Day 3: The Word is Near You #21 Day Purity Challenge

Walking after Christ and submitting to his way of living can be a very lonely journey. It is a journey where you can’t see where you are going, but trust that God is ordering your footsteps and will bring you into an abundant life.

At the beginning of a new adventure or endeavor many are cheering you on and excited for you, but as you continue your journey, many stop cheering and lose their interest in what you are doing.

Can you believe Jesus, the true Shepherd and faithful friend and brother, felt the same way. He told his disciples in John 16:31-32, “And the time has come when you will all be scattered, and each one of you will go your own way, leaving me alone! Yet I am never alone, for the Father is always with me.”

Jesus knew that all his followers would abandon him when He made it to His purpose and mission. They cheered, laughed, cried, and supported Him all the way up until the point where He accomplished what He was born to do.

Was Jesus hurt by this? Yes… But did He let the response of people dictate His next move? No!

Jesus often said things like, “I have meat that you know not of. My meat is to do the will of my Father who sent me (John 4:32-34).” Jesus is saying, I understand to live on earth I need food, love, shelter, etc., but I also understand that man can not live by bread alone, but by every word that preceded out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

What is fueling you today? Are you torn apart because you are alone and without earthly resources? Or do you understand that you are never alone when you have a Father in Heaven that is always cheering you on and providing for you and also a High Priest who felt just as you did, but kept the faith until the end.

Jesus said in verse 33 of John 16, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”

So, whenever you are feeling lonely, unsupported, or unprotected, know that your Father will never abandon you. Jesus went away so that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, can come and remind you of everything that He paid the price for you to have. The word is near you. It’s in your heart, and in your mouth.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

11For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

12It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’

13And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’

14But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.

John 1:1-4

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2He was with God in the beginning.

3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

4In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Journal Prompt: Think about all the earthly things that fuel us. (Coffee, food, sweets, exercise, family, friends, etc.) What has been fueling you this year and what results have you gotten that benefited your walk with God? Now ask God to show you how to be fueled by His word, who is Jesus. How can you make room for Heavenly fuel? Repent to God, empty yourself, so that he can fill you to the overflowing for the journey ahead.