Casting all on Him 1 Peter 5:7-10
”7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself - perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

All of us, if not now, recently - have felt the pressure of life.  Essentially that pressure brings certain things to the surface.  Once they come to the top the question becomes what will we do with these anxieties?

Clearly, the issue isn't whether we will go through something but how and when.  Some people are conflict and issue avoiders.  In our resistance to having to deal with things we play the avoidance game.  Many act as if the problem or issue isn’t there – you know – out of sight out of mind approach.  However, eventually we have to deal with whatever life brings us.  To delay the inevitable could make something far worse than it ever had to be.

The other approach is to confront.  The risk with confronters is similar to the avoider if it is done without the leading of the Lord.  The avoider puts off the inevitable and can't respond when the answer is in front of them.  The confronter moves ahead before the answer is in front of them and try's to resolve issues in their own strength and ability.  Both are essentially missing the best of what God desires to give us. 

The scripture from 1 Peter gives us insight into this process. 

Break the pattern - learn to cast and trust.

Blessing and provisional promise will never be realized by anyone until we learn to cast and trust.  One of the essentials being shared by Peter is that it has to be all our anxiety.  Holding on to bits and pieces of our troubles only causes a momentary relief.  Casting all of them gives us a lifetime of peace.  The end of verse 7 says that He cares for me.  It’s one thing to read this, it’s another thing to believe this.  This is what true faith and trust is.  Your Heavenly Father is declaring His love for you.  He says it loud and clear to each us, if we will move toward Him in a way that actually allows Him to care for us.

Anything that is not on Him is essentially being carried by me.  So the question for us is, 'why is it on me?' 

Good question.  Here's why - if we in our pride cannot move into this wonderful place of freedom and make ourselves humble to the ways of our Heavenly Daddy, then the adversary sees that we are carry something spiritually that slows us down.  If the adversary can slow us down and in some cases immobilize us, paralyze us and confine us - he will move in and attempt to take us out completely.  (see verse 8).

Here's something else that verse 8 tells us.  To cast our anxiety and cares upon the Lord requires two key principles to accompany the trusting and relinquishing aspects of casting; to be sober and alert.  Peter isn't talking about alcohol here, he's referring to a readiness and sharpness in the Spirit that keeps us prepared in season and out of season. 

Webster uses the following definition of sober that fits quite well, "earnestly thoughtful character, unhurried, calm."

Webster defines our other word alert this way, "to be watchful and prompt, quick to perceive and act." 

So, are these two principles contradictory to each other?  Contradictory – no; a paradox; yes.  That means time for adjustment, alignment, and a paradigm shift.

Under the Lordship of Christ these two points take on clarity.  Actually this is where the avoider and the confronter are brought into a place of balance and revelation.  It is the peace of God which passes (surpasses) all understanding.  It is the peace that identifies the presence of God.  It is essential that we tap into the God of all comfort and peace and allow that peace to reign and rule in our daily affairs.  Once combined with the intentional watchfulness of a trusting child we will be able to perceive what the adversary is attempting to use as distraction and act quickly within the rhythm of God's care.

Now, here's the test.  I want to invite you to - Break out of the instant answer - microwave mentality that has imprisoned so many in the west and get ready to go through it.  If God brings you to it, then God will bring you through it.  So often our first response is to grumble and complain and ask God to get us out of certain circumstances, when in reality He may want us to go through these circumstances.  In verse 10 it says, for a little while.  O.K., for some of you it has been years that you have been in the test.  Well, it's still only a little while. 

A year, with the Lord, is like a thousand years to us - and a thousand years with us is like a year with the Lord.

The reason why this is such an important time is because it prepares us for the blessings and provisional promise that I spoke of earlier.

Just how much does He care?

God always does things with eternity in mind.  We do things with the present in mind.  God is allowing many of the things in our lives in order to bring us to a place where we understand and perceive things in the light of His eternal Glory.  It's all about Him.  It's not about you.  The more we experience, the more He shares of Himself, and the greater He becomes.  He must increase.  It is essential for now and eternity.  He must become greater in every area of my life.  How big is He now?  As He increases, or as we make more room for Him, He promises to perfect us, confirm us, strengthen us, and establish us in every place of real importance.  He cares for you!

Below are the blessings and provisional promises from the Lord.  There are four listed here.  I've included a prayer after each one.

Perfect

Don't get the wrong idea here.  This doesn't mean flawless.  The essence of what God is doing here is to make us - Pure and Without lack, to equip us so that we are without no essential detail.  His desire is that we would be complete and mature.  Wow!  I'm up for that.  I wonder what I've done, or haven't done over the years, that has kept this from happening in my life.  Invite the Lord through the prayer below to make you complete. 

Father, You are flawless.  And because you are flawless in all your ways You have made a way that seems unconventional and occasionally hard for us.  Our ways seem right, but Your ways prevail.  Your ways are higher than ours because You have made them, help us to participate in Your ways.  Your way is the way of the Kingdom.  Lord, bring me into your Kingdom here on earth with every essential detail necessary and help me to relinquish that which is non-essential.  You are the author and perfector of my life.  Take Your place of Lordship and rule over me with Your grace.  Lord, You complete me.

In Jesus Name!

Confirm

One of the basic struggles for many of us is that of purpose and identity.  The adversary uses doubt to create an opening for attack and infiltration.  The attack usually comes against who we are.  In God's ultimate care for each of us He brings confirmation to who we are and why we are here.  When the Lord promises to confirm us He is validating the calling He has on each of us. 

Listen to how Webster defines it; "to give new assurance of the validity of: remove doubt about by authoritative act or indisputable fact".

The fact is that you are valid, you are God's very own, you are the work of His hand, and He has given you a future and hope in Him is indisputable.  Trust Him and watch how He validates your very existence daily as you cast, trust, rest and know all that is our God and all that He has for you.

Father, you are all I need.  Nothing else will do.  I am who I am through Your grace.  You have confirmed my very existence with the seal of covenant relationship in Christ.  I am yours and you are mine.  I belong to you and trust you.  Remove any issues of doubt and confusion that have been laid like a trap by the adversary and make me, by Your authority over me and in me, into your image and release me into my purpose.

In Jesus Name!

Strengthen

Once we move freely into a place of confirmation and validation - God can strengthen us.  Often we find ourselves asking for strength when we haven't settled the issue of identity.  Doubt still lingers and - once again the adversary smells it out and moves in for the kill.  God wants to put us beyond doubt.  That's where the last provisional promise comes in, he establishes us.  We'll get to that in a minute.  The key to getting there is found in a simple shift.  The shift comes in asking God to be our strength as opposed to strengthening us.  The latter can work momentarily, but the prior, that God would be our strength, is eternal.  This is where the glory and power are realized in Christ.  When He is renown, when He is establish over His attributes and hand outs, then He is glorified.  It's all about Him.

Father, we delight in who You are.  You are our strength and Your grace is beyond sufficient.  It is You.  Therefore, we desire You.  In Your fullness pour out the very measure of what we need, how we need it, and when we need it.  We trust You to be God.  Be our strength and set us forth in Your righteousness.

In Jesus Name!

Establish

The Lord wants to settle us in His care.  The Lord wants to establish us in His ways.  The Lord wants to introduce us to His Lordship and cause us to grow and multiply beyond anything we could ask or imagine according to His power - which is at work in each of us.  Have Your way in me.  When His ways are established we will not waver we will win.

Father, I relinquish all control and move into a place of abundance even through adversity.  Because You care for me and have caused your grace to be exerted over me, I can trust You to be for me all that I need and want.  Bless me with a heart that is Pure and Total toward You.  Cause me to be firmly established forever.

In Jesus Name!