CASTING MY CARES UPON THE LORD: PART 5

In doing this "Casting  Our Cares" series I have listed certain KEYS to remember as we learn to cast our cares upon the Lord. So far I have listed these two KEYS...

PRAYER KEY: God knows and understands our current need and our current position better then we do.

PRAYER KEY: The Bible is God speaking to us. We can and should cast all our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us affectionately. The Father watches over His Word to accomplish it.

Today we will address the third KEY in learning to cast our cares upon the Lord.

PRAYER KEY: In daily life we all will have plenty of opportunities to worry and fear if we want to do it:

I guarantee that you had many opportunities to worry and fret over this last week. And I bet you took ample time with some of those opportunities. So let me ask you this. Did any of the worry, fear, or fret achieve anything, change anything, or help in any way? Did that worry, fear and fret give you some feeling of control over the situation and it's outcome?

Matthew 6:25-27 ESV  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  (26)  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  (27)  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Matthew 6:32-34 ESV  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  (33)  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  (34)  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I have been raised up from a death bed three times now, in 1979, 2007, and 2009 when my heart stopped during a medical procedure. In each of these times I had received both negative and positive words from family and friends about my health. Of course we typically get warm feelings when we get the positive words and we typically get emotionally down when we get the negative reports. However, our victory does not depend upon either the positive or negative words of people.

The words we get from other people need to align with the Word of God and be in agreement with the Holy Spirit. We need to confess our sin of worry and be filled with God’s Word and His promises.

Our faith should grow through trials. If we do not respond correctly in trials then our faith can wane. We need the Word of God in us because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. We cannot pray correctly without knowing the Word of God and the Character of God.

James 1:2-4 ESV Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (4) And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

I have been in places and situations were I would have run away had I not gotten a Word from God that assured me He put me there for a season and for a reason. Sometimes the only word I would get is “There are hard trials ahead, but they are not meant to destroy you, or make you a victim, for your good." 

Philippians 4:6-7 ESV do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.