Cast Your Burden On the Lord

 

Father,

My heart is heavy. I feel like I have to carry the burden alone. Words like overwhelmed, distraught, exhausted seem to describe where I am. I am not sure how to let you carry my heavy load, so please show me how. Take it from me. Let me rest and be refreshed so that my heart won't be so heavy in the morning.

In Jesus name. Amen.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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 mind in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His

voice." Deuteronomy 4:30

"For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle In the secret place of His tent He will hide me He will lift me up on a rock." Psalm 27:5

"In the day of my trouble, I shall call upon You, For You will answer me." Psalm 86:7

"When he calls to me, I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will rescue him and honor him." Psalm 91:15

"In my distress, I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears." Psalm 18:6

"About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.… "Acts 16:25

"When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand." Psalm 37:24

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation." Psalm 68:19

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:37

Emotions Are Tied to Our Thought life

 

Emotions are tied to our thought life. Have you ever stepped back and listened to your thoughts? Have you been surprised by them and wondered where they were coming from? In his book ‚Wild at Heart,‛ John Eldredge wrote, ‚We are being lied to all the time. Yet, we never stop to say, ‘Wait a minute who else is speaking here? Where are these ideas coming from? Where are these feelings coming from?‛

Satan is at war with God’s children.  He is a crafty one and a deceiver and, he knows if he were to show up as a dark, scary figure, with a pitchfork, we would immediately flee, sensing danger. So, instead, he uses our fears, hurts, and insecurities to influence us through our thought life. He knows that if he can control our minds, he can control our behavior and, what is his most used weapon to do so? Lies! When we believe Satan’s lies, rather than God’s truth, it leads to faulty ways of thinking and wrong behaviors that enslave our souls. The only defense we have to protect our minds from being lost in the darkness of lies, is the truth: the inerrant Word of God.

God’s word gives a detailed combat strategy for defeating the enemy. We are to pull down strongholds (rooted lies) and bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Simply put, we must replace Satan’s lies with God’s truth. If your thoughts are telling you that you are not good enough that you are unworthy that you are ugly that you will always live in fear that you will never heal or that you will always live in bondage, stop for one moment and ask yourself, ‛Whose voice am I hearing? Who is it that is telling me that?‛

God’s word tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep hear His voice and His voice protects them from the thief who wants to destroy them. Our beloved Savior would never harm His sheep by speaking such lies. If you hear that you will never amount to anything, that’s a lie from the enemy choose, instead, to listen to your Shepherd who says, ‘For I know the thoughts I have towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to bring you a future and a hope‛ (Jeremiah 29:11). The enemy is a liar and cannot stand against God’s truth.

He Is Able!

Nothing encourages a weary heart like the pure, undefiled word of the Living God. If you are struggling and weary my sweet sisters fall back on what you know....HE IS ABLE!

I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able....

Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

Able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Able to aid those who are tempted.

Able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.

Able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself?

"Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." According to your faith let it be to you.

2 Tim. 1:12; Eph. 3:2;, 2 Cor. 9:8; Heb 2:18; Heb. 7:25; Jude 24; 2 Tim. 1:12; Phil. 3:21; Matt. 9:28-29

He Will Never Leave You

People sometimes leave us and abandon us. We may feel rejected and alone, and that God is nowhere to be found. We may even feel abandoned by God and feel anger towards Him.

Feelings are based on thoughts. While these feelings are true the thoughts behind them are not. God's Word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. So even though we may not "feel" God is with us, He is always there because He promises to always be there and He cannot lie. God never goes against His word. He promises His eternal presence.

Feelings change all the time which is why they can't be trusted, especially if they are based on lying thoughts.

You our are not alone. You are not abandoned. Some people may leave you but God never will.

Take comfort by reminding yourself of the truth. God is with you, even in times of trouble. If God is for you who can be against you?

Prayer for Wisdom

LORD God,

We bow down before You in absolute reverence, humility, and surrender. We place our lives in Your almighty hands, and praise You for the hope we have because our identity is hidden and rooted in Your One and only Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, Who was sacrificed to bear the burden of our sin, rose on the third day, ascended to Heaven, and is seated at Your right hand. We repent of our transgressions, and plead the blood covering of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We praise You for Your grace, ongoing sanctification, and claim Your eternal promises!

Father, wickedness abounds in this lawless and decaying world, as the dominion of darkness is desperately seeking to steal, kill, and destroy the eternal inheritance You established long ago for those who love You. LORD, we know You are in control and Your Word will be seen through to completion - that You command all things seen and unseen, and that the war is already won. We pray for all who do not understand Your Truth, and are lost in the deception of this world...that Your light will pierce through the darkness and give them eyes that see Truth - that they will turn away from sin, have ears that hear the voice of The Holy Spirit, and seek Your righteousness. 

Father, as we see the ensuing the battles in both the spiritual and physical realms, our hearts are pressed to come before You to ask for wisdom. You’ve told us wisdom is supreme; if we lack wisdom to ask, and You will give it generously. So, today we present our petition to Your Heavenly Throne. LORD, we ask that You bless us with a greater understanding of Your Truth and the excellence of Your wisdom. We pray for discernment and spiritual insight, as we navigate through this season and prepare for Your Kingdom Age.

Father, our hearts ache for those who have never had hope, for those who have lost hope, and for those whose hope is dwindling. LORD, we need Your wisdom, strength, and guidance as we soldier through these turbulent times...as we co-labor for Your Kingdom, stand firm on Truth, bring hope to the weary, and plan for a new tomorrow! That You, LORD GOD, will be glorified! 

Father, we ask that You continue to be the lighted lamp to our feet, armor us up, direct our steps in Your path of righteousness, and nourish us with Your Word...fill our lamps to overflowing with the anointing of Your oil, as we prepare for the glorious return of our Groom.  

All glory, honor, and praise to The King of kings, and LORD of lords!!!

In The Name of Jesus we pray these things...Amen!

Proverbs 9:10(Amp)

The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

James 1:5

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Proverbs 2:5

then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 3:13

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!

Job 28:28

And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

Proverbs 14:6

A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

God Chooses the Broken

God uses us because of our flaws and mistakes, not in spite of them. Our imperfections and struggles create humility, and increase our dependence upon Him. As we travel towards our final destination, we are engaged in a transformative process of being made whole, and holy unto Him. Until that day, we should rest assured that His grace sufficiently fills in the gap; be grateful and rejoice that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses. Our human frailties remind us of our unending need for our precious Savior! Jesus is the Balm for brokenness, and He adorns the afflicted with salvation! We could never in our own efforts cleanse sufficiently to come before Him; but, He is faithful to meet us where we are - and HE does the cleansing and sanctification...HE makes all things new. Once we get a good look at Him up close, fully surrendered to His will and receiving the regenerating power of The Holy Spirit, our natural desire is to witness as appointed servants for The Kingdom of God. Arise, and receive your anointing! Claim your promised, imperishable crown of beauty for ashes, that The LORD your God may be glorified!

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Mark 2:17

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

II Corinthians 12:9-10 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

1 Timothy 1:15

This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Proverbs 22:4

The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life.

Ephesians 3:8

Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Acts 26:16

But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

Psalm 149:4

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.

Isaiah 61:10

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:3

to console the mourners in Zion--to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

He Will Give You Rest

Run to and rest in the open, eternal arms of our loving Father. Release all your burdens to Him and take His yoke instead.

Resign yourself to the will of God and seek His Holy counsel. He will sustain you and uphold you with His righteous hand.

Be still in His loving care while He refreshes you with Living Waters...as you find rest and repose for your weary soul.

Psalm 55:2

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Isaiah 28:12

to whom he said, 'This is the resting place, let the weary rest,' and, 'This is the place of repose...'

Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Mathew 11:29-30

“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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

‭‭

How great is our God!

We surely attain in our humanity only a glimpse of the greatness of God. But, meditating on Who He Is can radically fortify our faith and strengthen our relationship with Abba.

God Is our...

King, Keeper, Advocate, Author, Guide, Banner, Cornerstone, Counselor, Comforter, Creator, Completion, Champion, consuming Fire, Redeemer, Reconciler, Ruler, Resurrection, Restorer, Rock, Righteousness, Savior, Salvation, Sanctifier, Shepherd, Strength, Song, Healer, Hope, Help, Protector, Peace, Provider, Praise, Purifier, Promise, Preserver, Banner, Beloved, Betrothed, Blessing, Justification, Joy, Judge, Father, Foundation, Fountain, Forgiver, Living Waters, Life, Lamb, Light, Lamp, Lawgiver, Transformer, Tower, Trusted, Maker, Miracle, LORD, and Master.

He IS...

Love, Almighty, All-powerful, All-knowing, All-seeing, All-sufficient, Always there, Absolute, a Warrior, Ever-present, Everlasting, Beautiful, Grace, Glory, Compassionate, Zealous, Jealous for us, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Faithful, Merciful, Majestic, Pure, Patient, Sovereign, Immutable, Holiest of holies, LORD over all, The Alpha and Omega, Star-breather, The Word, The Way, The Truth, The Vine, The Holy Spirit, The Great I Am, Most High, Eternal Life.

He is of all this and far, far more...and He calls us His children! He surely is Worthy to be praised! Hallelujah!

Psalm 104:1

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty,

1 John 3:1 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

John 1:3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Jeremiah 10:6-7

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord

(You are great, and Your name is great in might),

Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

For this is Your rightful due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

And in all their kingdoms,

There is none like You.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Psalm 136:4

To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

Luke 1:49

For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

Nothing Is Too Great for Our Good

There is absolutely nothing too great for our God.

There is no sin He cannot forgive, no problem He can’t resolve, no relationship He can't repair. There is no hurt in our heart that He cannot heal.

Our job is to relinquish our control; partner with Him, and exchange whatever “it” is for His yoke instead. With this sweet, obedient surrender comes the promise of Grace...His incomprehensible peace...and rest for our souls.

LORD God, we praise You that You are limitless and Your burden is light. We place You on Your rightful Throne in our lives, and surrender to You all the ways we are trying to fix our brokenness and bondage. We invite You in for deliverance and healing in The Name of Jesus. We claim the victory of Your Grace, mercy, peace and rest. Father, we want Your best for our lives today and everyday. Lead us, LORD, in the way of Your righteousness, all for Your Glory. In The Name of our precious Savior...Amen!

Jeremiah 32:27

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

Jeremiah 32:17

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Exodus 33:14

And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 

2 Peter 1:2

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Anxiety Disguises Itself

 

Anxiety disguises itself. It may appear as a twitch or a pain. It causes headaches. It’s tightness in the chest or an uncontrollable shakiness in the legs. It is a fear that’s unnecessary and yet, like a puppy freed from its leash, anxiety is impossible to control once it takes over your mind.

We are commanded in scripture to trade worry for prayer. Start today. Every time an unwanted thought intrudes, block it with a prayer. Even speaking the name of Jesus in such moments has great power. Jesus does not want you to be weighed down and burdened by worry. He asks you to release your cares to Him and let Him take care of you.

Day by day, hour by hour, even moment by moment, learn to trust Him more. He will always come through, and in the end, you will see that the worry did not change things – but prayers did!

Lord,

No one knows the secret fears that I carry around in my heart. No one but You. May I lay down fear and pick up confidence instead. You are my confidence and peace.

In Jesus, Name, Amen!

.

A True Love Response

As humans in a fallen world, it is inevitable that we will all face some form of rejection, abandonment, temptation and persecution in our lives.

But, we can take heart that God took human form as Jesus Christ and was also rejected, abandoned and persecuted. He suffered in ways far beyond what any of us will ever face or can possibly comprehend. He completely knows and understands our pain and suffering. After all, the burden of sin...OF ALL MANKIND...rested on our unblemished Christ Jesus...alone.

Yet, He loved and sacrificed...He showed mercy, grace, forgiveness and compassion, regardless of the tumultuous circumstances He faced.

To put on the attitude of Christ is to respond in love to those who persecute and spitefully use us...to forgive and pray for them, in spite of the struggle.

A Godly response...one rooted in His Truth and Grace casts Light into the darkness...soothes the sting...removes the strongholds...binds up our wounds...and heals us with His Truth and Eternal Love.

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Matthew 5:44

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Proverbs 25:21

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;

Luke 6:28

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

John 13:34

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.

Romans 12:14

Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

Acts 7:60

Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

You Don’t Weep Alone

 

Weeping. It’s a strong response to the deepest emotions of the heart.

It is usually associated with great sorrow. Weeping is a part of penetrating grief.

As Jesus stood by the tomb of Lazarus… “Jesus wept.” Here is the incarnate God of the universe responding to deep sorrow.

It is clear that God incarnate is filled with compassion and care for His own. The tears of God. 

Can you find a pagan god who weeps? They are typically poised as conquering heroes. Weeping would indicate weakness.

But God is love. He is touched…and cares to the point of weeping.

Are you in a place of great sorrow? Is weeping a part of this moment for you?

Just one thing – you do not weep alone.

Richard Dresselhaus

The Bandaid of Bitterness

When we are hurt by others, the fastest way to stop the emotional bleeding is to put on the band-aid of bitterness. It keeps us from feeling the pain and on guard of being hurt again. It also keeps us from feeling God at work in our lives or His call to do His work.

God’s word warns “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springs up and cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15) Once bitterness has taken root it causes the wound to fester and grow. Anger, depression, anxiety…all grow out of bitterness.

To get rid of the ban aid of bitterness we need to allow God to come in and clean the wound so that it can heal properly.  Because even though it’s been covered up through various coping mechanisms, is still there and it still hurts. Just like a cut that got infected, emotional wounds have to be cleaned so we can get rid of the infection and heal.

Like poison bitterness can slowly kill us. It can harden our hearts to where when God points it out to us we turn our back on what we need to do to get rid of it. The good news is that we have a Savior who can heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds so that we no longer have to pretend that everything is okay and stop putting on a happy face when we are crying on the inside.

Take your hurts to Jesus. He can clean out the wound causing the infection of bitterness that is making you heartsick and preventing you from giving or receiving forgiveness and living in the fullness of His love and grace.