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God cares about you affectionately (1 Peter 5:7 Amplified), and He doesn't want you to carry one burden, one care, or one worry. Instead He has provided a way for you to live in peace every day of your life - not just a few days - but every day of your life! You can enjoy the peace of God as you simply act on the words of Jesus in John 15:7. "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

We don't say "ye" today. Instead, we use the word "you." When you look at this verse, everywhere it says "ye," it means "you." In other words, Jesus was saying, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you." Notice the word "you" is used five times in this verse.

You see, whether or not your prayers are heard and answered depends on you more than it does on God because Jesus told you in this verse how to receive answers to your prayers.

As you abide in Jesus and His Words abide in you, you know what the will of God is before you pray. If His Word promises you something, then it is God's will for you. God is not going to promise you something that's not His will. He would be lying then, and the Bible says that God cannot lie (Num. 23:19).

To abide in Jesus, the first thing you have to do is get in Him. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature..." The way you get in Him is by being born again, and then the way you abide in Him is through the Word. In other words, stay in fellowship with Him. Even though you've been born again, you're not abiding in Him if you're not fellowshipping with Him. You're not going to be able to walk out of fellowship with Jesus and still get your prayers answered. His Word must abide in you.

I've said it for over sixty years, and I'm going to keep on saying it because it's biblical - find scriptures that promise you the things you're praying for. You notice I said, "scriptures," not "a scripture." You can't just stand on one isolated text. Jesus didn't say, "...and my word abide in you..." He said, "...and my words abide in you..."

If you examine the Scriptures closely, they cover just about everything you need. For instance, Paul writing to the Philippians said, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Therefore, it must be God's will to meet your needs. And in Matthew 6:8 Jesus Himself said, "...your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Even though God knows what you need, you're still supposed to ask Him.

Many people are waiting for God to do something. This is where they are missing it. If you wonder why God hasn't answered your prayer, it could be because His Word is not abiding in you! As long as you're going to fret, worry, and hold on to those things that concern you, God can't do anything about your situation because you've still got it! You haven't given it to Him.

First Peter 5:7 tells us what to do. "Casting all your care upon him (Jesus) for he (Jesus) careth for you." You can get 999 preachers and half of their wives to pray for you, but as long as you're going to fret and hold on to your cares, you're not going to get any answers. But if you will learn to turn your cares over to the Lord, He will work on your situation while you're asleep! You can go to sleep without worrying.

You see, many times, the problem comes when God's words are not abiding in us. For the Word of God to abide in us, we must be doers of the Word and not just hearers only. James 1:22 says, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

Notice the last part of this verse: "deceiving your own selves." Many people are self-deceived, and they want to blame the devil for all their problems. But so much of the time, the trouble is not with the devil but with them. Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). Jesus never mentioned the devil in that verse at all.

What does God's Word say we are supposed to do? One thing His Word says is, "Do not fret" (Phil. 4:6 Amplified). Certainly, we are tempted to fret. But if we're going to walk in the light of the Word, we're going to have to pass up those opportunities to fret or worry, because if we don't, we are not going to get our prayers answered.

Your loving heavenly Father wants you to know that He does not want you to worry. Worry will kill you! I've had three different doctors tell me that more people are sick, in mental institutions, or in the grave over worry than any other one thing. Too often when preaching to Pentecostal and Charismatic people about the vices of tobacco use, for example, they will yell, "Amen!" But when you preach against worry, they will sit there and look at you like a cow at a new gate! And yet worry is the worst habit of the two. Tobacco will kill you - well, it will half kill you, and you'll stink while you're dying! But worry will kill you!

Now God would never ask us to do something we could not do. He wouldn't tell us not to worry if it were not possible for us to be worry-free. Personally, ever since I was fifteen years old when I was born again, I never have doubted that if I found anything the Bible said to do, I could do it because I knew that God loved me. He is love (1 John 4:8,16). Now even with natural human love, my own mother would not have required something of me that I couldn't do! So if God required something of me that I couldn't do, then I'd have a right to challenge His justice.

It seems to me that people would be glad to know what God said. It seems to me that Christians would be glad to know they could get out from under the burden of worry and anxiety. The Bible tells them exactly how to do it. Cast all your care - that means, throw it out there on Him (1 Peter 5:7).

The Amplified Bible says, "Casting the whole of your care, all of your anxieties, all of your concerns, all of your worries once and for all." Don't do it every day - casting your cares on the Lord and then taking them back again. No, do it once and for all; then that's the end of it! Cast your cares upon the Lord because He cares about you affectionately!

Copyright © Kenneth Hagin Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Author Biography

Kenneth E. Hagin
Web site: RHEMA
 
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
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