1 Peter 5:7 – Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all you concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
We have all been taught we are supposed to cast our cares on the Lord. But most Christians don’t really take this seriously. They believe they can’t help worrying and don’t see it as wrong. According to the Bible worry is sin, maybe even a worse sin than sins of the flesh.
We don’t cast our cares on the Lord because we aren’t’ willing to but because we don’t know how; we don’t actually think we can do it. But we can see in the Bible a way to cast our cares on the Lord. It can’t be done by trying not to fear; it can be done by thought replacement.
The key here to successfully getting your cares to stay on Him lies in the end of the verse, “because He cares for you.” If you don’t know how much He actually cares for you, you can’t rest and trust in Him and let go of you cares, and they will keep coming back.
Philippians 4:6-8 – Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving continue to make your requests know to God. And God’s peace which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Bible actually teaches us to cast ALL of our cares on Him and have NO anxiety about ANYTHING! God expects even the worst of worriers to learn to trust Him and live at peace.
Isaiah 26:3 – You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.
Notice again it is passing your cares onto the Lord (through prayer) and fixing your mind on Him that keeps you in pace.
Victory over fear, anxiety and worry involves actually trusting God from your heart and releasing the weight your cares onto Him – because you really and truly know how much He loves you and therefore that He can and will actually do something about your problems.
Psalm 37:5 gives these steps:
- Commit your way to the Lord, roll and repose each care of your load on Him.
- Trust also in Him.
- He will bring it to pass.
Without the middle step of you trusting in Him, He doesn’t have your cares; you do – and He won’t be able to work and bring to pass the things you need.
1 John 4:16-18 – We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love…There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but full grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels ever trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment and he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love.
It is the reality and awareness of this love that pushes out the fear; it is not just trying to stop fearing. It must be replaced at the very depth of your beliefs. Perfect love casts out or displaces fear and anxiety.
The first and most important step to a worry-free life: GET TO KNOW God personally! Fix your mind on His love and care for you. Displace anxiety and worry with thoughts of His love and care.
The second step to a worry free life: BELIEVE He is as good as He says and will do all that He promised – for you.
When you get to know Him, you will trust Him to do what He has said, and then as a natural result, you will naturally entrust all of the cares of your life on Him. And when you do, things will go much better for you. So maybe you need to put more time and effort into studying what God is like, how much He loves you and what He will do for you than in trying to get the fear and anxiety to go away.
Casting your cares on the Lord releases them to Him to work on. Holding your cares and anxieties in your heart will block Him from helping you.
To cast your cares on the Lord you must force them out (cast them out) and displace them – by replacing them with thoughts of His care, of His love and mercy. Anxious, fearful thoughts must be replaced with thoughts of His goodness, kindness, love and mercy.
In many of the places where the Bible tells us not to fear, it also gives us a reason. It gives a thought to put into your mind to replace the fear. Below are some of the kinds of thoughts that God gave us to drive out or displace fear and anxiety.
He is with me:
Deuteronomy 20:1-4 – When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots, an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Before you engage in battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the troops, and shall say to them: Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies. Do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them; for it is the LORD your God who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory.
2 Chronicles 20:17 – This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Romans 8:31-32 – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Psalms 118:7-9 – The Lord is on my side and takes my part, He is among those who help me; therefore shall I see my desire established upon those who hate me. It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Isaiah 41:10-14 – Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.
He won’t fail me:
Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 – Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. …It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
He won’t forsake me:
1 Chronicles 28:20 – David said further to his son Solomon, be strong and of good courage, and act. Do not be afraid or dismayed; for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.
He will help me:
Isaiah 41:13-14 – For I, the LORD your God hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, do not fear, I will help you. Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you insect Israel! I will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 44:2 – Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you in the womb and will help you: do not fear, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
Other Scriptures:
Genesis 26:24 – And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will favor you with blessings and multiply your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.
Numbers 14:9 – Only do not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense and the shadow [of protection] is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us. Fear them not.
Numbers 21:34 – But the Lord said to Moses, do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.
Deuteronomy 3:22 – You shall not fear them, for the Lord your God shall fight for you.
Joshua 10:8 – And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you.
Joshua 10:25 – Joshua said to them, fear not nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage. For thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight.
2 Kings 6:16 – [Elisha] answered, fear not; for those with us are more than those with them.
Isaiah 54:4 – Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
Luke 12:32 – Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
Mark 5:36 – Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.
Luke 8:50 – But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
When we see a pattern in so many scriptures, we can just about build a doctrine of it.
Fear not…for…
Put the truths of scripture in place of whatever you are worrying about. This will displace the worry and cast out the fear and you can live and life of peace. And while you are at peace trusting in the Lord, He will go to work for you to work out whatever you are facing.
