WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY CARES AND BURDENS?

1 Peter 5:7 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 (The Amplified Bible). Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you (Life Application Bible). …casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (New Spirit Filled Life Bible). (The picture which comes to mind is of a camel, burdened with a heavy load. When the load is to be removed, the camel kneels down, tilts far to one side, and the load rolls off - Prov. 16:3). Carrying your worries, stress, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, to admit your need, and to let others in His family help you. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to Him in repentance, kneel down and let the load roll off, He will bear the weight even of those struggles! Letting God have your worries is active, not passive. Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail) - The Amplified Bible. Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall (Life Application Bible). Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (New Spirit Filled Life Bible). Sustain, chul (kool); Strong's #3557: To maintain, nourish, provide food, bear, hold up, protect, support, defend; to supply the means necessary for living. Occurring nearly 40 times, chul primarily suggests "to measure out a provision of food," that is, "to provide". In Gen. 50:21, Joseph pledges to provide for his brothers and their children. So God will support, nourish and provide for His children! Hebrews 13:5 Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]: for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not! (The Amplified Bible). Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never, never fail you nor forsake you." (Life Application Bible). Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (New Spirit Filled Life Bible). We are contented when we realize God's sufficiency for our needs. Christians who become materialistic are saying with their lives that God can't take care of them - or at least won't take care of them the way they want. Insecurity can lead to the love of money, whether we are rich or poor. The only antidote is to trust GOD to meet all our needs!