Cast Your Cares on God

I have been having difficulty falling asleep at night. I am waking up tired and feeling unrested. The Lord brought to my attention that I am carrying many heavy burdens. Over the recent weeks it seems the enemy has done his best to dump piles of garbage on me. I was okay with the first load, but then the loads become more frequent and heavier, pretty soon I was feeling weighed down. I did not mean for this to happen, but if we are not careful we can be caught off guard and entrapped by the snare of the enemy.

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks or even months where it just seems to be one thing after another? Pretty soon it can feel as if we are drowning in a sea of trouble. This is exactly what the enemy wants! When we begin to feel burdened, heavy, or weighted down by troubles; we can rest assured the enemy is behind it.

If we feel uneasy, restless or have waves of anxiety we are being bombarded with tactics from the enemy to keep us from God’s perfect peace. We cannot have peace if we are under constant fear. The enemy will bring worst case scenarios to our minds and he often uses people to bring bad reports to us. Has anyone ever dumped on you their garbage and you left feeling just as burdened as they were? This is a disguise by the enemy to use someone else to place fear in our souls. Other times we can just be burdened by carrying life’s pain and difficult circumstances.

Are we supposed to carry our burdens? No. If we do, we are surely going to experience waves of anxiety, stress, and fear.

We will also become physically sick if we carry burdens that we were not meant to carry. I know that you may be thinking: I can’t help carrying the burdens of others. If other people hurt, I hurt too! If others suffer then I cannot enjoy my life either. There is a difference between having compassion for others and CARRYING their burdens. We can have compassion for others by praying for them, listening to them, and intervening ONLY as the Holy Spirit directs.

I care and love my prodigal son deeply, but if I am not careful I can begin to carry his load. Sometimes we can have a false sense of responsibility for others, this is usually seen in individuals who have come from a family where they had to take the lead or be the responsible one.

We can have a false sense of taking care of others, and believe we are responsible for ALL others’ needs. Just because a need is presented to us does not mean it is ours to pick up. You will know when the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something for someone else. It NEVER will be forced, manipulated, or because of any guilt. If you ever hear thoughts like, “You should be doing that or if you don’t help no one else will,” that is the enemy directing you. God directs and leads with gentle promptings or a sense of peace. You will never have to figure out how to help someone if God is directing, because He will show you.

Rest and let go of ALL that you are carrying that has caused you to be downcast. If you have not been experiencing God’s joy and His peace, ask yourself what you are carrying that has become a heavy load? What do you need to drop off at the feet of Jesus so that you can feel light again? Perhaps it’s the cares of your family, sickness, or a prodigal child. Whatever it is, we were never meant to be in a continually state of heaviness.

“Cast your cares on God and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22

What are you carrying that you need to leave at Jesus’ feet?