Cast all your cares unto Jesus

Isaiah 53v 5
"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;  The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."

This is one of the most powerful and beautiful verses of scriptures written and recorded in verse 5 in Isaiah chapter 53. Here Isaiah speaking and writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was looking down through time to what Jesus would accomplish for us on the cross.  How Jesus would suffer in our place and how great the price he would pay in his own body for our sins and wrong doings which the bible calls transgressions and iniquities.  This verse of scripture is quoted many times but today I am drawn to the first word - BUT - that tells us that the verses before are very important, and although these preceding verses are not as well known or quoted, there is great revelation to be seen in them and revealed through them.

Lets look at verse 1 - It asks two very important questions - "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"

First I see that the question "Who hath believed our report?"  is being asked to you and to me, it is asking us "Do YOU believe the report of the Lord which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?"  It is a question each one of us must answer for ourselves, I cannot answer for you and you cannot answer for me.

The next question is "To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"  this is speaking about the revelation and knowledge of the salvation that God has provided through his Son Jesus.  It is really saying, if you answer yes to the first question and you choose to believe the report of the Lord - then you will receive the understanding and faith to not just believe it but also to receive and to experience it.

Many times I have asked myself "If you really believe the Word of God why are you not experiencing it?"  I have come to realise that many times I had believed the promises of God - in my mind - but my mind was also filled with other things like doctors reports and the cares of this life, which were stealing my joy and strength and leaving me weak.  But when I started to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and give me a deeper understanding of his Word and his Promises and help me to receive in my heart, then things started to change for me.  And I know if you would ask the Holy Spirit with an open heart, things will change for you also.  God's Word is not subject to our experiences or man's ideas or even what religion has taught us but instead EVERYTHING is subject to God's Word when we believe in our hearts and receive it.  That is why Jesus said With God ALL Things are possible.

You might be asking "How do I know if I am believing with my mind only and not my heart and my spirit?"

There is a simple test that we can use.  When we are believing with our minds only, we will be praying and waiting for God to do something, we will be speaking about WHEN or IF God does it, in other words believing that God will answer our prayers someday - BUT when we believe in our hearts and in our spirits, even though we don't see any change with our natural eyes, we KNOW that God has already answered, and we will be rejoicing that the answer is on its way.  Heart Faith gives strength and is not moved - regardless of what is happening around us.

You may be asking "How do I get faith in my heart and in my spirit?"

The bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God again and again, over and over.  What the enemy will try to do is make us tired and weak, so that we can't concentrate easily, so it is hard to read our bibles or listen to teachings.  He will also put things in our way to keep us from going to church and from joining in the praise and worship and hearing the Word of God being taught.  He doesn't want you to hear the Word of God, because he knows that when you are hearing it - FAITH will rise in your heart and in your spirit.  I often tell people if they would take the Word of God like they take their medication - 3 times a day - and always finish the course - then the continual hearing of the Word of God will cause Faith and Strength to arise from deep within your spirit - your very heart.  The Mind kind of faith is always working from our own limitations and reasoning BUT Heart Faith works from the thoughts and mind of Christ Jesus.

Before I move unto the next verses, I feel the weight of a great burden that is upon many of the children of God today - Many want to believe and many love God and love his word, but it seems like the promises and the blessings and the power of His Word are always just out of reach.  So many problems and difficult situations always getting in the way.  And many are discouraged and disheartened they feel that instead of moving forward they are always being pushed down.

The Christian walk is not a bed of roses and I am not saying that once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour that we are not going to experience any more problems.  BUT we must not fail to know that God has made a way of escape in every situation, he has promised to lead us through to victory and peace in Jesus Christ.  We can experience peace in every storm.  We can live in his strength and in his might every day.

Psalm 55v22 "Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;  He will never allow the righteous to be shaken".

1 Peter 5v7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you"

This word CAST means to throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction.

These two verses are like keys that open up the door to receiving the benefits of this wonderful Salvation.  CAST your burdens upon the Lord.  This takes a step of faith and it takes trust in God. But remember God's love for you is greater than any problem facing you today.

I want to pray for you today, if you are tired and feeling discouraged or need healing in your mind or your body.

Know this that God loved you so much that he send his son Jesus to die on the cross for you and suffer in your place and pay the price to redeem you back to the Father, so that when you accept him as your Lord and Saviour, you are brought out of darkness into his kingdom of light. Where every blessing and promise is made available to you.   I pray now that everything that hinders you from receiving the truth of God's blessings and promises for you will be removed and silenced and that from this moment on you will have a fresh energy and ability to know the truth that sets you free.  A sound mind to understand the scriptures and that you will be able to believe in your heart and receive His Love and Peace and victory in Christ Jesus.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will show you how and enable you to CAST the burdens that are weighing you down unto Jesus.  And that the anointing will destroy every yoke as truth flows into your heart.  In Jesus Mighty Name.  Amen.

In our next blog we will look into the next verses.