Have a Traveler’s Mindset

p style=”text-align: center;”img src=”http://www.goingbeyond.com/sites/default/files/blog/Picture%2011_0.png” alt=”Psalm 84:5″ title=”Psalm 84:5″ height=”359″ width=”539″/p
pAre you on a journey?  I am./p
pMy life has never taken the “easy roads.”  Oh, there have been some
grand views and great adventures along the way.  But there have also
been deserts and thickets, some big boulders and steep mountains.  I’ve
wondered sometimes if God was such a great leader why He’d take me on
such a meandering, difficult path./p
pAnd yet I believe that He has always been there, helping me along. 
Even in those times that seem so dark, there is something in my heart
that tells me to keep on going, keep pressing on.  emIt’s His voice,
telling me that HE knows my destination./em/p
pI love Psalm 84, because it talks about a journey. It’s an ancient
song that tells of longing, even fainting to see and experience the
courts of the Lord, which was His temple in Jerusalem.   And as the
writer describes the beauty of God’s sanctuary, he pauses to talk about
the trip to get there./p
pThe rest of the Psalm is beautiful (and I encourage you to read it), but it’s this verse the captures my imagination.  It’s not one of those
bland scriptures on a greeting card.  It’s one you can sink your teeth
into, and really be motivated by.  It’s one to chew on and I love it./p
pstrongHere are a few “Travel Tips,” taken from this little jewel of
a verse:/strong/p
pstrongPack Lightly/strong.  Nothing slows you down like
unnecessary baggage.  Why struggle along with the burdens of guilt,
anger, and bitterness over the past?  emLet those things go/em.
Right now, today.  God is fully able to handle anything you give Him. 
You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to travel when you aren’t
lugging big old bags that don’t have anything in them but garbage./p
pstrongPack Lightly, but Pack Some Heat./strong  The trip will
take you through some dangerous territory, so you need to carry some
self-protection.  God’s word is our weapon of choice against the enemy’s
attacks.  Hidden in its pages are strongpower/strong and stronglife/strong.
The more you know, the better you can fight off Satan, who would love
nothing better than to leave you stripped and broken by the side of the
road.  That ain’t gonna happen when you’re packing a serious weapon, emand
you aren’t afraid to use it. Oh yeah.br/em/p
pstrongStay with your Group./strong  Find some good traveling
companions, the kind that help you along, not bring you down. em /em It’s important to have people in
your group that are familiar with the way, because they’ve been there
before.   I love what’s happening on this blog, through Priscilla and Going Beyond…we’re
encouraging one another every day, cheering for our victories and
offering a hand to those who need it.  Don’t wander off!  We need each
other./p
pstrongHang on to your Ticket./strong  That means: know where
you’re going. When you set your heart on something, it means you have
decided on it.  You aren’t changing your mind.  You aren’t turning back
around.  By golly, you’re gonna make it!  No matter what happens or how
discouraging the trip may be, you’ve set your sights on your destination
and that’s where you’re going.  And you WILL succeed./p
pstrongFinally, Know Where Your Strength Is./strong  Strength for
the journey doesn’t come from your gene pool.  Mercy, I was BORN a
quitter!  Strength comes from the Lord Himself, and this verse tells me
that there is blessing in that very fact.  Whooeee, I like that I don’t
have to manufacture all that muscle by myself.  When you are feeling
weak, just remember that emHe has all the strength you need/em to
keep going./p
pGod has an incredible plan for each of us, but sometimes
we don’t see how or where is He is taking us.  We’ve got to just keep believing, just
keep trusting.  Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 
Eventually, we’ll get to a spot with a panoramic view that will blow our
minds./p
pWe’ll say, “Look where He’s brought us!  Look how far we’ve come!”/p
pstrongMy friends, the trip will be worth the view./strong/p
pRachel/p