forever. Don’t rush the process because if you do, you risk making yourself sick. Altitude sickness…going higher than what you were prepared and/or ready fo

2.) Pack food that’s appetizing and easy to eat. Jesus is the Bread of Life and we all like Bread right! (John 6:35- “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”)

3.) Drink Often. Jesus is the well that never runs dry. (John 4:14- but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”)

4.) Keep warm to prevent frostbite. Stay close to the fire. Growing up people in my church would say that to the children anytime they tried to sit at the back of the church. That was their way of telling us to move to the front of the church so we could be close to the action and less likely to be distracted. Frostbite can be extremely harmful to climbers. In the same way, if we begin to stray away the Lord, it can be extremely harmful to our lives. We should strive to stay close to him through reading and studying his word, prayer, worship, etc.

5.) Wear proper attire to prevent hypothermia. (Ephesians 6:10-18-“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” We must stay armored up in order to protect ourselves from the attacks of the enemy.

6.) Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes: (“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is good your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness”-Matthew 6:22-23). What we take in through our eyes (what we watch) and through our ears (what we listen to) does have some sort of impact on us, whether we like to admit it or not. It could be emotionally, mentally, physically, etc. So, we have to be careful about we expose ourselves to.

7.) Use a stove with pressure regulator. The regulator keeps your stove cranking at full output across a wide range of conditions and scenarios—hot days, cold days, full canister, low canister and everything in between. (Romans 5:3, 1 Peter 5:10, Romans 12:12, John 16:33)
James 1:12- Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Jesus is our pressure regulator. No matter the condition of our life, he can help us to respond in a way that’s holy and glorifies Him.

8.) Don’t make this your first time for…everything. If we want to go higher in Christ we should be preparing and training now so that when we get to the new elevation we are able to operate well in that new space. (1 Timothy 4:7-8- Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.)

As TD Jakes says, “Get Ready, Get Ready, Get Ready!” We’ll finish with part three which will provide us a word caution against taking the wrong people with you as you elevate. Go check it out!