Bow Low, Cast Your Care, and Be Watchful.
1 Peter 5:6-8TPT
The 5 Mays—by Susie Larson:
May your love for Jesus grow by leaps and bounds. May your heart for Him upstage your fears about today, and your worries about tomorrow. May God's awesome presence so transform you that the opinions of others lose their hold on you. May God's very real and personal love for you spill out in the way you love others. May the power of the Holy Spirit change you from the inside out. May His guidance and direction take you where you never thought you'd go and help you accomplish what you never dreamed possible.
1 Peter 5:6-8TPT If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands.
7 Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you. 8 Be well balanced and always alert (watchful), because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour.
The first thing Peter says is, humble yourself bow low.
The Greek verb for "humble" here is in the passive voice, which could be translated, "be humbled." In this case, it is the hand of God that is humbling us. We are being instructed to allow God to humble us.
“Prideful people don’t pray.” Prayer take a lot of humility. The more you pray the humbler you are before God. A person of humility before God does not have anxiety; You cannot be humble before God and have anxiety at the same time. Humility before God and anxiety is like light and darkness. Light and darkness cannot exist at the sometime.
Show me a person with a lot of anxiety and I will show you a person who has no prayer life. Listen to this statement made by Andrew Murray about humility and prayer.
“Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
The humility that will enable you to overcome anxiety is simply being humbly enough to ask God for help—simple as that.
The apostle Peter knows a lot about bowing low. Jesus stated on a couple of occasions, for Peter ( or satan) to get behind Him.
Peter was accused of speaking loud, and unbeknown. Peter, the apostle that spoke before he thought.
Here’s a few of his sayings: “Lord, do you want me to build 3 booths?” “Lord, I’ll never forsake you.” The Lord’s reply was, you will deny Me three times, and on the third time the rooster will crow. Lord, bid me to come to you. Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter filled with the Holy Spirit speaks to the masses in Jerusalem in, Acts 2:14-24NLT Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. 15 These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. 16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy. 19 And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. 21 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Remember after, Jesus’ resurrection, He called for His disciples—Mark 16:7—and Peter.
Peter learned to live in a bowed position. Jesus became his centerfold.
Bowing low in God’s presence, I stress God’s presence—Leave the timing to Him.
Sincere humility, Giving God complete charge over every affair that comes your way. Bowing low in the presence of omnipotent God. P.H
Is He in control?
Bowing low might be—doing the hard stuff, serving—when you could exalt yourself. Bowing low for a cause, bowing low, because of His blood, His power, and His ability to do exceedingly more, Ephesians 3:20.
The Welsh Revival of 1904-1905, was layman lead; However, One key figure was Rev. Evan Roberts, this revival brought over 150,000 people converted and added to churches and chapels in Wales. Lives were transformed. Lifestyles were changed. Homes and families were healed. Churches were packed and on fire with fervor and zeal!
Robert lays down 4 keys to receive the Holy Spirit, and walk in God’s fullness:
Confess all known sin to God, receiving forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
2. Remove anything from your life that you are in doubt or feel unsure about.
3. Be totally yielded and obedient to the Holy Spirit.
4. Publicly confess the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the most commonly heard songs was, “Bend me lower Lord, bend me lower.”
The second word Peter gives the church—(cast) give Jesus your worries.
1 Peter 5:7NKJV casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7TPT Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.
Load upon Him your every anxiety, for He is always watching over you with tender care.
Psalm 55:22TPT So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace will strengthen you.
“You weren’t created to carry worry and fret.” P.H
The third word Peter uses is—be watchful, stay alert. Why?
1 Peter 5:8ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Notice, He (the devil) prowls around, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Again, 1 Peter 5:8TPT So be alert (watchful) to all these things and overcome every form of evil. Carry in your heart the passion of your calling as a church planter and evangelist, and fulfill your ministry calling.
In Peter’s day, the concept of being a New Testament evangelist—Was an Apostolic missionaries sent out to evangelize were to plant churches wherever they ministered.
Our contemporary concept of an evangelist is quite different than in Paul’s day.m (In & out).
1 Corinthians 16:13ESV Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
The word ‘watchful’ is a throwback to the old testament watchmen, whose job it was to sit on the city wall, scan the whole horizon, and keep watch.
In Judges, the Midianites were oppressing Israel. God calls Gideon in the book of Judges 6:14-16NKJV Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” 15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Gideon, He had a huge army—32,000, God told Gideon it was too big. Gideon told those in his army who were fearful to leave—22,000 left. 10,000 remained, but God said it was too big. God told Gideon to take his thirsty army to fresh water. Those that put their mouth down into the water send them away, but those who drink while watching, that’s your army—300.
During the night, God instructed Gideon to approach the Midianite camp. There, Gideon overheard a Midianite man tell a friend of a dream in which "a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian" (Judges 7:13), causing their tent or camp to collapse. This was interpreted as meaning that God had given the Midianites over to Gideon.
Gideon returned to the Israelite camp and gave each of his men a trumpet (shofar) and a clay jar with a torch hidden inside. Divided into three companies, Gideon and his 300 men marched on the enemy camp. He instructed them to blow the trumpet, give a battle cry and light torches, simulating an attack by a large force. As they did so, the Midianite army fled (Judges 7:17–22).
“When God is anointing the situation, the place, the army, you’ll be in good shape!” P.H
Colossians 4:2ESV Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Jesus asks His disciples a critical question, Matthew 26:40ESV And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
You are called to be a watchman on the wall!
In Biblical times, Watchmen were the first ones to see an attacking army are traveling traders. People who live in prayer mode are watchful. They see further than others see.
Again, People who live in prayer mode are watchful and victorious. They win over the devils plans.
Remember this, There are only two ways to live your life, Survival mode or Prayer mode. Survival mode is simply reacting to the circumstances around you.
Those who react are driven by fear. Fear motivates them to cave in, fit in, and just get by.
1 Peter 5:6-8TM So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. 8 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up.
If you will come to God, bow low, cast your cares, and be watchful, God will anoint you to carry out every mission. PH
Benediction.
