In two days, I will attempt to climb Mt Adams. I am nervous about not reaching the top. I have failed to summit the last three times I have attempted to climb it. What is most irritating is that I used to climb it 4 to 6 times a year with no trouble at all. I have successfully climbed it over 30 times. Once, I climbed it twice in one day. Obviously, those days are long gone. I am in good shape right now, and I know that I can do it physically. The problem isn’t my legs; it is my brain. I know that when I get to the 10,000-foot level, my brain will come up with 10,000 reasons why I ought to quit and turn back. My brain can be very persuasive because it doesn’t like pain. The only way I am going to win this battle with my wimpy, lazy, self-centered brain is to anticipate the self-talk that is going to happen and determine not to let it control my life. I used to run marathons, and about mile 18, my brain would start screaming at me to quit because I was killing myself for no good reason. With marathon runners, it is called the wall. If you can run even one mile past the wall, you will finish. The key was anticipating the battle and being determined to win it. The same thing happens in many areas of life. Our brains talk us into taking the easy way out and quitting. Many are haphazard in their church attendance, their Bible reading, their prayer life, and in many other areas of personal responsibility. The way to win is to set a goal, meditate on accomplishing it, think about the grand feeling of succeeding, and anticipate our flesh’s reluctance to work hard, and meditate on conquering those thoughts.