Coach Vs. Cheerleader

I have been pondering lately the difference between a coach and a cheerleader. According to dictionary.com the definition of cheerleader is... “a person who leads spectators in traditional or formal cheering, especially at a pep rally or athletic event.”

The downfall to cheerleaders

We all need spiritual cheerleaders in our lives, but the dilemma with a spiritual cheerleader is that they only show up for the main event. They are not there to cheer us on when we are in the trenches of your spiritual workouts. They don’t see the blood, sweat and tears that have enabled us to have the victories on the playing field. They are not there to hold our hands, pat us on the back and pick us up when the preparation for the battle is so hard we have already talked ourselves into giving up. While spiritual cheerleaders are a blessing to have at the big event, they somehow miss the mark when it comes to cheering us on through the valleys of our spiritual walk.

The spiritual coach

In contrast to a spiritual cheerleader is a spiritual coach. Dictionary.com defines the word coach as… “one who instructs or trains; especially : one who instructs players in the fundamentals of a sport and directs team strategy” Coaches are not only teachers and trainers, but they are also a motivators. In other words, they are also cheerleaders. They push us to go farther than we ever thought we could. They are right beside us through all of the blood, sweat and tears. Coaches walk with us in the valleys and on the soar with us on the mountain tops. They pick us up when we fall and they carry us when we are broken. They are there to quiet the inner voices that tell us to throw in the towel and give up. Coaches can be our mentors, our heroes and some of our closest friends. When we look in the mirror and see mediocrity, a coach will look  us in the eye and remind us that mediocrity does not fall down and get back up like we have just done. A sideline spiritual cheerleader will not do anything like this for our everyday lives.

I have touched in previous posts that I  have a background in the world of running, but I never have gone into any detail. Today, I’d like to share with you a small glimpse into that world and just how much it has taught me though it’s many twists and turns, and hopefully show you how it relates to my topic of coaches and cheerleaders. In high school and college I ran both track and field and cross country. So, needless to say I have had some experiences over the years with coaches. Some of my coaches have left their imprint in my life in a very positive way forever. I have had coaches who knew me so well that they could predict how my race was going to go before the gun ever went off. I’ve had coaches who pushed me so hard that I actually vomited. I’ve had coaches who found levels within me that I never knew existed. I know that if they would not have been a part of my life I would never have had some of the amazing opportunities that I have had in my running career. I also look back and am humbled by the lifelong lessons that these coaches were teaching me that extended far beyond the the world of running.

I also played basketball in high school, and for our home games we always had a cheer-leading squad attend our games. Can These cheerleaders always did a great job at cheering us on in our games, but they did come anywhere close to the outpouring that my coaches had done with all of the hours and hours of preparation prior to the game buzzer going off. Yes, they got the crowd to cheer and chant, but that did nothing to help in all those countless hours of preparation when there was no crowd present. The sacrifice and relationship was not there like it was with my coaches. That’s who motivated me to do better. That’s who inspired me to work harder, not the cheerleaders on the sideline.

Please note here, I am in no way trying to bash cheerleaders! I was grateful for their efforts. I am just trying to make a comparison, that while cheerleaders are needed at the event, we must be careful that we do not fall into the “cheerleader” mentality when it comes to the spiritual walks of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. There will be times when they need more then just a cheerleader. There will be times when they need a coach who is going to hang in there with them day in and day out, and not just for the big events.    

How about you, are you a spiritual cheerleader or a spiritual coach? I believe we are all called to be spiritual coaches to different people in our lives. Are you a mother or father, then you are definitely called to be a spiritual coach. Are you a brother or a sister? Then you are called to be a spiritual coach. Are you a friend? Then you are called to be a spiritual coach.

Call to action

Some of you may already have someone in your life that has set a beautiful example of what a spiritual coach should look like and that is wonderful! May I encourage you to replicate that relationship for someone else. If you don’t have anyone who has been that example for you, then my challenge for you is this, be that example of a spiritual coach to someone.

Father, we thank you for sending people into our lives who teach us and mold us in your ways. Thank you for sending your son to be our ultimate spiritual coach, there is no better example! Show us who we can become a spiritual coach too. Show us who we can walk with in the toughest of times and come out the other side with in victory. Show us whose hands we can help to hold up. Lord, you have established your kingdom to be a training grounds, a teaching and a bringing up of the next generation of believers. Give us your heart to coach up others. Help us to avoid getting caught up in only attending the big spiritual events and help us to walk in the trenches with others.

For more on this subject please visit: Training Others In Kingdom Living

Do you have an encouraging story to share? We would love to hear about it. You may share your stories in the comments section below or on the learningirl4life Facebook page. We look forward to hearing from you!

The School Of Trial

God does not allow us go through a trial only for us to flounder around and get nothing out of it. Our trials will always bring about some form of blessing if we are willing to wait on the Lord through it all. It is true however, that some blessings may be harder to find than others in our times of adversity. I read in a devotional some time ago that,  “We learn the lessons of truth through the school of trial.” How true that statement is. I am so grateful for the trials I have had to face in my life, because through them I have been blessed by so many life changing  lessons! God truly does know what he is doing when he allows the tough things to enter into our lives, because it is in those trials, that heart changing blessings can truly flow in us and through us.

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

Psalm 119:71

Sometimes it takes trials for us to learn the decrees of the Lord. I love the way the Psalmist puts it here, he states that “it was good for me to be afflicted.” How many of us, in the midst of our trials, tribulations and pain can say it is this is a good thing? That thought is mind boggling isn’t it? The other food for thought here, is that the lessons we need to learn may not stick unless they are bundled with some adversity. Let me show you what I mean. For some of us, we had no trouble trusting mom and dad’s word not to touch the stove because it was hot and we would get burned. For others of us, that simple warning was not enough for our obedience, and in that case the school of hurt and pain had to take place before we obeyed the words of mom and dad to stay away from the stove. Yes, for some of us it may have actually have taken the pain of getting burned and getting hurt before we learned the valuable lesson of obedience.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4

I realize that I quote this verse quite a bit, but this particular verse has been a life verse for me. It is a verse that has gotten me through so many of my most difficult battles over the years that I can not ignore the power that this verse has had in my life. The Psalmist said that it was good for him to be afflicted, but James goes a step further and says that we are to consider it pure joy when we face trials. We are to actually take delight in our trials rather than count them as a drudgery. We are to grow and prosper from our trials, to come out the other side stronger than when we went in. This is why we can consider our trials to be a joy, because we know that the Lord is going to use our school of trial to help us grow stronger in Him.

Delight in God’s word, commands and precepts

“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.”

Psalm 119:143

When I looked up that word delight in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it said… “a high degree of gratification :  joy; also :  extreme satisfaction, something that gives great pleasure” Despite all of the chaos flying around us at times, we can absolutely take delight in God’s word, His promises, and yes, even His commands! When everything else around us is shifting and changing, God and His word are our constant. They do not change and they never fail. We can delight in the stability of that fact.

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,  for by them you have preserved my life.”

Psalm 119:92-93

When we keep our focus on the afflictions of this life they will inevitably lead us down a path of self destruction. But God has better plans for us. He has plans to preserve our lives as we put our focus on Him rather than our trials. What a joy it is to know that God’s precepts can save us from even the worst of disasters. Please note here that this does not mean we will have smooth sailing. We all know that smooth waters never made an expert sailor out of anyone! It’s the school of trial that gives someone the title of export sailor. Let’s be real here, would you rather be chartered across the seven seas on a ship captained by a novice sailor, or someone who has navigated through some of the most violent of storms? I think many of us would agree that we would all choose the seasoned captain for sure! Delighting in the word of God will allow us to navigate through the largest of storms and come out the other side a seasoned captain. As any sailor knows, storms are going to happen, it is not possible to avoid them all. But what we do in the midst of those storms will determine whether we become spiritually shipwrecked and broken, or merely bruised and battered but spiritually whole.

Benefits of persevering in our trials

We are victorious

“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those

who have faith and are saved.”

Hebrews 10:39

Isn’t it comforting to know that no matter what we face in this life we, no matter how hard it gets that we belong to the one who created overcomers! We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed. We belong to those who have faith and are saved! We might not be delivered from our storms, but we will get through them by the grace of God.

We are given great peace

“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”

Psalm 119:165

When we delight, take joy in and love God’s word we will have great peace. A peace that passes all understanding that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). That is the beauty of it all. God give us peace in the midst of our trials. I can recall some trials that I have walked through that in the natural I should have been freaking out because of the circumstances I found myself in, but the Lord gave me such a sense of peace that freaking out  never even entered my mind. We can have peace in the midst of the storm, but what we choose to focus our attentions on will determine whether or not we will have peace. When we focus on the trials, peace is nowhere to be found, but when we focus on the word of God peace will flood our heart and mind.

Since we are called to peace, let the peace of God rule and reign in your heart (Colossians 3:15).

Call to action

What trial are you facing today? Have you ever considered thanking God for the lessons you are learning, or are about to learn because of this trial? May I encourage you today to find the blessing in this trial that you are walking through. Write down the things you are thankful for that directly relate to your trial. Then you have blessings to fight with if the trial proceeds to worsen, and blessings to encourage you when the trial is over. Remember the Lord has not abandoned you in this time. He loves you and desires for you to draw near to Him, and delight in His word. It’s these little changes in our thinking that can help us get through the toughest of times.

Lord, I thank you for sending us to the school of trial, not for a punishment, but so we can learn and grow in the things of you. Thank you that when we come out the other side of the storm we are no long novice sailors, but seasoned captains. Help us to delight in your word in the midst of the trials and not be distracted by the wind and the waves raging around us. Help us to keep our eyes steadfast on you and your word, because we know that in the midst of it all you will give our hearts and minds great peace. We ask these things in Jesus precious name.

The Power Of The Testimony

I want to share with you today the power that we have in the simple words of sharing our own testimony, our own God story. Let’s start with scripture shall we…

Acts 21:20-40, Acts 22:1-30, Acts 23:1-11

If you would prefer to listen to these sections of scripture click on each chapter below.
Acts 21, Acts 22, Acts 23

Background on Paul

As we read this portion of scripture we see that Paul stood up in front of a persecuting crowd and powerfully gave his testimony. This hostile crowd Paul was speaking to was ready to kill him on the spot, but because of Paul’s faithfulness to share, the Lord supernaturally protected Paul. There are some very significant things we learn about Paul from this portion of scripture. We learn that he was born a Jew in Tarsus in Cilicia, but he was brought up in Rome (Acts 22:3). This is significant for Paul because not only does he have the understanding of the Jewish culture, but he has the citizenship of a Roman. The Jews hated anything and anyone having to do with Rome. So, needless to say, Paul found himself  in a precarious situation with the Jews yet still having somewhat of an edge by being a Roman citizen. Paul finds himself  in a tug of war battle between two extreme worlds and to make matters even more complicated, Paul has converted to Christianity, a group of individuals more despised by the Jews then the Romans! His conversion itself is one of a peculiar nature because Paul had spent so much time and energy persecuting the very group of people he now has become apart. He persecuted Christians for what he saw as “blasphemy” and now he has joined them. Talk about a complicated life! I give you this history so you understand the significance of Paul’s testimony and the audience of which he was speaking.

Paul’s Testimony

If you examine this story closely you will notice that Paul was “all things to all men that he might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul was an extremely educated man in his day. He spoke several languages. To the commander of the Roman army he spoke Greek in order to prove that he was a learned man and not just someone wanting to start a riot in the streets (Acts 21:37). He spoke Aramaic to the crowd when he gave his testimony not only to speak the language of his audience, but to also show that he was in deed a devout Jew. By doing so, he showed respect for the Jewish customs and laws (Acts 22:2). Paul was speaking to a very hostile audience and yet was still willing to stand and share the miracle that Christ had performed in his life.

Testimonies

I love hearing the testimonies of fellow believers. These testimonies always seem to encourage my heart so deeply. I recently watched a video of a testimony given by a married couple that are acquaintances of mine and it brought me to tears. I knew these individuals before they were saved and to watch the Lord move so powerfully in their lives is nothing short of an absolute miracle. The change in their lives is completely night and day. Their outlook on life, the way they communicate, the things to do and the things they no longer do have all changed. Even the countenance on their faces have changed. They love the Lord, love life, they love each other more now than before, and they are so enthusiastic about  going to church. In fact, so much so that they won’t miss a single event that the church has going on. If there is something at the church, you better believe they are there. It has been such a blessing to hear the testimony of this precious couple as they grow in the things of God.

My husband and I do a lot of traveling. We often get the beautiful honor of sharing Sunday mornings with different congregations. Every once in awhile we get the blessed opportunity to soak up a testimony or two. One particular Sunday on the road we found ourselves witnessing a baptism. We had the opportunity to hear this man’s testimony. Our Lord instantly delivered this man from a life long addiction to crack cocaine. When God got a hold of his heart he never once had the urge to return to that addiction ever again. He is now a member of his local church, serving God with all he has and sharing the love of Christ with whomever will listen, and even those who don’t want to listen he still will respectfully and lovingly share. He also has had some open doors to share with the very people that he had was getting high with before he was transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about this for just a moment. Those of us who would not be caught dead even thinking about doing drugs would never in a million years have any influence on that group people, but this man who was delivered from that addiction still has inroads into their hearts. The power of this man’s testimony can influence an entire group of people that you or I could never reach because so many of us would never consider walking down that road towards that particular group of people. I love that our Lord uses our life stories to influence the very people He has placed on our path.  

The above examples I shared are examples of how the Lord changed someone’s heart for the very first time. They are stories of hearts rescued from the kingdom of darkness and established in the kingdom of light. There are other realms of testimonies that have the ability to influence the heart and lives of others outside of our conversion story. I have listed just a few examples of different kinds of testimonies and each one is linked to an example from previous posts, please feel free to revisit each one for a dose of encouragement.

Testimonies of...

God’s faithfulness and goodness  -  “Unchecked Emotions And God’s Faithfulness”

God’s provision - “The Faithfulness Of God”

God’s teaching - “Precious Moments”

God’s protection - “Family History With Liberia”

God’s healing and deliverance - “Miracle Working God”, “My By Faith Shoes”

The beautiful thing about a shared testimony is the fact that as that testimony is being shared, faith is being imparted, deliverance and healing are being deposited into the hearts of those who are listening through the work of the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing.” So when we share our testimony we are allowing others to hear the message of God and as I just mentioned, faith is being imparted in their hearts. Every time I hear a testimony I inevitably walk away feeling as if I have just gotten a double dose of faith. I feel encouraged and so deeply blessed! This is why we should never underestimate the power of our God story, we just never know how deeply it will affect the hearts of those who are listening.

The power behind  shared testimony is found

in the book of Revelation.

“They overcame over him (satan - the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:11 (quoted from 1991 edition of the NIV, emphasis mine)

When we share our testimony not only are we imparting faith into the hearts and lives of others, including ourselves, we are also sending a message to the devil. We are proclaiming that our lives belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in doing so we are gaining victory on the spiritual battlefield. Satan does not like to be reminded of whom our loyalties belong. It does not make him feel good to bring to his remembrance that he is a defeated foe. Every time we share our testimony it is one more defeating blow to satan’s big and overgrown ego. Each blow brings an empowering to us and a weakening to him. Don’t be ashamed to share your God story! Besides, if Paul can stand in front of a hostile crowd and share his God story, then surely we can share our story to a willing ear. God has given you a story to share for the strengthening of the body of Christ, the changing of hearts and the overcoming of the enemy! When you think about these three things, our God story truly is a powerful tool that God has placed in our hands. What a tremendous responsibility we have to share it with the world!  

Call To Action

What is your God story? There are people out there who need to hear your God story. Don't be ashamed of the work that God has done in your heart. Find a listening ear and share.

Also, feel free to share in the comments below something God has done in your life. We would love to share in the joy of your testimony!  I guarantee it will bless and encourage someone who hears it!

Feel free to revisit “My Testimony” if you want to know about my God story.

Lord, thank you for writing us a God story! Thank you that you continue to write new chapters and pages each and everyday. Help us to be as bold as Paul and be willing to share even in the midst of turmoil all around us. Help us to be a blessing and encouragement to those around us because we are not ashamed of sharing the beautiful things you have done in our hearts and lives. We love you Lord and we do not want to keep our story hidden away. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.