When we think of God as Father, do we think of Him as coach? While many of us don’t, we should. God can be your life coach.
A life coach is almost like a sculptor who can look at you and see the potential for you to achieve all that you desire. Coaches help you focus, provide direction, challenge you, support you, motivate you and celebrate with you. Who better to trust with this task than God? He even sent His Son as a flesh and blood example of how to do life. Who better to counsel, encourage, and help you to live fully and make a difference than the One who has known you from your very first breath? If you’re ready to look at God as your coach, it’s important to understand how God coaches you.
In John 16:12-13, Jesus says, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”
Earlier in John 14:15-18, He said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with your forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.”
Simply put, we are coached by the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. God lives in us and wants to help us through life.
In the midst of life’s trials, one of the best things you can do is allow God to coach you. Of course, God’s actual appearance is beyond our imagination, but you can visualize a friendly-mentor, relaxed in a leather chair in a room lined with bookshelves and hear a voice that’s strong, comforting and reassuring. Yet, more important than the physical nature of God as your life coach is the nature of His truth and love and righteousness. God wants you to trust Him to guide you in all circumstances.
In the race of life, there will be many times where your spiritual muscles feel exhausted, your heart sore. You may not think you can hang on for another lap of life. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”
In all our trials, God is with us, training us and encouraging us to stretch the spiritual muscles He has given us. When we see our days as part of God’s training for righteousness, it strengthens us to not compromise.
God’s goal for working in your life is always to help you build stronger spiritual muscles; you cannot grow stronger on your own. John 14:26 says: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
As we live and walk by faith, we are under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, training and instructing us how to live a life of righteousness. When we see our days as part of God’s training for righteousness, it strengthens us not to compromise.
The key to receiving good coaching is to be a receptive learner. If you want to be coached by God, you have to first want to be coached. Many of us are slow learners and prefer to charge in, make mistakes and get coaching later. For those in this category, you can learn a lot by setting aside your ego and listening to what God is really telling you.
The best coaches draw out what already lies within. God has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and made us in His image. Our deepest desire is for Him and for His Kingdom. Let yourself be coached by the Father this week. He wants to draw out the life, the gifts and the glory that lie within you.
God loves you and while most of us know this to be true, it is a truth that is easily forgotten and often misconstrued. It is easy when encountering difficulties to go to dark places in our minds, thinking maybe God is disappointed with us. However, what we know about God from Scripture contradicts this idea. Hebrews 4:15 shows us that God’s attitude related to us is one of sacrificial love and deep understanding of our need for Him. It says: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” When you pray, you should do so with the confidence that God loves you and understands every trial you encounter.
God walks beside each one of us, offering encouragement and giving us the strength we need to fulfill our potential. He isn’t so concerned that we are always happy as He is committed to helping us become, mature and learn to be content. Wherever you are in life, God is already preparing you for the next big thing. Many of us are ready and we don’t even know it. Trust God to be your life coach and seek Him as you live out your role in the story of life He has granted for you.
