Seeking the Kingdom of God is like climbing a mountain

It's not easy to trek a mountain, much more with Mount Everest.  The feat needs endurance and strength and many have lost their lives climbing.  

To climb a mountain is not for the faint hearted.  First, it needs bodily strength and strong will.  In a similar way, the life of a Christian needs strength to combat temptations all around.  This spiritual strength does not come automatically.  One has to love God with all his:her heart, all of his mind and with all his strength.  Our spiritual battle needs the armour of God.  We have to pray always regularly to receive graces and gifts.  We have to read the Holy Bible to listen to what God says.  We have to sow peace and love with our neighbours.  We need to ask God's grace to be able to do all of this.  For we are not saved by our own works but by the grace of God.

We have to ask God for a strong will and determination to shoo away the undesirable voice that can usurp us.  However, God grant us free will to choose.  If the temptation seems strong, ignore it and do not dwell in it because it's a trap that will lead to spiritual death.

The litmus test of succumbing or not is:  "Does God likes this?If God does not like it, then we also do not like it!  Who is our God?

Before we arrive at the zenith of the mountain, we may lose interest and go down again.  In a metaphoric way, we go back to our old ways, sins, wayward life.  This is possible because of our weak nature and concupiscence.  Let us pray that even if we stumble that God will forgive us.  Then, we climb again towards our quest--God.

Let us pray that we will not be daunted, that our focus is on God and not on the vices of the world, which separates us from Him.  In Jesus Name, Amen.