Casting and Binding

Like many other people I know life has become anything but easy or comfortable lately. Layers of security have been peeled away form our lives leaving us with less security in the world but causing us to lean on the "core" of our lives security. Graciously God does this in most cases in small layers--one at a time (for He is a God of grace and mercy). He does this for our good, to bring us to complete dependence upon Him.

This morning I woke with an overpowering sense of insecurity. My head knew that I had nothing to fear but my heart quaked with fear. Usually, the Holy Spirit rises up within my spirit to combat this enemy of my soul, but today was different. This fear caused a paralysis in me. I now realize the term paralyzed with fear is very real. The most I could do was sit and pray and finish the baby blanket I am knitting.

It is so amazing to me what God uses to touch our spirits, to bring us back to that peace in Him that is just out of our reach sometimes (or so it seems). Today it was the knitting. Being a new knitter I rely on Youtube for my instruction. Having knit more rows than I can say (note to self--fatter yarn, fatter needles next time) I was ready to finish off the blanket. I looked for the videos and found out that this process is called casting off or binding off.

My spirit saw a glimmer of light and I began to look up scriptures about casting and binding.

Here's what I found

1 Peter 5:6-8
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because[a] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.


1 John 4:17-19
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Revelation 4:9-11

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “ You are worthy, O Lord,[a]
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist[b] and were created.”

on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:18-19
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

So with those scriptures in mind and without further explanation, I will now cast my burdens at the feet of Jesus, cast out fear by loving my Lord, cast away the enemy who seeks to keep me in this place, worship at the throne of God, bind the enemy from my mind through the power of the Holy Spirit and ask the Holy Spirit to empower me to loose myself to walk in freedom.

I will do all this as I cast off those last stitches. I will remember that I ran the race of painstakingly learning to do those stitches. That I must finish the race by casting and binding. I will cast off and bind up this baby blanket (remembering the bundle of joy that it will cuddle soon) and joyfully finish my day.

And for you fellow Tiara Ladies, I will listen to Mary Mary sing Cast the Shackles off my feet so I can dance.

Hugs with prayer for you to have a fear free day.

The King and I: Dancing

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.

You and Jesus are walking as true friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.

Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones; you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger. Eventually they disappear altogether.

There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back.

This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.

You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends.

Now you pray:
"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."

"That is correct."

"And when the smaller footprints were inside Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely."

"Very good. You have understood everything so far."

“When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was growing more visibly in your likeness."

"Precisely."

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first." There is a pause as the Lord answers — with a smile in His voice.

"You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"