Casting Off Your Worry Series

During this message write down one of your main worries on the sheet (given out). If you change your mind during this message – ok, just rewrite it. • NO ONE WILL SEE YOUR WORRY!! PROMISE.

Introduction:

We all carry burdens.

Some are visible, like financial struggles or health issues, or the weight of responsibilities or the pain of loss.

But many are invisible—

fears, worries, and anxieties that weigh on our hearts, stealing our peace.

Worry is a heavy cloak that we often wear without even realizing it,

draining our energy, and

clouding our judgment.

What if I told you that there's a way to release that burden, to find freedom from the grip of worry?

In 1 Peter 5:7, God gives us a powerful invitation:

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

This is a simple verse, but it contains a profound truth:

God does not want us to carry the weight of anxiety.

He wants us to give it to Him.

Today, we’ll explore

* what it means to cast our cares on God,

* why we often struggle to do it, and

* how God’s care for us makes all the difference.

We're going to talk about the freedom that comes from surrendering our worries to God.

1. The Burden of Control

We often worry because we feel the need to control everything in our lives.

We live in a culture that celebrates control.

We're encouraged

• to be proactive,

• to take charge,

• to make our own destiny.

We want to make sure everything goes according to our plan.

But this desire for control is ultimately futile and leads to unnecessary stress.

We can become so focused on our plans and ambitions that we forget to rely on God.

We try to micromanage our lives,

to anticipate every challenge and solve every problem,

but in doing so, we often end up feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

Here’s the news: We can't control everything!

And trying to do so only leads to frustration and exhaustion.

Think about it.

* Can we control the weather?

* Can we control the actions of others?

* Can we control the inevitable twists and turns of life?

The answer is no.

Trying to control things that are beyond our control is like trying to hold back the tide.

SAND wall on beach…..

2. The Invitation to Cast Your Cares

"Cast all your anxiety on Him." — 1 Peter 5:7

The word "cast" is a strong, active word.

Like throwing a fishing net into the sea (this is Peter writing), it’s throwing your burdens off of yourself –

onto Jesus Christ.

Peter is telling us to take the burden of our worries, anxieties, and stresses and throw them onto God.

What does that look like?

Casting our cares means that

· we intentionally and fully give our burdens to God.

· We stop trying to carry them ourselves.

· We recognise that we are not meant to bear these

worries on our own.

Casting requires action:

It’s an active step of faith.

When we cast something, we release it.

We let go of the control we think we have, and we trust that God is able to handle what we cannot.

This is trusting - that God is bigger than our problems and that He has our best interests at heart.

When we surrender, we acknowledge our limitations, and place our trust in God's infinite wisdom and power.

We say, "God, I can't handle this on my own.

I need your help.

I trust you to work this out for my good."

Surrendering our worries is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength.

It's a sign that we are willing to let go of our need for control and trust in God's plan.

This is an invitation to live differently,

to release what we were never meant to carry and allow God to carry it for us.

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." — 1 Peter 5:6

so Why do We Struggle to Let Go?

What stops us casting our worries on Christ?:

Control

We want to be in control: We think,

“If I don’t worry about this, who will?”

We believe that holding onto the problem gives us some sense of power over it.

It doesn’t - God is in control.

And only by acknowledging that can we truly let go.

Pride keeps us from depending on God:

Just before Peter tells us to cast our anxiety on God, he commands us to humble ourselves (v. 6).

Pride tells us we can handle things on our own.

Humility recognizes our need for God’s help.

Let’s humble ourselves and admit that we cannot carry the weight of our worries.