Spiritual Disciplines 2 – Setting your Heart on Pilgrimage

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”  Rom 8:5-6 NIV

When I set the focus of my awareness on any promise of God I can move God’s reality into my reality.

The bible has a name for this spiritual discipline of setting our thoughts on the word of God: “Meditating on the word of God”.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Josh 1:8-9 NKJV

Let’s focus our attention on a promise of God so that we can move God’s reality into our reality.

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage, as they pass through the Valley of Baca they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion." Ps 84:5-7 NKJV

God says to us ‘I want you to set your heart on the reality that your life here on this planet is a pilgrimage – it’s a sacred journey.’

•    Pilgrims pass through a land that is not their own to reach their sacred destination.
"Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God….SO he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel he had around him."  John 13:3-5 NLT

•    The word of God clearly tells us that the loving, serving action of Jesus was empowered by knowing He was a pilgrim.

Let your life be empowered with the reality of who you are:

•    ‘YOU’ are not a ‘body’…You are an Eternal Spirit having a human experience.
•    Your body is the vehicle of expression through which your Spirit interacts with this Physical world.
•    Your body is destined to rot away; your spirit will live on in eternity so refuse to let the passions of your body rule over your Eternal Spirit… choose to live an empowered life.

If your soul lives forever (always retaining your memories and the maturity of your experiences)…THEN THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

It changes our self-centered, clutching lives to being ones that are empowered, liberated, focused because we are looking out at life around us with the understanding that we are living in time in the Light of Eternity.

The ultimate purpose of your life is beyond this physical one - the purpose of your LIFE is a preparation for eternity.

Why has God started the journey of our soul in a world where we can know trouble & strife? Why didn’t He start us in heaven, where there are no tears?
•    Because there is something vital and precious God is wanting you to take with you from this level of your existence into the next and that is…your maturity.

When we believe that life is all about our happiness, we will:
•    always be angry with other people because they will not devote themselves to our happiness,
•    walk away from our marriage when it’s no longer ‘fun’,
•    walk away from situations when behavior is challenged,
•    walk away from challenges that require discipline and hard work,
•    leave behind a trail of broken promises…

and we will feel justified in doing these things because we believe life is all about pursuing our own happiness.

But the word of God says there is a higher calling to your life; the pursuit of your spiritual growth.
So see to it that nothing that happens to you is wasted.

•    The purpose of problems is to teach us how to have faith to overcome.
•    The purpose of demonic opposition is to teach us authority in Christ.
•    Purpose of human opposition is to teach us how to draw on the grace of God.
•    Purpose of strife is to teach us to find rest in God.

In the ‘valleys’ of life;
•    Are you digging a well or digging your grave?
•    Are you passing through or planning on living there?
•    Are you receiving God’s grace to overcome or resigned yourself to defeat?
Go on to maturity - set your heart on pilgrimage.