Yesterday ended is a podcast dedicated to the healing words of Jesus Christ and his story of redemption. Each podcast contains an original poem so that I can portray a confession of our faith of scripture in unique and succinct ways. Come with me on a journey to become a new creation and to declare old things dead and our life anew in Christ. What we meditate on will determine the direction and fruit of our lives. Let's live today speaking the words of life.
The victory we have in Christ can be felt in our everyday life. We can overcome depression. We can overcome fear. We can be confident. We can be free from worry. We can be free from anxiety. We can have emotional healing. We can have hope. We can be set free from our past. The Bible declares the goodness of God. The Bible is more than Christian psychology it is truth. The truth of God brings mental health, spiritual health and physical health. We can walk in peace. We can overcome the traumas of life.
Do you see God as your Father? Or do you see God as your judge? How is your relationship to your heavenly Father? Can you see yourself as a beloved child of God? Welcome to yesterday ended, healing the traumas of life. Can you feel God hugging you or do you think he's ignoring you or shunning you? I'm your host Dennis Dobbin and I'm here to teach you how to be lifted up into your father's arms. Give a listen.
Do you see God as your father, or do you see God as your judge? How is your relationship to your Heavenly Father? Can you see yourself as a beloved child of God? Welcome to Yesterday Ended, Healing the Traumas of Life. Can you feel God hugging you, or do you think He is ignoring you or shunning you? I'm your host, Dennis Dobbin, and I'm here to teach you how to be lifted up into your father's arms. Give a listen. A couple weeks ago I was invited to a friend's house for dinner. He was making homemade pizza. The dough for the pizza was fermented sourdough. It was truly amazing. My friend is the father of four wonderful children. The youngest is a little girl named Rema. She's not quite two. Her older sister, Zoe, was carrying her near the dining table where we were sitting. At one point she handed Rhema to me. It's been a while since I'd had a young child in my arms, and I was concerned she might cry. She didn't. She smiled at me. There were a couple of wine corks sitting on the table, which she grabbed and began to play with. One of them fell out of her hand and onto the floor. She looked down at it, so I let her down to pick up the cork. At which point she turned around, raised her arms, and looked at me and said up. As I wrote those words, I almost began to cry. This wonderful request and her trust in me made an immediate impact on my heart that still lingers. How do we view ourselves in our relationship with our Heavenly Father? Do we trust in Him? Do we know His deep love for us? And when we approach our Heavenly Father, when we come into His presence, do we have the confidence to raise our arms and make the simple request up? The tiny child with little feet pads their way through the house. They are in search, in search of their father, in search of his warmth, in search of his closeness, and when they find him, they have one request. Raising their arms, they simply say Up. Pick me up and hold me close. Let me rest upon your chest. Let your hands hold me and your arms embrace me. Let me hear you say the words I love you. Simple and absolute trust. Faith that knows their father cares. No deep discourse or conversation, no thought of shame, no need for performance, only the joy of his presence, knowing with total confidence that their request will always be heard when raising their arms they say, Up, bend down to me and lift me up. Hold me close so I may hear your heart. Let me feel your gentle caress, tickle me and share your joy of me. Let me hear you say the words I love you. In my youth I remember thinking about my dad being cooler than one of my friend's dad. There was something different about my friend's dad that made my mind think he was too strict or something of that nature. If you've heard some of my other podcasts, you will remember that my dad was a good man and present, but emotionally closed. He was always there, physically, but I don't remember him holding me or tickling me or playing catch with me. But I was absolutely sure of his love for me. He never had a doubt. And then my father died when I was thirteen. Many years later, I looked back upon my life. I realized how God always put me next to a very strong man. He provided someone to be a guide and mentor, someone I could talk to and confide in, someone to teach me. Having lost my father when I was young has made me very father centric, as I call it. I was always searching for that type of relationship. I had older brothers who spent time with me, but that's not the same. Fortunately, I have worked hard to build a relationship with my heavenly father. I have been taught well to avoid religious performance, and perhaps because of my need for a father figure, while recognizing God's goodness, I have developed a proper mindset to know his love for me. I know his personal presence. As I have read the gospels throughout my life, I saw the relationship that Jesus had with his Father. I saw the perfect example of how to approach the Father with confidence. I saw the complete dependence of Jesus upon the Father. We must make a choice as how we approach God. Will we come before Him as a small child, humble and dependent? Matthew 18 verse 3 and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. What is our mindset concerning the Lord God Almighty? I knew a believer many years ago and noticed something about his prayer life. He never referred to God as Father. He only prayed to God. I do not recall his personal history with his father, but I'm guessing it might not have been good. Let me ask you a personal question. How do you relate to the Lord God Almighty? Are you a little child or are you a mature son? There is a place for both of these mindsets in our lives. There are times to approach the Lord God as a mature son, in reverence and worship, and there are times to approach the Lord God as a little child, being totally dependent upon him. In Matthew, Jesus talked about being as a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven. In the Gospel of Mark, there are added aspects. Mark chapter 10, verses 13 through 16. And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them, and his disciples rebuked them that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein. Of such is the kingdom of God. Concerning our relationship with God and His kingdom, there is no place in Scripture where it describes us as adults of God. Truly we are to mature and grow in our faith. We are to become those who can eat meat and not just drink milk. A three-year-old can eat meat, but that meat must be prepared and served to them. A young child cannot feed itself. Consider the humility that Jesus portrayed in his relationship to the Father. John chapter 5, verse 19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do. For what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. In this verse, Jesus declares that he can do nothing of himself. He watched what the father did and did the same. I've seen numerous videos of little children mimicking their father. Little children are sponges that absorb what they see. So parents, be cautious about what you do in front of your children. They catch on really quick. They will copy your behavior. And that's what Jesus did with his father. Verse 19 is only the first place Jesus said he could do nothing of himself. The second time is in John chapter 5, verse 30. I can of my own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me. First we read that Jesus saw what the Father did, and now it says that he listened. He says it again shortly after his first statement that I can of my own self do nothing. I need to pay attention and hear what the Father is saying about his situation and act accordingly. I'm not here to do what I want to do. I was sent to do the will of the Father. That is true humility. Jesus is modeling the proper relationship that we should copy. But Jesus didn't stop there. He says a similar thing a third time in John chapter 8, verse 28. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my father hath taught me, I speak these things. Jesus is indicating he is not a self-made man. We see his complete dependence upon the Father in these statements. And this one truly shows his humility in that he is accepting instruction from the Father, as my father has taught me. Then I speak. Having the mindset of a young child as we approach the Father is the correct way to see the kingdom of God manifest in our lives. We come with simple expectation. We come with a confidence in the ability and willingness of our Father to provide. We come knowing his love for us. We know that there is nothing we can do on our own. I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So we go and say, Daddy, can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? And the Father will provide what we need. Coming to the Father as an adult, declaring our reasons why we think he should do what we want doesn't work very well. Matthew chapter 23, verse 12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Though children have their moments of selfishness and immature attitudes, but underneath those cries and whims is a malleable heart. Now as adults, we have a choice as how we will approach our Heavenly Father, will we come in humility or in pride? Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. The act of casting your care upon God shows your humility. Lord, I am giving you this care because I can't deal with it on my own. I cannot successfully navigate this. I need your guidance. I need your resources. I need you. Concerning the cries and traumas of little children, there are times when a parent will say no to that child. They will resist the pride that's cropping up in the little one. God can resist the proud. Sometimes in our lives we feel a resistance to the direction we are going. Sometimes we blame the devil. The truth is we're going in the wrong direction, and God is resisting us and trying to get us to go the right direction. We need to step back in those situations and humble ourselves. We need to ask for help when we feel that resistance. Where is it coming from? Is it the devil trying to stop us or is it God trying to protect us? Will we turn to God, raise our arms and say, up? The tiny child with little feet pads their way through the house. They are in search, in search of their father, in search of his warmth, in search of his closeness, and when they find him, they have one request. Raising their arms, they simply say, Up, pick me up and hold me close. Let me rest upon your chest. Let your hands hold me and your arms embrace me. Let me hear you say the words, I love you. Simple and absolute trust, faith that knows their father cares, no deep discourse or conversation, no thought of shame, no need for performance, only the joy of his presence, knowing with total confidence that their request will always be heard when raising their arms they say, Up, bend down to me and lift me up, hold me close so I may hear your heart. Let me feel your gentle caress, tickle me and share your joy of me. Let me hear you say the words, I love you. Are you a child of God or an adult of God? Are you approaching God with reverence? Are you humbly casting your care upon Him? Do you really know He cares for you?
