When Jesus said cast all your cares upon me, He meant it! When a crisis is looming concern turns to worrying, and before you know it, worrying morphs into fear. Fear and faith cannot dwell in the same place. So, if we are to have faith the size of a mustard seed, then we must cast all our cares upon Him. Consider these scriptures: “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6, NIV), “Don’t let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1), “Don’t worry” (Matthew 6:31). And that’s just the beginning. Yet many of us still act as if it’s an option, as if we’re free to worry if we want to. But we’re not! Worrying is a sin. It’s one of those things The WORD of God directly commands us to not do.
Use these three practical ways to cast your cares on Jesus:
1. Stop Worried Thoughts Before They Start
The mind is where the battle between worry (fear) and peace (faith) takes place. In order to cast your cares, you have to stop worried thoughts before they even start. When you first begin this practice, it may seem like you’re taking worried thoughts captive every two minutes. Gloria Copeland describes her experience when she first learned how to cast her cares on the Lord:
“An anxious thought would pop into my mind, and I would rebuke it. A few minutes later, I would find myself having another worried thought, and I would take it captive. I would say, ‘No, I refuse to take the care of that. Jesus, in accordance with Your Word, I roll the care of that over on You, because I know You care for me.’ It may be tough at first, but the good news is, if you’re diligent, the time will come when The WORD and the knowledge of God’s faithfulness is so big on the inside of you, you won’t have to fight it anymore.
2. Replace Worry With The WORD
Replace your worry with The WORD. Peace comes by acting on The WORD which says: cast all of your worry and anxiety over on Him (1 Peter 5:7, NIV). The WORD gives you thinks to replace worrying thoughts with. Philippians 4:8 (KJV) says to think on whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. “If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
You are the one who has to control your mind, but you are not without help! The WORD says that the peace of God will garrison and mount guard over your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7, AMPC). The Greater One who dwells within you is able to help you as you are obedient to replace your worries with His Word. Every time a situation arises, be armed and ready with a response from God’s word, it always has an answer for any situation or problem!
3. Cast Your Cares by Wearing All Your Armour
Guard your heart by guarding your eyes and ears from ideas that will make you think gloom and doom all the time. If you tend to be fearful and worry, consider what you’re watching on television or listening to. What are you hearing? Programming that is negative (like most news channels) or those that stir up a spirit of fear are not going to feed your faith and protect your thoughts.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 tells us who live in the light to be clearheaded, wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. Think about where the helmet of salvation sits—over your mind. The helmet protects your thoughts from the lies of the enemy. The helmet also covers your ears—which keeps you from hearing the enemy’s threatening lies. Fighting any battle without the whole armour of God is a bad idea. When you’re dealing with worry, it’s no different.
