YOKES, THOUGHTS, AND

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BURDENS

Many people think the trials and

burdens of life are ordained of God. But

the truth is God wants His Word to

undo the heavy burdens.

In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said,

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and

are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest.” The way some people talk, you

would think this Scripture reads, “Come

unto Me, all ye that have no problems,

and I will burden you down with all the

problems and cares of life.”

There are many religious people

who believe they must be burdened in

life in order to please God. The words

of Jesus in Matthew 11:28 give us a

very different perspective. His message

is good news, but the religious tradition

of men will often turn it into bad news.

The message of Jesus in Matthew

11:29 reveals that His yoke will bring

rest to your soul: “Take my yoke upon

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

you, and learn of me; for I am meek and

lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest

unto your souls.”

In those days, two or more oxen

were connected together with a wooden

yoke that fit over their necks so they

could all pull the load. If there was a

knot on that wooden yoke, it would rub

the oxen raw in a certain place.

When Jesus was saying this to His

disciples, they were probably standing

under an olive tree, watching a man

work on a yoke that wasn’t fitting

properly.

Jesus said that if you'll come to Me

and get yoked up with Me, My yoke is

custom-made to fit. When you are

yoked together with Me. I'll bear the

load and make the burden light.

(Paraphrased)

BURDEN NOT FROM GOD

Those who are always weighed

down with a heavy burden have not

learned to take His yoke. Many believe

God gave them that heavy burden. But

Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy, and

my burden is light.’’ (Matthew 11:30)

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

Many Christians take on burdens

that God never intended for them to

have. Some who are in the ministry take

upon themselves all the burdens of

others, instead of casting them on the

Lord. Peter tells us how to lighten the

load, “Casting all your care upon him;

for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7)

Too often it is our words, not His,

that have become our burden. The

words of Jesus should comfort every

heart.

While we are on this subject, let’s

look at what God said about burdens:

And when this people, or the

prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee,

saying, What is the burden of the

LORD? thou shalt then say unto

them, What burden? I will even

forsake you, saith the LORD. And

as for the prophet, and the priest,

and the people, that shall say, The

burden of the LORD, I will even

punish that man and his house.

(Jeremiah 23:33-34)

People say, “I have this heavy

burden from the Lord.” But Jesus said,

“Come unto me...I will give you rest...

my yoke is easy and my burden is

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

light.” God said: Every man’s words

shall be his burden. “And the burden of

the LORD shall ye mention no more:

for every man’s word shall be his

burden; for ye have perverted the words

of the living God, of the LORD of hosts

our God.” (Jeremiah 23:36)

The truth is God wants to unladen

you of your heavy burdens, not put them

on you. So much of the time it is a

person’s attitude about what God’s

Word said to do that becomes a burden.

If you are not properly yoked with

Jesus, life’s circumstances will rub you

raw. Religion will burden you if you

don’t rightly divide the Word of Truth.

DON’T SAY BURDEN OF THE LORD

But since ye say, The burden

of the LORD; therefore thus saith

the LORD; Because ye say this

word, The burden of the LORD,

and I have sent unto you, saying,

Ye shall not say, The burden of the

LORD; Therefore, behold, I, even

I, will utterly forget you, and I will

forsake you... (Jeremiah 23:38-39)

It seems that Israel had considered

the prophetic Word delivered to them

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

through the prophets to be a burden. If

they had been obedient to that Word,

their burdens would have been lifted off

them.

The Prophet Isaiah shows the

difference between Israel’s religious

fasts and the fast God had chosen:

Is it such a fast that I have

chosen? a day for a man to afflict

his soul? is it to bow down his head

as a bulrush, and to spread

sackcloth and ashes under him?

wilt thou call this a fast, and an

acceptable day to the LORD? Is

not this the fast that I have chosen?

to loose the bands of wickedness,

to undo the heavy burdens, and to

let the oppressed go free, and that

ye break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:5-

6)

We have all had the wrong idea

about burdens. God meant His Word to

be good news not bad news. Jesus said

to the Pharisees of His day that the

traditions of men make “... the word of

God of none effect...” (Mark 7:13)

God is on your side, and He wants

to undo your burdens and break every

religious yoke.

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

One of the problems today is that

many Christians, especially ministers,

take the problems of others upon

themselves. They are self-imposed

burdens. Some even leave the ministry

because they took the burdens of their

congregations on themselves. God

doesn’t want you to play God—you

can’t handle it.

CAST YOUR CARES UPON HIM

Peter tells us one of the ways to

undo the heavy burdens: “Casting all

your care upon him: for he careth for

you.” (I Peter 5:7) We must learn to cast

all our cares upon Jesus. God never

intended for you to take the problems of

others on yourself.

Are you burdened because you have

taken the cares and burdens of everyone

who came to you with a prayer request?

You prayed with them but never

released it to the Lord. If you will, in

faith, cast it over on the Lord, you won’t

be burdened with it... but you will be

thanking and praising God for meeting

that need.

People say, “Would you pray and

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

agree with me about a certain

situation?” I would pray and be in

agreement. The Bible said “... if two of

you shall agree... it shall be done...”

(Matthew 18:19) But when I am through

praying, they will say, “Brother Capps,

just keep praying.” It’s obvious they

didn’t understand the prayer of faith.

After I prayed in faith about that

situation and I have released my faith,

it’s finished. I cast that care on the Lord.

(I John 5:14)

If you take all these cares on

yourself, eventually you won’t be able

to help anyone. You will have more

burdens than you know how to handle.

Don’t forget the words of Jesus, “Come

unto me... take my yoke... my yoke is

easy and my burden is light.” His yoke

is custom-made, and it won’t rub you

raw.

GOD’S THOUGHTS

When you have taken His yoke

upon yourself and lightened the load,

there always seems to be someone who

will try to put a knot in your yoke by

quoting a Scripture out of context.

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

For instance, have you ever heard

someone quote Isaiah 55:8-9? “For my

thoughts are not your thoughts, neither

are your ways my ways, saith the

LORD. For as the heavens are higher

than the earth, so are my ways higher

than your ways, and my thoughts than

your thoughts.”

These verses have become sacred

cows (so to speak) to some people, and

they are held in bondage by them. They

say, “Yes, God’s thoughts are higher

than our thoughts. God’s ways are

higher than our ways.” They are

implying that we should never expect to

be able to have God’s thoughts or

operate in His ways. They missed the

whole point by not keeping it in the

context.

That’s what I call a false truth. By

that I mean, it is in the Bible, but we

must keep it in the context of which it

was written, or it can be very

misleading.

THE WICKED MAN’S THOUGHTS

When we read verses 6 thru 8

together, we get God’s perspective.

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

Seek ye the LORD while he

may be found, call ye upon him

while he is near: Let the wicked

forsake his way, and the

unrighteous man his thoughts: and

let him return unto the LORD, and

he will have mercy upon him; and

to our God, for he will abundantly

pardon. For my thoughts are not

your thoughts, neither are your

ways my ways, saith the LORD.

(Isaiah 55:6-8)

When God says, “... my thoughts

are not your thoughts...” He is referring

to the wicked.

We who are in Christ can have His

thoughts and know His ways. The

Apostle Paul said, “Be ye therefore

followers (imitators) of God, as dear

children.” (Ephesians 5:1)

TRUTH IS REVEALED IN CONTEXT

If we study God’s Word in the

context which it was written and other

related Scriptures, the truth is revealed

as we see in the following verses:

For as the rain cometh down,

and the snow from heaven, and

returneth not thither, but watereth

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

the earth, and maketh it bring forth

and bud, that it may give seed to

the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall my word be that goeth

forth out of my mouth: it shall not

return unto me void, but it shall

accomplish that which I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing

whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

GOD’S WAYS CAN BE YOUR WAYS

In Isaiah 55, God said the exact

opposite of what most people thought

He said. “The Word I sent is like rain

which comes down from heaven, and it

causes the earth to bud, and causes it to

bring forth fruit, and furnishes seed to

the sower so that you can operate in My

ways. I’ve sent you the seed of My

Word. Put it in your mouth and sow it.

My ways will work for you.”

(Paraphrased) (Mark 4:14-20; Mark

11:23-24; Romans 10:6-10)

This is good news, but the religious

ideas of man make the Word unfruitful.

If you hold fast to the truth, God will

teach you His ways. Jesus said, “Be ye

therefore perfect, even as your Father

which is in heaven is perfect.”

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Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

(Matthew 5:48)

Paul said, “Be ye therefore

followers (imitators) of God, as dear

children.” (Ephesians 5:1) To imitate

God, we must operate in His ways. Yes,

God’s ways are higher than the ways of

the wicked, but the righteous can learn

to walk in God’s ways. And if we have

the custom-made yoke of Jesus, the task

at hand becomes easy, and the burdens

become light.

MARANATHA!

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Document Outline

- Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

- 1 Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

- Burden Not From God

- Don’t Say Burden of the Lord

- Cast Your Cares Upon Him

- God’s Thoughts

- The Wicked Man’s Thoughts

- Truth Is Revealed in Context

- God’s Ways Can Be Your Ways

Table of Contents

Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

1 Yokes, Thoughts, and Burdens

Burden Not From God

Don’t Say Burden of the Lord

Cast Your Cares Upon Him

God’s Thoughts

The Wicked Man’s Thoughts

Truth Is Revealed in Context

God’s Ways Can Be Your Ways