The Bryce Crawford Podcast - Daddy Issues (EP 35)

Episode Date: July 8, 2024

In this video, Bryce talks about earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father Filmed By; Josh Rodriguez @whitehorse.studios MERCH👉 https://www.jesusinthestreet.com subscribe for more! Sow Into My Ministry One-Time or Monthly! Visit 👉 https://www.equipnet.org/missionaries/bcrawford (all donations are tax deductible) Download Our FREE Bible Plan https://growinfaith.readytoconnect.com/join-the-one-year-bible-challenge (https://growinfaith.readytoconnect.com/join-the-one-year-bible-challenge) follow me on other platforms! Podcast Instagram 👉https://instagram.com/brycecrawfordpodcast Personal Instagram 👉 https://instagram.com/brycecrawford Merch Instagram 👉 https://instagram.com/ilovejesus Tiktok (main) 👉https://www.tiktok.com/@brycecrawford Tiktok (2nd) 👉 https://www.tiktok.com/@adventuresofbryce Snapchat https://snapchat.com/add/brycecraww Twitter 👉 https://twitter.com/ibrycecrawford #christianity #christian #Jesus #BryceCrawford #christiantiktok #christianvid eos #holyspirit #Jesusheals #viral #christianvideo #venicebeach #evangelism

What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I am Bryce. And today's episode, by the title, if you clicked on it, you were probably intrigued because today's episode is called Daddy Issues. We're going to talk about viewing God as a good father because, man, this is just something that a lot of people struggle with. And I just want to bring up some scriptures and comfort you and encourage you to see God rightly because he is a good father. Before we get into it, if you want to support us, two ways to support us. You can go to Jesus in the street.com, get you a gospel conversation starting T-shirt, or you can support our ministry, our non-profit ministry, with a one month or reoccurring tie. And offering the link to that will be in the description of the YouTube video or on the podcast Instagram.

Now, let's get into it. I want to start off this episode with just an encouragement before we get into some scripture. If you have a bad relationship with your earthly father, that does not change the reality of your pain, but it can possibly change the reality of who God is to you. And instead of you having to question who God is, we're going to look to Scripture and see what kind of Father God really is. 2 Corinthians 1 3 says,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and God of all comfort. God is a Father of comfort, peace, and mercy. So if you have a relationship with a father that is broken and messy and hurtful, those aren't the attributes of God being a father. God, even if you have the best earthly father on the planet, that father will let you down at some point. But my favorite thing about God is that he just can't let you down.

It's completely out of his character. It's not a part of him. The thought of letting you down is never in. entered God's mind because it's impossible for him to do that and sometimes we allow our experiences to hinder us from seeing the truth of who God is as being a good father and if you've been someone that's grown up with a rough relationship with your dad I just pray that today's episode will give you peace and understanding as you understand this Matthew 7-11 says if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who's in heaven give what is good

to those who ask him? Jesus is saying here, if we're initially a wicked people and we're still able to be good to people and give good gifts, then how much better can God's gifts and character be if he's perfect and evil has never been a part of his nature? How much better? How much better? Have you ever received a bad gift from your dad? Never been disappointed? Have you ever been frustrated? Have you ever wished that maybe you had a different dad?

Those are all possibilities. The reality is, is you can't change who your earthly father is, but the relationship with God the father has always been present. If your father was absent in your life, The heavenly father that we have, God has been there for every circumstance, every moment you've cried in your bedroom, he's collected every tear. He's looked down on you. He's been there. He's heard every cry.

God has never left a letter or prayer that you've written him unread. He's read everything. He's heard everything. He's collected every tear. That's the kind of father he is. He just wants to listen. He just wants to listen. If you could create a list of what a good father would look like,

Good listener, slow to anger, easy to talk to. Loving, kind, merciful, gracious, makes up the character of God. It's really interesting. And I love Matthew 6 before when he says, look at the birds of the air. They don't even work for their food, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. If they don't even have to sow or reap for their food, how much more are you worth than the birds of the air? Do you know how valuable you are? God loves you so much that he created you in his image.

To where everywhere you walk, you reflect him in some way, shape, or form. And every child of God reflects him. It's so powerful because in 1 John 3, it says, see what kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God. And so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. When you become a believer in Christ, you get adopted into the family of God, and you become a child of God. Becoming a child of God is the greatest honor ever, because if you feel like you have been rejected by your father, just know you are accepted by your heavenly father.

You will never ever stop being his little boy or little girl. You'll never graduate from it. If it be in God's will that I grow old until I'm 60, 70, 80 years old, no matter how old I get, I'll never stop being his little. little boy. And he'll never get tired of listening to me. He'll never get tired of loving me and showing me grace. Luke 12, do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink and do not keep worrying for all these things. The nations of the world eagerly seek, but your father knows that you need these things. But seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you. A good father only gives you what you need. A bad father gives you what you want and you'll be hurt by what you want rather than what you need.

And you can see that in John 8 when Jesus says the Pharisees belong to their father, the devil. Because when they flaunt things in public to be seen by people, they got their reward, which was from people. But that's not what they needed. That's what they wanted. And so what Jesus says their father is the devil. He's saying, the devil will give you what you want. But God will just give you what you need. And what you need sustains you for a lifetime and sustains you for a relationship with him.

And a lot of times we get frustrated to God when we ask for things that we want. want and God only gives us what we need. And we think God doesn't love me because he's not getting what I'm asking for. God's not a genie in a bottle. He's a loving father. Here's an example. If my parents let me eat ice cream every morning for breakfast, I might not be alive. I might have a medical condition. I might have something wrong with me. But because they're good parents, they say, Bryce, you're not allowed to eat ice cream every morning for breakfast because that's bad for you and they know what's best for me. In the same way, God knows what's best for his children. And that's why we listen to him. I don't read my Bible because God is a cosmic dictator. He's a bad father that wants to control me. I read my

Bible because I love him and I want to be more like him and he knows what's best for my life. That's how we have to view Jesus. And it can be sometimes hard to get over that hump. Maybe you've had a father figure or a father in your life that's been manipulative. Maybe you've had someone in your life that has been a father to you that has tried to manipulate you and make you think that their way is right. But God's not forcing you to follow him or believe in him. The offers on the table, but he's saying, I would love if you would listen to me, but just because I know what's best for you. Just because I'm looking out for you. Proverbs three says,

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him who he loves as a father of the son in whom he delights. Sanctification is a fancy word for the process of being made holy. As you grow in relationship with Jesus, you're going to find yourself not listening to certain things, not doing certain things, not saying certain things, maybe not hanging around with certain people. and you might be frustrated at first,

but God corrects and disciplines his children whom he loves. A good father disciplines and points us. God doesn't abuse us and manipulate us. God loves us and wants to see us in a good direction. The good shepherd doesn't beat his sheep. The good shepherd guides his sheep gently. The good shepherd guides his sheep gently. That's what the good shepherd does.

He doesn't beat his sheep. He doesn't beat his sheep. guides them gently. My heart just has been burdened because I feel like it's so easy to look at God like a bad father because of experiences. While that may seem okay, your experience with your earthly father isn't the truth and reality of who God is. Let's say it's not just your blood father. Maybe it's a father figure.

Or maybe it's a pastor or leader. And you've been hurt by Christianity because you say, you say, oh, that pastor is supposed to be representing God to me. and he's just not doing a good job, and so that must be how God really is. And I'm going to be completely honest, it's easy to look at God that way. But if you want to know who God is, why would you hear all about Him instead of just going to Him yourself?

If you really want to know if God's a good father or not, don't ask other people about Him. Go to him yourself. The Bible says you will seek me and find me if you seek me with your whole heart, and if you really want to know if God's a good father, just ask. He'll show you. God sits at the edge of your bed every morning

waiting for you to wake up, eager to talk to you, and eager to hang out with you. All he wants to do is listen and talk to you. All he wants to do is love you. And he does love you, but sometimes we just got to receive it. Sometimes we just got to say, man, God, I just actually want your love today. I just, I don't know. I just really need it. And, you know, you might have a weird relationship with your earthly father now.

And so, you know, this journey of your relationship with God is, I'm so trying to learn to lean on God as my father because I had a bad father. If that's your circumstance and you say, well, I'm, you know, maybe I'm trying to, maybe you say Bryce. I'm just, I've had a bad relationship with my father. And so it's hard for me to lean on him all the time. Like I'll go to him sometimes and then I'll distance myself because I get afraid. And then I'll go back to him and then I'll distance myself.

And I don't want God to think I'm using him. And God knows your heart and he's a gracious father. But I want to encourage you, you don't have to distance yourself from him. Maybe you say, Bryce, I feel yucky, I feel disgusting. Why would any father want to love me? The dirtiest most version of yourself is the version that God the father loves the most. And the dirtiest version of yourself is the version of you that God wants to come to the most. If you distance yourself from God, it's all on our end, it's not on his end.

And God actually wants to run to you with open arms. And if you don't believe me, read the story of the prodigal son, a son who does his father dirty and leaves, takes his family inheritance early, blows all of his money, invites prostitutes onto the land, and then becomes poor and homeless as a last resort. He says, I'm going to go back to my father, but not ask for anything for free. I'm going to work my way back to him because he takes care of his servants. And as he's far along in the distance, the father turned and runs to him. let's bring me the finest robe kill the fat and calf let's throw a party my son's home I just want to be with him can you imagine

looking at the prodigal son's story when it says the father runs to the son and rejoices that he's back he doesn't wait for him to come all the way up the driveway and you know God when you come to God God's not sitting at the edge of heaven's driveway cross his arm just shaking his head at you going

oh you kid me look at my son just coming back he should have listened to me in the first place that's not how God views you He runs to you with open arms and rejoices at your home. And you know, in that story of the prodigal son, when the father turns and sees him, I wonder how many times the father just was working and doing something around the house and then looked up just to see if his son was coming back, anticipating his son to come home.

I wonder how many pump fakes his father had when he looked and he saw someone come and he started running and then realized it wasn't his son and then went back to work, you know, because he just loves his son. And he just misses him. yes we've messed up yes we may be dirty but Jesus Christ is what cleanses us and his grace is what pulls us out of our mess teaches us corrects us in a loving way and steers us on the right path Jesus thank you for your grace thank you for being an amazing God God thank you for being a good Father God we just love you and I just pray that there just be a freedom and my brothers and sisters

who struggle to see you rightly will see you as a good Father in Jesus name Amen. Thank you guys so much for listening to this podcast episode. I don't know how long this episode was, but I hope it encouraged you if you like. Listen to the episodes. Follow us on Spotify, Instagram, YouTube, Bryce Crawford podcast. Thank you guys so much for listening.

Love you guys. We'll see you guys next time.