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When the Clock is Ticking: 4 Ways Christian Athletes and Coaches can Perform Under Pressure when the Game is on the Line

The game is on the line … and the clock is ticking …

What will you do???

Will you cower down in fear …

Or will you rise victorious and triumphant???

Today, we will talk about:

How Jesus handled his trial, death, and resurrection to help you handle your countdowns in your games and competitions.

Happy Palm Sunday!

We are one week from Easter and we know that in Jesus’ day, a lot went down during this week:

• Jesus faced his trial
• Jesus died on the cross
• Jesus was resurrected from the dead

This was the countdown for the end of Jesus’ life.

(In physical form on Earth, that is)

We see some athletes like Tom Brady and Michael Jordan who seem to excel when the clock is ticking, but we see others choke in these pressure situations.

There are some takeaways we can have from how Jesus handled his trial, death, and resurrection to help you in the countdowns of your games and competitions.

1. Remain Calm and Open

When Jesus faced his trial before Pontius Pilate and the religious leaders, he didn’t cower down in fear.

Rather, he remained calm, open, and at peace.

When you cower down in fear, you create a lot of unnecessary tension which robs you of your potential.

But when you remain calm, open, and at peace, your full potential can rise to the surface.

2. GOD’s Will Be Done

Jesus faced a lot of agony on the days leading up to his death, as we see during his prayers at Gethsemane.

But he ended every prayer with, “Not as I will, but as YOU WILL.”

Jesus knew that GOD’s Will would be far more glorious than any suffering he was currently facing.

In your games and competitions, know that when you give your all, no matter what happens …

GOD’s Will will be done.

And whatever that is will be far more glorious than anything you can currently imagine.

3. Let LOVE Win Out

Although Jesus was experiencing a ton of suffering, he had so much LOVE for you, me, and ALL.

And he allowed this infinite and eternal LOVE to fuel him through his suffering and become the Savior for all.

In your games and competitions, allow your LOVE for your players, teammates, the game itself, and to glorify GOD through your gifts and abilities in sports to win out and fuel you through any suffering you may face.

4. Know There Is A Resurrection

Although Jesus’ death was inevitable, he knew that death was only a veil concealing a far greater experience on the other side.

He knew there would be a resurrection where he would conquer sin and death once and for all to be the Savior of the world.

In your games and competitions, although a loss may feel like a momentary death, know there will be a resurrection on the other side.

Win, lose, or draw, you will be able to handle it.

And whatever happens will refine and forge you into a better athlete, coach, and Child of GOD.

Simple Trick to Help You in Pressure Situations

Here’s a simple trick to help you when the clock is ticking and the game is on the line.

Take a deep breath and connect with the Holy Spirit inside you.

We see many examples of athletes taking a deep breath in pressure situations:

• A basketball player at the free throw line
• A tennis player before a serve
• A pitcher before a pitch

This calms down your nervous system.

BUT DON’T STOP THERE!!!

Connect with the Holy Spirit inside you during that breath.

Feel Jesus’ heartbeat inside your chest.

And allow that to:

• Keep you calm, open, and at peace
• Remind you that GOD’s Will be done
• Let LOVE win out
• Remind you a resurrection awaits on the other side

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of performing under pressure when the clock is ticking, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• Matthew 27:11-26
• Matthew 26:39
• Romans 5:8
• Romans 6:4-5

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The Road Ends Here: How Christian Athletes and Coaches can Live an Eternal Road

This is it!!! The Road Ends Here!!!

Or does it???

Today, we will talk about:

How your Road can last forever as an athlete and as a coach for Christ.

We are at the end of the basketball season.

Last night was the Final Four and tomorrow is the National Championship game.

A common phrase and slogan for the Final Four is:

The Road Ends Here

Yes, for the college basketball season, the road does end here. It is officially the end of the season.

But your road does not have to end here.

As a Child of GOD, you are part of an eternal kingdom that will never perish, spoil, or fade.

Through faith in Jesus Christ your Spirit will have eternal life.

May this be an encouragement and a reminder to you.

Although you may be in this world, you are not of this world.

Although externally you may fade away:

• You may lose your first step
• You may lose your jump shot
• The ball may stop bouncing for you

Inwardly you are being renewed day by day.

For now …

And for eternity!

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of walking your Eternal Road, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• 1 Peter 1:4
• John 17:16
• 2 Corinthians 4:16

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Is Your Bracket Busted??? What to do when your agenda doesn’t go as planned

Has your bracket been busted yet?

Or are you still going strong?

If it has been busted, how have you responded?

Today, we will talk about:

What to do when your plans and agendas get busted in life.

We are already in the Elite Eight and a few teams have already punched their tickets to the Final Four.

By now, many people across the country have had their brackets busted in some way, shape, or form.

One thing that amazes me is how different people respond to their brackets being busted in different ways:

• Some will check out and stop watching the tournament
• Others will make excuses as to why their bracket didn’t work out
• But some will release the pressure from themselves of needing to have the perfect bracket and simply enjoy watching the tournament for the wonderful spectacle it is

For these people that surrender their control, the tournament often becomes more enjoyable to watch.

The same scenario often plays itself in life.

Many times, people try to force their own plans, their own agendas, and the way they think they want things to go.

Many times, GOD will come in and spoil these agendas to re-route them.

And when this happens, people respond in different ways:

• Some will give up
• Some will make excuses
• And some will surrender their agendas, release the pressure to force their own plans, and enjoy the route GOD is guiding them on

And when you do surrender your plans and let GOD guide you, things often seem to turn out in a way more glorious than you could have ever thought on your own.

My encouragement to you is …

Release your rigid control on how you think your plans should unfold and fall back in surrender, allowing GOD to guide the events of your life.

When you do:

• You release a lot of pressure from yourself
• You can more fully enjoy the events of life for the beautiful spectacle they are
• You find that your path in life unfolds far more gloriously than you could have thought of on your own

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of surrendering your plans and agendas into GOD’s mighty hand, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here 

Bible Verses:

• Isaiah 55:8-9
• Proverbs 3:5-6

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Will You Make a Deep Run??? How to Make a Deep Run in Your Walk of Faith as a Christian Athlete and Coach

How do teams make deep runs in the NCAA tournament???

How can you make a deep run in your walk of faith???

Today, we will talk about:

How you can make a deep run in your life as an athlete and coach for Christ.

Today is the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, which is my favorite time of the sporting season.

Throughout my life, I have been a huge Michigan State basketball fan.

(During games, I’m probably down in my defensive stance and burning more calories than any of the players out there!!!)

One thing that has amazed me over the years of being a Michigan State basketball fan is …

They don’t always have the top prospects:

• The All-Americans
• The 5-star recruits
• Those that go pro instantly

Still, they are able to make the NCAA tournament year after year and often make deep runs in the tournament.

One reason I believe this is so is because they have a master hall of fame coach in Tom Izzo who is able to see through to the heart of his players:

• Their grit
• Their tenacity
• Their toughness

And he is able to get the best out of them.

GOD can work in the same way.

Over and over throughout the Bible, GOD did not always choose the highest prospects to do His work:

• He chose Gideon to defeat the Midianites
• He chose David to become one of Israel’s most powerful kings
• Jesus’ disciples were a bunch of Misfits and outcasts in their own way
• Even Jesus was not the ideal Savior and Messiah in the eyes of many as He was a carpenter

However, GOD was able to see through them to their heart and enabled them to do amazing works.

May this be an encouragement to you.

You may not appear to be the highest-caliber prospect on the outside. You may not be:

• The biggest
• The fastest
• The strongest

However, GOD can see through to your heart and can perform amazing works through you.

He has a purpose for you that transcends all understanding.

He will enable you, through His Power, to do things you never thought possible.

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of making a deep run in your walk of faith, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• Story of Gideon
• Story of David

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Are You In??? How you can punch your ticket to the Big Dance of Heaven

Are you in???

Or are you on the outside looking in???

Today, we will talk about:

How you can be confident in punching your ticket to the Biggest Dance there is.

Today is Selection Sunday.

A time marked by dozens of college basketball teams across the country watching and waiting to see whether they will make it into the NCAA basketball tournament.

For some teams, they can watch with confidence because they know they are in.

They’ve either racked up many wins throughout the year or have won their conference tournaments.

But for other teams, it’s a different story.

The are watching in fear and anxiety because they are on the bubble or on the outside looking in …

And the rest of their season’s fate lies in a selection committee who judges them based on various metrics:

• Wins
• Losses
• Strength of Schedule
• The “Eye Test”

Personally, I’d much rather be a team watching with confidence, knowing I’ve made it.

And what if I told you …

There is a way to know you’ve punched your ticket to the Biggest Dance there is:

• There’s a way to go from fear and anxiety to confidence and poise
• There’s a way to go from being on the bubble to a for sure lock
• There’s a way to go from watching your life’s fate go from being judged by a committee of humans to a Committee of One

And this Committee of One doesn’t looks at what humans look at.

Rather, it looks at the heart.

It looks at your desire to be part of an Eternal Team that will never perish, spoil, or fade.

It looks at your belief in a Savior that has already punched your ticket for you.

And when you trust your life in the hands of this Committee of One, playing for this Eternal Team, it will transform you …

By the renewing of your mind …

And shifting your spirit from one of fear to one of power, love, and self-control.

The choice is up to you!

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of punching your ticket into Heaven and placing your faith in Jesus Christ, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• 1 Samuel 16:7
• 1 Peter 1:3-5
• Romans 12:2
• 2 Timothy 1:7

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Why Fast During Lent? How releasing unnecessary things from your life impacts Christian Athletes and Coaches

Have you ever participated in a fast before?

What’s the point of fasting to begin with?

Today, we will talk about:

How Releasing Certain Things in Your Life Can Help You in Your Walk as a Christian Athlete or Coach.

We are now into the season of Lent and many people will participate in fasting of some kind:

• Refraining from red meat on Fridays
• Giving up social media
• Releasing something to focus more intently on the LORD

The Bible also talks a lot about fasting:

• Certain miracles could only be performed through prayer and fasting
• Many prominent figures went on fasts
• Jesus fasted before beginning his ministry

I remember a time when I decided to go on a 40-hour fast without eating any food.

(If Jesus did it 40 days and 40 nights, what’s the difference 😀*?!?)*

When I came out of the fast, the following day I did a workout …

And to my amazement …

I felt so free for the first part of it!

My body was so limber and efficient in its movements.

(Now, the second half of the workout was a different story as I was exhausted, but I felt amazing during the first half)

As I reflected on this, I realized …

Since I was so weak, I wasn’t putting in any unnecessary effort, allowing my body to function most efficiently.

Many times when I feel strong …

I force the movements …

Which causes unnecessary friction and tension because …

It’s like putting effort into pushing on the gas and brake pedals at the same time.

The same can be true in our walks of faith.

Many times we can force our own agendas which can cause unnecessary suffering, friction, and tension.

However, when we are at our weakest, GOD is our strength, and we often surrender our lives to Him when we feel the most helpless.

When we fully surrender our lives, we remove our foot from the brakes, and GOD’s foot is on the gas …

And GOD has a way of navigating our Path in a way that is far greater than we could have imagined on our own.

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of releasing your agendas and surrendering to GOD, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• Matthew 17:21
• Matthew 4:1-11
• 2 Corinthians 12:9

Listen to Audio Here 

Do You Train Your Faith for Four Quarters??? How FCA’s model “The Four” can help you as a Christian athlete or coach

You may play your game for four quarters …

But do you play out your faith for four quarters???

Today, we will talk about:

FCA’s Four-Stage Model and How it Can Help You in Your Walk as a Christian Athlete or Coach.

FCA has a model they call “The Four,” which states:

1. GOD loves you
2. Sin separates you
3. Jesus rescues you
4. Will you trust Jesus?

This verse is largely based on John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

GOD Loves You

The first part of the verse and “The Four” is GOD loves you.

His love for you is infinite …

It stretches from the east to the west, which never intersect …

And He is offering you everlasting life.

Sin Divides You

Although GOD is offering us this everlasting life, we have cut ourselves from this gift through sin, which leads to death.

The Bible says the wages of sin is death.

Jesus Rescues You

But Jesus came into this world to save us and bring us back to GOD’s gift of everlasting life.

Although we were stumbling in our sinful ways, Jesus died for us. He gave His life as a ransom for many. He gave His life, so we may have life in abundance.

Will You Trust Jesus?

Which brings us to the question …

“Will you trust Jesus?”

Will you choose to put your trust in Him?

Will you choose to accept the gift of everlasting life?

This choice is one not accomplished through works, that no one may boast.

Rather, it is one done through faith.

This faith is not a superficial hope …

But a deep confidence in what is hoped for …

An assurance of what is not yet seen.

And this newfound faith within us will cause a transformation in our thoughts, words, and deeds:

• To our players
• To our coaches
• To our teammates
• TO ALL

Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of experiencing “The Four” in your life, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!

May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Listen to Prayer Here

Bible Verses:

• John 3:16
• Ephesians 3:19
• Romans 6:23
• Romans 5:8
• 1 Timothy 2:6
• John 10:10
• Ephesians 2:8-9
• Hebrews 11:1