Do You Really Want to Go Back?
Everybody wants out of isolation, but do we really want to go back to normal? You can’t go through a valley by going back. Psalms 91 gives us a unique guideline of how to go through a valley. Mighty victories are never won by retreating. In 2 Samuel 23:9-10, a mighty warrior named Eleazar chose not to go back. He didn’t rip his fellow soldiers who were retreating; he simply acted. He chose courage and “stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until he was exhausted – but he never let go of his sword! A big win for God that day.” MSG
A big win for God that day! The Bible is full of men and women who went forward boldly when given the difficult decision of what to do in their darkest hour. Diamonds shine the brightest when pressed against the darkest background, heroes are made in their greatest crisis, and the mightiest feats are accomplished in the face of logical defeat.
I was asked in a podcast interview a couple weeks ago the following question. “Can you tell young coaches out there what your secret is to achieving a high level of success over the course of your twenty-five plus years of coaching?” In short, my parents blessed me with a powerful combination of crazy faith and an uncommon work ethic, but in this blog, I am going even deeper into what I have found and believe is the secret to living a truly blessed life full of increasing and unearned favor.
First, let’s just make it clear that there is not a special offense or defense, nor is there a magical rebounding drill that will help your team succeed. There is not even a single drill that will help your team dominate the glass. Yes, good players make good coaches, but even great players don’t promise you real or lasting success. Not only that, odds are you will have years when your talent is down, your best player gets hurt, or you simply lose some close games. So how can you push through when you come to a dark valley full of crisis, when fear seems bigger than ever, when anxiety has its hands around your throat, and the panic button is screaming for you to call its name.
In that moment, the exact moment we all find ourselves in right now. Are you still willing to stand alone and fight? The truth is that once you choose to follow Jesus, you are never alone. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah stands by your side. Can you imagine what this actually looks like? Can you even imagine the size, strength, power, and glory of Who is standing with you? Can you imagine the fear the demons and their leader have looking at you at that moment? The fear they have at this very moment just realizing that you are considering this choice!
For some going back to normal sounds great, as their normal was pretty dog gone good. Coming off a great season, losing only one senior, financially doing well, my oldest son just got married, things were really going well in the Bostwick household prior to COVID-19. Why would I not want to return to this wonderful life? Because when we settle for what God has blessed us with, we will never arrive at the greater blessing and favor our Heavenly Father has in store for us. We are commanded to seek, not to stop and be satisfied. We are to rest in Christ, but are always called to seek and choose Greater. God is Greater! You want to know what has sustained my success over 25 years of coaching? It is the fact that I have learned to push forward through every valley and every mountain top into the unknown.
Did you catch that Eleazer won a big win for God that day? The focus was not on himself. When you your goal is to win for God, then you can’t lose. Success is inevitable. Our goals must align with God’s goals and His goals always focus on winning souls! Once you have chosen to be a follower of Christ, then Philippians 2:12, Matthew 11:12, 1 Corinthians 9:24 apply to you. We are to obey the Word of God and these verses and many more commands us to face danger and to stand strong and courageous. To chase fear, not choose it. When the world is caving, panicking, criticizing, don’t hesitate to be bold, rise, and go forward through the valley of the shadow of death.
We have also been commanded to worship, praise, and lift our King high. What happens when all our focus is on this? For me it has been a life of twenty-five years of crazy unearned undeserving success! Has there been pits along the way, has it been easy, and has there been failure? A resounding yes, but when you commit to Christ everything changes. The impossible no longer exist. Pits become party central. When you commit your life and your plans, when you commit to His will over yours, and when you seek daily greater glory for your King, then and only then will uncommon success, joy, and peace abide in and through you.
When we choose to go forward no matter our fear of the darkness, the two most powerful sources of strength in the universe go to work for us! The Bible says in Romans 8:26-27 and in Romans 8:34 that it is at that moment that both the Holy Spirit and Jesus intercede for us. To intercede is the action of saying a prayer on behalf of another person, a petition, or entreaty in favor of another to the Father. What follows never adds up! It is impossible to explain! Romans 8:28, right in the middle of the Holy Spirit and Jesus interceding for us, the Word of God says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.”