CAST YOUR CARES ON GOD

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

When we look at this verse from these two different translations, we get a bigger view of what God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to do with our anxieties, worries, cares, and concerns.  Here it is in one big sentence: Give them all to Him!

Why is that?  Because He has much bigger shoulders than all of us put together.  Our bodies and minds were not made for the stress and anxieties of this world, and the Bible says that we are not of this world.  So let us do what the Word says: Cast all of our cares on Him, for He cares for us.

What an amazing Father we have, Who loves us so much that He wants to take all of this, cast it away from us, and take care of it for us.  This is the life of faith; not that we hide from our troubles, or run from them, but that we stand and run at them, as David ran towards Goliath.

God is not saying, “I will take away whatever comes your way.”  No, He's saying, “Whatever you give to me, and whatever you trust me to take care of, I will!”  So today, cast you worries and concerns on Him.  He wants them, and can handle them!

Confession: Today, I make a quality decision to cast this care on God and not to pick it up again.  My Heavenly Father would never tell me to do this unless He wanted me to, so today I do what He says.  Thank you God that I am free today of worry, concern, and anxiety!

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Esther 1 - 3
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Psalms 35:17-28
Proverbs 21:19-20

HE CALLS US BROTHERS

Hebrews 2:11 (NKJV) For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.

What an amazing fact that we receive from God’s Word, that Jesus would call us brothers!  Here we are talking about the King of the universe, and He calls us His brothers!

They say that Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military persons of all time, would take his mighty soldiers and bring them up on a platform and tell everyone of their feats and then say, “This is the brother of Alexander.”  In everyone's eyes, this soldier was now close to their leader.

Well, I do not know about you, but I am close with Jesus!  God is my Father, Jesus is my Brother, and the Holy Spirit is my Helper.  How can we lose?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  God, our Father, is on our side, and He wants us to win in life.  Do not get discouraged and say, “How am I going to get this done?” or “How am I going to figure this out?”

Lean on the Greater One who lives inside of you, and listen to His voice.  He is the One that calls you brother, so talk to Him today as you would talk to a close brother.  Lean on His strength and His life, and watch and see how He gets you through to victory!

Confession:  Today, I confess that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  I confess that Jesus is ruler of the universe, and that Jesus is Lord of all.  I confess that Jesus is my brother.  He loves me dearly, and sees me as a blessing.  I am blessed today in this fact from His Word.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 12:27 - Nehemiah 13
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Psalms 35:1-16
Proverbs 21:17-18

GOD’S BLESSING

Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV) The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

This is such a rich verse, right?  When God blesses, it makes us rich.  So what is rich?  Well, to the world, rich is having lots of money and lots of things.  We know from the scripture that money and things in themselves are not bad, but what they do to us can make them bad.

So when we say, “God’s blessings make us rich,” I think we need to look beyond just earthly wealth and see the spiritual wealth that God, our Father, has for us while we live on this earth, and for all eternity.  To be blessed by God, to me, means having a close and intimate fellowship with Him.  It means to be blessed spiritually, mentally, and physically.

For us to be well in heart, soul, and body is beyond the few things that this world can offer.  When I look at some very rich people, I would not want the life that they have.  Yet I look at others that have earthly wealth and love God, and they are truly blessed!

So today, do not look just for the wealth of this world; look for the wealth through Him.  This will include money, but it will also include so much more!  Beyond anything this world can offer, let your true blessing be to know Him, and to be intimately acquainted with your Heavenly Father.  That is the best we can ever have!

Confession: The wealth of this world cannot compare to what I have in Christ.  To know God intimately is the most valuable possession that I have, and today, I am going to get to know Him more.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 11 - 12:26
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Psalms 34:11-22
Proverbs 21:14-16

GOD WANTS US TO DANCE

Psalms 30:11 (NKJV) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness...

When we are going through those times that feel like we are in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, God has not left us!  His Word declares that He will never leave us or forsake us.  This verse brings out that God, our Heavenly Father, will turn our mourning into dancing.  Wow!  What a contrast: mourning to dancing.

These two are on separate plains, yet this is what our Father says He will do.  He will take those times in our lives when we hurt and mourn within and give us such joy that we want to dance in His presence, and to enjoy Him and all that He is.  God is so full!  He is so great!  He is the One who will take our sackcloth away, and clothe us with His gladness.

So today, if you are struggling with something and it seems like you cannot get the victory, hold on!  There is a dance coming your way.  It might not be a dance in the physical.  It might be a dance within your heart: a dance of joy, a dance of celebration, or even a dance of faith, knowing that your Father has it all under control.  He has it all in His big hands, and He will make sure you will come out on top.

Confession: My Father has my life in the palm of His hand, therefore I know everything is going to work out for me and mine.  He has said that He will turn my mourning into dancing.  He will clothe me with garments of praise!

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 9:22 - 10
1 Corinthians 9:19 - 10:13
Psalms 34:1-10
Proverbs 21:13

THE PAIN

Psalms 30:5 (NKJV) For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Have you ever had a time where there was such weeping in your heart?  Not necessarily physical pain, but pain of the heart?  Maybe somebody did you wrong, or something happened that hurt so badly you just about put yourself to bed with tears.  Or maybe it was a pain that you did not understand; something within you made you weep the night away.  It could have been tears in a prayer as you interceded, not knowing who or what you were praying for, but you knew that you could not, or you should not, let go.

This verse is for you then, because there are times that we are in anguish of heart.  Words cannot describe what it is, but we need to weep, we need to pray, and we need to hold on.  Even if it is because someone did us wrong, and we struggle in those times.  We hurt within, yet God says when we have nights like this, joy will come in the morning.

It does not always come the first morning, but it will come.  If your weeping is for someone else or for yourself, God will give you the breakthrough.  That note of victory within you that says, “Ok, it is ok.  God has it from here, so leave it to Him.  He will take care of it.”  Instead of an ache within you, you will get a feeling of joy and excitement that God is in control!

Confession:  I put my trust in God, so that even when I am going through things that I do not fully understand, I am confident that God will walk me through and give me the victory.  I know that all things do work out for me, because my trust is in Him.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 7:73 - 9:21
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Psalms 33:12-22
Proverbs 21:11-12

HEALING BELONGS TO US

Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) And these signs will follow those who believe... 18....they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

God, our Father, has made provision for us in all areas.  God cares about our eternal well-being, and He cares about our life here on the earth.  Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly. Healing is the children's bread, and it belongs to those who are in Christ Jesus.

When we look at this verse, it says that the believing ones would lay hands on the sick and they will recover.  Many times, we miss it when we have hands laid on us and we do not see any change. But this verse says that they shall recover.  It might happen instantly, or it might happen in a while.  What we need to do is to hold on to the promise that we will recover.

We are not to be moved by sight, but by faith in His Word, and as we hold on to his precious promises, they will come to pass.  There are times when holding on seems so hard, and it can be, but let God be true.  He is not a man that He should lie.  So today, if you have had hands laid on you for healing, hold on to the promise of the Word.  God’s Word says that the believer will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover!

Confession:  I have had hands laid on me, and I will recover.  God's Word is true, and my body must line up with God’s Word.  I will fight the good fight of faith and I will win, because God cannot lie and His Word is true.  Thank you Lord that I am healed!

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 5:14 - 7:72
1 Corinthians 8
Psalms 33:1-11
Proverbs 21:8-10

BE LOOSED

Luke 13:16 (NKJV) So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

As we look into the works of Jesus, we see here how the religious community did not care that this woman was bound.  They only cared about their religious order.  Well, Jesus shook up their order and showed where this sickness came from.

Jesus puts it out pretty clearly who bound this woman.  Many would say "Well, God must be trying to teach her something through this sickness," but here Jesus says that it was satan that had bound up this woman, and that it was God’s will that she be free.  When things come against us (and things will come against us as long as we are in this fallen world), the first step to victory is to know where it is coming from.

Jesus put the blame where the blame was due.  Satan had bound this woman, not God, our loving Heavenly Father.  There is no sickness in God, and there is no sickness in heaven.  In another passage Jesus said "Your will be done, here on earth, as it is in heaven."

God wants His will of healing and goodness to be manifested here on the earth, and He wants to use us to do it.  So today, pray for the sick and trust God to heal them.  Learn what His Word has to say on this vital subject, and go out there and help set the captives free!

Confession:  Today, I see from God’s Word that He wants to set bound people free, and I want to do my part.  Today, I believe it is God’s will to heal me and to heal those whom satan has bound.  God is a good God, and He wants to bless others and me.

Today's Bible Reading
(Click here to read it online)

Nehemiah 3:15 -5:13
1 Corinthians 7:25-40
Psalms 32
Proverbs 21:5-7