Have you ever watched a climber on a cliff? He struggles to climb up the face of a cliff and as he goes, he secures his rope in anchor points along the way. These anchor points are safety bolts that are put in place to prevent falling. As a climber ascends, the climber will frequently attach their rope in a bolt already in place or will hammer an anchor in the rock and connect to it. These anchors are essential for climbing. Without these anchors in place, the risk of falling is great. If a climber is secured then if he should slip, he would only fall back to the point of his last anchor. If there he has not anchored his climb and should slip, the fall could be disastrous if not fatal. In the Christian life it is no different. Our life does not end at the point of obtaining salvation; it begins at the point of salvation. We are called to follow God and He will always call you to stretch yourself. Those who obtain intimacy with God are those who are willing to let God stretch them beyond their own abilities. When I can accomplish great things, I get the glory; but when I answer God’s call to go beyond my security, God gets the glory. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. When I learn to depend on God’s strength and not my own, it is then that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). I can’t see the power of God when I am overcoming obstacles within my own strength. I can’t see the power of God when I am conquering molehills.

There are a lot of differences of opinions on minor areas of the scripture, but there are certain anchor points that are essential if you want to attain the higher calling of God. We are all called to reach this level, but very few attain it. Why? I believe it is because they never lock in to the anchor points that prevent them from falling. Without security in God’s plan, we will be limited to the level we can attain to. How many people have you met that are caught in the endless loop of trying and then falling, feeling disappointed in God and giving up? Eventually they may try again but end up with the same results. If you keep doing the same thing you will get the same results. Maybe that is where you are. I lived it for most of my Christian life as well. Today I want to talk about these anchor points and the need for each of us to link our rope into these by committing wholeheartedly to God’s master plan.

The steep climb is not the plan, but it is the means by which we obtain God’s plan for our lives. Without secure anchor points in God’s word, we cannot successfully reach the potential God has planned for us. Not only is the climb steep, but the opposition is great also. Satan does not want you to pursue God’s plan for your life. The Bible says that the devil is a liar and comes to steal, kill and destroy. The Bible warns us to beware. If we think we stand, take heed or else we will fall. Take heed according to God’s word. Not only do we have to overcome our limitations, but we also must press on against opposition. Look how many examples we have of Christians that have run the race only to fall by the wayside and have become discouraged in God. Madeline O’Hare, the devout atheist whose Supreme Court case banned prayer from schools declared in here high school yearbook that her life goal was to serve God and further His kingdom.

Without anchoring to God’s truth, it is hard to climb beyond our limitations. Without anchoring to truth, satan can use disappointments, trials and temptations to drive us away from God and tempt us to take the easy road. There is an easy way out, but as Proverbs 14:4 says, "Where no oxen are, the stall is clean, but there is much increase by the strength of the ox." In other words, I can live clean and effortless, but I can’t benefit without getting dirty. When we are anchored to the rock of God’s truth and trouble comes, we cling to our unmovable rock and stand strong in our salvation and the security of our relationship with God. As we progress in our Christian walk, there are many anchor points in God’s word that are essential if we are to climb higher. I am going to cover five anchors of truth that I am convinced that we must lock onto if we hope to experience the higher calling of God. I believe that each of these anchors are essential to our climb to the next anchor.

Grace. Grace is the foundation of the Christian life. Without a firm understanding of grace you will never have the confidence to abide in God’s presence. It is with this confidence in God that we begin building our foundation. A balanced view of God is essential. "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ " 1 Peter 1:15-16. We are all called to holiness. We all realize that we fail in this command. Without grace, our failure to achieve the holiness of God sends us into a cycle of guilt. We work to overcome the shortcomings in our lives and when we fail, we are often driven from God by guilt. Guilt has no place in the Christian life. I should clarify what I mean by guilt. There is a difference between guilt and conviction. Conviction is the instruction of the Holy Spirit to make changes in our life. We are called to abandon sinful habits, cast off the weights that so easily entangle us, change the focus of our life and follow the leading of God. Conviction is the voice of God giving us instruction, leading us toward His will and guiding us in His master plan for our life. Guilt on the other hand is the voice of our accuser. Satan accuses us night and day and exposes our guilt (Rev 12:10). Without grace, we are trapped under the weight of our guilt. Guilt is the claim satan has over us. The grace of God was demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

I want to take a moment to briefly examine why guilt no longer applies to our life. Colossians 2:13-14 tells us that when we were dead in our sins, Jesus made us alive by forgiving us of all our transgressions and He wiped out the handwriting of debt that was against us. Not only are we forgiven, but also our dept was erased by the payment Jesus made when He nailed our sins to His cross. Jesus paid our debt in full by becoming sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We have the favor of God through Jesus Christ. It is the exchanged life. Romans 4 tells us that the one who does not work to earn God’s favor but believes on Jesus Christ who died to justify the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. The key to understanding grace is realizing that it is the unmerited favor of God purchased by Jesus Christ with His own blood. Not only do we have a place in heaven, but also we are favored by God. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name", John 1:12. We don’t only have the right God’s family, but we also have the affection of God. Many Christians never understand the affection of God. They timidly avoid getting close to God because they never understand that God doesn’t endure us, but takes pleasure in us. Even when we sin, His affection for us remains but God requires us to give our sins to Him. We are no longer under condemnation because we have put our faith in Christ. What literally occurs is that we give our sins, failures and our ungodliness in exchange for the holiness, righteousness and godliness of Jesus Christ. By faith, we become as righteous and favored in God’s sight as Jesus Himself – not because of anything we have done, but solely for our faith in what Jesus accomplished on our behalf and offers to us as a free gift. We must anchor ourselves to God’s grace or we will fall.

Faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Without faith, we are dependent on our works or our merits to earn God’s favor. God does not honor our merits for His favor. Look at Romans 4:4-5, "Now to him who works, his wages are not counted for grace but for debt. But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." It was Jesus who died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Godliness does not come from our lifestyle; it is accounted to us by our faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness is credited to our account. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our righteous deeds are as filthy rags. Philippians 3:9 says, "not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." Righteousness comes from God by faith.

How does the Bible define faith? Hebrews 11:1 gives a concise definition, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I don’t believe in blind faith. I don’t believe the Bible teaches blind faith. There are reasons to believing. Romans 1:19-20a says, "because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen." I believe that we can have faith in the substance of God’s promises because of the evidence clearly shown to us that we can see by our God who we cannot seen with physical eyes. I can look in any direction and see evidence of God. I can look at prophecy fulfilled and know God is in control. I can look at creation and see undeniable evidence of God. I can look at the lives of those who have followed Him and clearly see God. I can look at my life and see pivotal points that unmistakably show God’s loving involvement and know that what He says in His word is true. Based on the truth of what He has said, I can confidently believe in the promises given if I obey Him.