“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2 (NIV) 

“Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7 (ESV) 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

We are given a clean slate in this life when we give our hearts to God and believe that Jesus died for our sins.  Better still, through the gift of prayer, we can confess any future sins.  There is a supernatural eraser that continually cleans transgressions from the whiteboard of our life.  We are met with a new day and a fresh start with each dawn.  We have so many opportunities to get back on the path of righteousness.

Since God promises to cast ALL of our sins as far as the east is from the west, why do we insist on carrying around guilt? Romans 8:1 assures us that, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Why must we lug around unnecessary baggage?

You are fighting a supernatural battle while living on earth.  Christians do not fight simply humans during war.  In fact, according to Ephesians 6:12 Christians “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  The *devil wants to throw your past sins back in your face. He will persistently try to convince you that the offenses from your past have caused damage beyond repair, rendering you useless in the service of God’s army.

Baggage weighs us down.  It also slows us down.  1 Peter 5:7 instructs us to CAST our anxieties to God.  Casting is the act of hurling or pitching something away. To be perfectly clear, we are to forcefully throw something in a specific direction…… and that direction is heaven.  Our God is an excellent baseball player.  He will catch your “Burden Balls” and toss them over to God so that He can help ease your anxiety.  Jesus will also catch your balls of confessed sins and toss them to the east or to the west, where they will never be seen or remembered ever again.

Regrets, sorrow, and fear are also examples of extra luggage that slows us down in our spiritual journey.  We need to get rid of these bags as soon as we can, but some will be easier to toss to God than others.  Sorrow and grief like to hang around for a long time and it takes great faith to let them pass from our grips. Time will help in the healing process but some baggage may unexpectantly reappear during our journey to the High Places and mountaintops of God.

Whatever your burden may be, consider tossing it to God.  Believe in the promise that once your sins have been confessed they are tossed into a sea of forgetfulness.  Believe that you are a new creation and that your past mistakes do not define who you are or whether you are of any use to God.  Believe there are others who want to help carry your burdens when they are too heavy for you to bear.  Believe that your extra baggage is hindering your walk.  *satan will try to interfere with God’s plans by convincing you that you are chained to the luggage, but you are not!  Cast it to Him and find a simple back pack to carry your essentials up the mountain He is leading you to today.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”                       Psalm 55:22 (NKJV) 

*Intentionally not capitalized