COACH Toby Schwarz - Home

COACH Toby Schwarz

What Do You Have?!

12/5/2019

“For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” 2 Timothy 1:7

God has given us POWER, and LOVE, and SOUND JUDGMENT. God has not given us FEAR. If we choose to be scared or even to fall into the slavery of anxiety, then that is on us. We shouldn't blame God for our fears. God has not given them to us. He has actually given you the solution to fear.

Lord, help me to trust and to not fear.

Simply Pray Simply!

12/4/2019

Pray then like this: “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:9-13

Praying isn't hard.

Lord, you are worthy to follow. Help me to do Your will. Thanks for providing what I need and thanks for forgiving me for all that I do that is bad and help me to forgive others. Keep me from acting on things that are wrong and help me to do right.

Vroom Vroom!

12/3/2019

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

As one of my spiritual mentors, Jon Christopher, used to say, "You can walk into your garage and go 'vroom vroom' all day long but it doesn't make you a car. You can tell people you are a Christian and wear a cross around your neck but it doesn't make you a follower of Jesus".

Lord, help me to do Your will.

Reverse Order!

12/2/2019

"I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

One of the most inappropriate referenced verses ever. We love to use this verse to give justification for us doing anything we want because "God will strengthen us". This simply shows our human nature and innate selfishness. The cause and effect in this verse is not "I first determine what I want to do and then God will strengthen me". The correct order is "God will strengthen me so that I can do what He wants me to do".

Lord, help me to know what You want and thank you for not leaving me to my own strength to accomplish it.

Someone Else!

11/27/2019

"So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 9:17

We all have someone in our lives that we wish would come to know Jesus or come to know Jesus more fully. We do our best to share the Good News but to no avail. Those are the times that we need to pray that God would send them an Ananias. Someone else who can help them to hear that same Good News that we may not be able to get across to them.

Lord, help me to pray for someone else to come and help those that I am unable to help.

Trust Matters!

11/21/2019

"So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Trust matters.

Lord, help me to trust.

Need VS. Want!

11/20/2019

"Their hearts are hard and insensitive, but I delight in Your instruction. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I could learn Your statutes. Instruction from Your lips is better for me than thousands of gold and silver pieces." Psalm 119:70-72

There is a vast difference between "need" and "want". We want a lot of things, based on our human urges. In order to have a full and successful life, we need many things that are different than our wants.

Lord, help me to want what I need and want what you want for me.

We All Fail!

11/19/2019

"Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will run away.'" -Mark 14:27a

We all fail. We all run away. We all fall short of what we should do. How we respond to those failures matters more than the failures themselves.

Lord, thank you for the grace you provide when I fail and help me to get up and continue to move forward.

Addition By Subtraction!

11/18/2019

"If you want to be perfect," Jesus said to him, "go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Matthew 19:21-22

Often, we need to remove to gain. We must give up to receive. We must lose to win. Trials (bad) produce perseverance (good). Completeness requires giving up stuff.

Lord, help me to have enough faith and trust to believe that when I give up, you will always give more.

RISAW!

11/14/2019

"Don't you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away. Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Run to win and run for something.

Lord, help me to have the right priorities and then to do my best to achieve my goals.