Rise Up

Rise up.  A powerful statement that can light a fire inside of you instantly.  You're down 1 with 2.2 seconds left on the clock and the ball is in your hands...what will you do?  Rise up.  Bases loaded, bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, and you're up to bat...what will you do?  Rise up.  It's finals week and you've been up all night studying for tough exams, but you are desperate for sleep...what will you do?  Give up and fail your test?  Heck no.  Rise up!  Shine!  If you are a competitor, it's in your blood.  The circumstances will not always be comfortable, but you find a way to make it happen.  No matter what your role is on the team, or what your mindset is at the moment, we all have the opportunity to get into the game and rise up.  So let's start rising up in the game that really counts and fulfill our calling to rise up.  Proclaim the kingdom of God!  Are we rising up to tell the nations about Jesus?  Do we confess to the world that Jesus is alive?  Is it our primary objective to let our light shine, regardless of the criticism and mockery we will receive?  Don't back down.  A city on a hill cannot hide.  Be bold. Be faithful. Rise up. Acts 28

Remember to Die

Remember to die.  This isn't a phrase that we usually say to someone, but it should be the first thing to cross our minds each day.  The apostle Paul is a great example of this discipline every day.  In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul makes it known to the church at Corinth that, "I die every day!"  Before you navigate away from this blog because you think its creepy, hear me out.  Remembering to die may be the most important things you ever do and it could be very essential in a successful life.  Jesus calls us to die to self so we can be alive in Him.  "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21.  We need to die to ourselves, to sin, everyday.  Jesus Christ bore our sin in his body on the tree so we can do that (1 Peter 2:24).  The world is alive in sin and alive in themselves, but that is the recipe for disaster.  We need to make a conscious effort to avoid sin at all costs.  We need to be dead to it. As coaches, it is vital that we wake up every morning and remember to die.  Having a spirit of humility is the secret to success in any profession.  Humble yourself and be willing to die to yourself.  Be excited to die to your sin.  Fight it.  It's not an easy task to fulfill, but it is the direct calling from God to believers.  Remember to die every day so that we can obtain the Kingdom and live a life worthy of the gospel.  Wake up!  Be an example! Next time you roll out of bed have one thing on your mind.  REMEMBER TO DIE!

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends of faith - and that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:8-11

Confident Faith

“Confident faith” is a characteristic that we as coaches need to embrace every day of our lives.  Acts 6:1-7 is a great demonstration of “confident faith,” as the apostle Paul writes about discipleship.  The church was upset with numerous things within involving widows and therefore, the 12 disciples gave them a talk and told the congregation to pick seven men of good reputation to lead them.  The people liked what they had to say and decided to choose seven men to lead them.  The chosen seven were: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus.  You may have never heard of them before, but we read that the reason they were so special was because Paul tells us they were, “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”  We see at the end of the passage that the Word of God continued to be preached, the number of disciples multiplied, and even priests were being obedient to this faith!  How did this core group of seven chosen leaders accomplish this calling?  They were full of “confident faith,” and these are the characteristics that it displays.

1.    Confident faith sees every crisis as an opportunity to get better.  James chapter 1 tells us to, "count it all joy..."  Through failure and trials, we need to see that as an opportunity to become better.

    

2.  Confident faith spends its time doing what you are good at and called to do.  Don't get discouraged if you are not good at your calling right away.  You may not be good at it right away, but if it is your calling make sure to stick with it.

3.    Confident faith chooses the right people to tackle the problem.  The congregation chose 7 men who were full of the spirit and wisdom.  The right people that they chose were already in the church, but they just needed to be noticed.  Find somebody who is passionate about the fixing the problem even if they aren't experts.

4.    Confident faith trusts the team to come up with the solution.  Have faith in your team.  Don't try to do everything on you own.  The 12 disciples could have tried to fix everything on their own, but instead they allowed the church to pick their own leaders to find a solution.