I Peter 5:7-9 – “Casting all your care upon Him (refers here to a direct and once-for-all committal to God of all that would give us concern); for He cares for you (translated literally, ‘for you are His concern’).
    
“Be sober (mentally self-controlled), be vigilant (awake and watchful); because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour (we are faced with a very powerful adversary):
    
“Whom (the Devil) resist steadfast in the Faith (‘the Faith’ always refers to what Jesus did at the Cross; our Faith must be ever anchored in that Finished Work), knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your Brethren who are in the world.  (Every true Christian faces the onslaught of the Evil One.)”

“No man ever sank under the burden of the day.  It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today, that the weight is more than a man can bear.”

I wish that I could write and tell you that the moment you become a Christian, that there will be no more problems, and that life would treat you kindly.  Unfortunately, I would be lying if that were the case.  There are situations that will arise in our lives that seem to be more than what we can bear at the moment, and that life has thrown us curve balls for which we were not prepared.  Many times in this life we wonder if God is even there, and we question as to why He would allow these things to happen to us.  But I would like to remind you that nothing takes God by surprise, and He knows exactly what He is doing.  We also must remember that everything that happens to us, in this life as a Believer, is either orchestrated by God or allowed by God to take place.  He is in control of every situation.  But, for many who feel like the weight of the world is upon their shoulders, and that the burdens of life have completely worn you down, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter has given us the answer for all care, worry, anxiety, and fear.

“CASTING ALL OUR CARE UPON HIM”

As Christians, it was never meant that we must carry our burdens upon our shoulders ourselves, and in all actuality, many Christians are doing just that.  For whatever reason, many are holding on to the cares of this life, with fear gripping their heart, afraid to face the day.  We are told by the Holy Spirit that when life begins to get us down, we must cast all of our cares upon Him.
    
Before we tell you how that is done, we must first address these issues.  Care, anxiety, fear, and worry are a sign of unbelief.  It says that whatever our problem may be, that God is not able to solve it.  It is an exaltation of self against God, and that we are depending upon self rather than trusting in Him and What He has Done for us at Calvary’s Cross.  When we worry about the issues of life, we are in a sense telling God that He is not big enough and we somehow will have to fix these problems ourselves.  Can’t you see what is being said here?  By worrying over the issues of life, being consumed with fear of what tomorrow may bring, is a lack of Faith.  As we may not understand what tomorrow may bring, we must always understand that we are holding the Hand of the One Who created the world in which we live in, and that He hung the stars in place.  We must believe that we are the apple of His Eye, and He holds us in the Power of His Right Hand.

THERE IS A HEDGE OF PROTECTION AROUND US

We must understand that there is a hedge of protection all the way around us, and that nothing can penetrate that hedge unless God allows it.  We know this from Job 1:10, when Satan appears before the Lord and when asked about Job, Satan’s response was, “Have You not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”  This proves to us that even Satan knows that around every Child of God, who has named the Name of Jesus, God has placed a hedge of protection all the way around you!  You need to believe this!  As the song says:

     “I’ve got a hedge built all the way around me
     “And I cannot fail the Lord.
     “I’ve found a hiding place in my Jesus,
     “He gives me shelter from the storm.
     “When ol’ Satan tries to tempt, the Lord won’t let him in.
     “’Cause I’ve got a hedge built all the way around me
     “And I know I’m free from sin.”

The Bible tells us that we are “a Peculiar People” (I Pet. 2:9), which does not mean strange, as we would understand the word today.  But, in actuality, that word “Peculiar” means that there is a fence that is placed around you, as if you are the only human being in existence.  Because of this, God says that whatever is on the outside of that fence belongs to the Devil, but whatever is on the inside of this fence belongs to Him, and there is nothing that Satan can do about it.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CAST?

When the Holy Spirit tells us to “cast” our cares upon Him, the word “cast” means “to throw upon.”  All that this means is simply to throw all of our cares upon Him. In other words, too many Christians hold on to their cares and worries, instead of throwing them upon Christ, never to pick them up again.  We do this simply by keeping our Faith anchored in the Cross.

WORRY AND THE CROSS

Proper Faith cannot be held or had by a Believer unless it is anchored in the Cross of Christ.  When we place our Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, it removes the emphasis off of self, and places the emphasis on Christ and what He has Done for us.  By doing this, it becomes easy for us to cast our cares upon Him, which will stop all worry, doubt, fear, and care.  We are His Concern, and He cared enough for us that He shed His Life’s Blood on Calvary’s Cross, which should help us to understand that He is concerned over every part of our lives.  The main reason why we worry is because we are not looking to Christ and the Cross, but rather looking at self, and by looking at self, it breeds all sorts of problems in our lives.  We must take our eyes off of self, and place them on Christ, where they belong.  Quit looking to yourself for the answer, for we do not have the answer in and of ourselves.  But, as Paul said, “Looking unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our Faith” (Heb. 12:2).

In Him,
Pastor Gabe