Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. Psalm 42:5 Amplified
Have you ever had those days where you had to "self talk" to your inner self or soul like this? Days where you seem to have lost your peace or just seem off kilter. Days when your just grieved or sad for no reason. Now intercessors I believe at those times are called to pray, or consciences feel that way when we need to repent, but there are days when everything is right and yet we find ourselves "cast down". What should we do during those times? Well, I think a few things besides that initial self evaluation. I feel this way when I have not spent enough time with the Lord, I feel this way when I believe He has given me a burden for someone else but the fact is there are times the world weighs me down and doubt and Satan just scream in my ear...and it is stuff like this...How are you going to get the bills paid? How do you meet the needs of your kids being a single mother? How do you find healing? How do you stay on top? How do you make your employer, your family, and yourself happy all at the same time? How do you do it all alone...HOW?
When that happens to me I suddenly feel overwhelmed and simply cast down....
So again I beg the question what do we do at these times? Here I can only speak from a woman's perspective...it is all I have.....I think women call friends... we may start yelling at the kids and start cleaning stuff, we do everything but that self talk. We try and fell in control again....but yet stay cast down.....
So look at this verse and you have some key things that truly work and believe me it took many wasted hours and years for me to really get this but I'm learning.... 1) Change your perspective...HOPE IN GOD See we are not our own provider, He is, so when we realize that and know how He provides and cares for us all of those hows are taken care of. We have just taken ourselves and our limitations out of the equation and replaced them with what God can do
2) Wait for Him So many times we are off and running...like start cleaning the house thinking cleanliness is next to Godliness or something. Maybe if we just prayed or meditated on His Word He would guide us into our next step...
3) Praise Him You know I heard this really great message on this. Praising God is one time Satan has to shut his mouth to hear what your saying, he can't move on you, speak to you or really affect you until your done. Knowing that alone makes me want to carry a spirit of praise with me wherever I go...
4) Remember who your Help is... God is our sufficiency. Period.
Enjoy this video of praise below and remember when God fills us and empties us of ourselves it is not our flesh but His thoughts, His secrets, His love that fills us. When He does that there is no room for our doubt or our "cast down" inner self to keep residence. God Bless each one of you!
I think as women we feel the need to stay in control in order to take care of everyone else. We have our Heavenly Father to cast our cares and worries on and He will provide(how often do I forget that).
This is really good. I was once a lot of your questions. The God happen, born again and even though I was still the person in a lot of you questions, it seemed a lot easier. God Bless You
Hope, wait & praise! That's good Lori, really good.
He truly is our ever present help in time of need. I wish I had learned years ago how much He not only allows, but desires for us to cast our cares upon Him. I was reading something about casting our cares on Him not to long ago. And the way it was defined was that to cast means to literally throw onto the back of. Sort of like a pack mule, I hate using a metaphor such as that to describe Jesus, but the truth is that is really what pleases Him. He came to serve not to be served.
I haven't arrived completely at being able to cast all my cares upon Him, yet. But more so with every day I find myself just letting things go. I love being yoked with Christ. I really don't have to pull much weight. I just stay attached to Him at the hip and He seems to be more than willing to do most of the work.
Great article Lori. Great thoughts, and a great blog!
Ducky...Your more than welcome...and yes, I have lived some of those years too, but I'm learning that God in all His love really doesn't want that for us...Satan does but I hold to the belief that God has given us all tools so that we don't have one bad day and I say that having experienced deep grief...
Donna...I just think as women we are socialized this way, at least I know I was, that ultimately EVERYTHING is my responsibilty in my house including everyone elses happiness...
Mike N Laura....thanks! Appreciate it!
Miss Remarkable....Doesn't it get easier with time! I LOVE how God does that...
Michael....It is so hard for me to cast my cares on anyone but myself...I mean it is a S all us women wear on our chest? Or is that a P for the proverbs 31 woman? I think your metaphor is great! I was raised to be so independant it is hard for me to rely on anyone or ask anyone for help....
I'm starting to learn I just can't do it all, I don't have the strenght literally...so I have had to learn to cast off things now throw myself with full force into someone...girls are taught that is rude...LOL it is all in the socialization of the thing...but Christ was great at breaking down those barriers too...and I'm a work in process ;)
Thanks for all the compliments guys really appreciate it! Lori
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