the word is near you

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."
-Deuteronomy 30:11-14

I had never read the book of Deuteronomy until recently, and it is chock full of incredible encouragement! These verses are exactly the kind of reminder that I've been needing. I need to continue quoting Scripture aloud and keeping God's word in my heart.

In January my small group studied the topic of worry. We learned that worry is a sin. I grew up in the church and reading the Bible, so I should have always known that worry is a sin, but I always chalked it up to being something that's natural and unavoidable. We memorized Philippians 4:6-7, which says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I made it my goal to stop myself every single time I experienced worry and go through the following steps::

1) tell myself "Laura, it is a sin to worry."

2) ask God to forgive me for worrying

3) quote Phil. 4:6-7

4) thank God for promising to give me peace that transcends my understanding

This process occurred around the time that I was interviewing for a job at the local newspaper, waiting to hear about the job and then starting the job. I worried a LOT. I confessed a LOT. I quoted Phil. 4:6-7 a LOT. I was shocked by how often I had to stop and correct my thoughts. There were many days when I would quote the verses several times an hour.


the word is very near you