The Higher You Go, The More Consecrated You Need to Be
When it comes to leadership and spirituality, the higher you go, the more consecrated you need to be. A call to audit your habits if you will. This can be thought of as the “High-Altitude Rule” for life. When striving to move up in any hierarchy—whether it’s a career ladder, a social circle, or a spiritual journey—your margin for error shrinks, and the “weight” of your character must increase to support your position. At this state, strong discipline is needed.
Here is a breakdown of what that looks like in practice:
1. The Burden of Influence
When you are at the bottom of a mountain, a stumble only affects you. But if you are leading a rope team near the summit, a single slip can pull everyone down.
- Consecration in this context means being more intentional with your choices.
- The higher your platform, the more people are watching and relying on your stability.
2. Sacrifice Over Privilege
There is a common misconception that “going higher” means you’ll have more freedom to do whatever you want. In reality, it’s often quite the opposite:
- At a Lower Level: You have fewer eyes on you; your lack of discipline has a smaller blast radius.
- At a Higher Level: You must give up certain practices or habits that others might still enjoy. You must have a stronger focus.
3. Structural Integrity
In engineering, the taller a building is, the more specialized the building materials must be to withstand the wind and pressure.
- To stay “up there,” you need a level of integrity and devotion that can handle the increased “atmospheric pressure” of high-level responsibility.
In summary, If you want to reach higher and go the “next level”, you need to leave your old, casual ways behind. Push yourself to change and grow. You have to “consecrate” or dedicate yourself more deeply to your craft and your values.
Remember: “What is permissible at one level may be fatal at the next.” – A.W. Tozer
