RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-07-28	How Do I Cast My Anxieties on the Lord? (1 Peter 5:7)
		1Pe 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mat 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Mat 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Do I have to pray and explain everything to Him? Or do I have to trust in Him without praying and not signifying the particulars? If we think too mechanical about it, even this could bring more anxiety. Those who are overly introspective can get overworked by the process that they become paralyzed. We do have to be aware of what is going on inside of us. But there is an unhealthy preoccupation with ourselves that will not produce good fruit. If you are feeling anxious, and you ask God to give you peace it will not work if you fix your gaze steady on your soul to see if peace is occurring or not. You will never have peace that way. So what does it mean to cast your anxieties on the Lord? It does not mean cast them, and then stare at your soul to see if your soul feels unburdened. The reason it will not work is because our souls were made to be drawn out of ourselves. Our attention and focus is to be drawn out of self and toward Christ. The reason for that inward look is to help us know better what to look to Christ for. The point is to not continue to look at self, but to direct our focus on Christ. Christ is our righteousness, satisfaction, peace and safety. This means the key to experiencing peace and safety is to look steadily to Christ, and not to whether our souls are having those experiences. Now, because Christ is invisible the process of how to cast anxieties on Him seems mechanically impossible. We say cast anxieties on Him, but He is not physically visible. What does it mean when we say look to Him? This means to look to His promises. We see Christ through the Word of God (1Sa.3:21). 1Sa 3:21 Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. This is how we fix our gaze on the Lord. This is how we go out of ourselves to the Lord. We see Christ through His Word. Practically speaking, we get outside of ourselves, and experience the peace of Christ, by fixing our consciousness on a particular promise. All the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ (2Co.1:20). 2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. This is how we fix our gaze on Christ, and we see Him speaking to us through that promise. Isa 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' So we meet the Lord in His Word. Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; This does not say how often we need to let our requests be known. So at the beginning of every day call to mind from the Word some promises. Take one or two promises of God that you tend to struggle with. Then pray and ask God to help you believe that promise. Maybe you could write down the promise on a piece of paper, and put it in your pocket and head out into your day. Periodically, pull out that piece of paper, read that promise, and ask God to help you trust this promise. Read the promise as if God is speaking to you. You do not have to be asking for help consciously all day long. The Holy Spirit will use the promise of God in your life to provide the truth of the promise to give you what you need. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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