Blog Archives - COACH Toby Schwarz

COACH Toby Schwarz

Unplanned Opportunity!

10/30/2020

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:15-16

Opportunities exist in all situations and under various circumstances. We tend to attempt to create opportunities. We are occasionally successful in doing that. However, we become more successful when we take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.

Lord, help me to not rely on waiting for or trying to create opportunities but help me to be open and aware of unexpected opportunities.

Great Question!

10/29/2020

“O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” Psalm 13:1-2

Simple answers: Never. No. Never. Never. Never. However, God could ask us many of these same questions of us as well and we would hope to answer the questions with the same answers tht He can give, but if we are honest, we can't.

Lord, help me to know that God is always with me and help me to realize that I don't always act as if I am with Him.

Missed Trust!

10/28/2020

“Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:5

We often miss out on opportunities. We become too busy or too distracted or too self-absorbed to see the opportunities in front of us. Missed opportunities include missing out on trusting God because we decide to trust ourselves instead. Many lose hope because their hope is in themselves instead of in God. When we trust God and decide to see the opportunities that He gives us to learn from Him, we won't be so lost.

Lord, thank you for providing the opportunities that you provide and help me to take advantage of them.

Hurry Up and Wait!

10/27/2020

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19

Doing the opposite is always a good default setting for those of us who, by nature, tend to do the wrong thing the majority of the time. We love to speak and to get fired up when that should be the last thing we do. We are hesitant or reluctant to fully listen, yet that is what we are called to do.

Lord, help me to listen and not always speak or act irrationally.

Task Masters!

10/26/2020

“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

A lot of life is "task completion". Within that, a good chunk of time is spent accomplishing and hopefully successful outcomes. When those are the priority, relationships tend to be put on the shelf or worse, they are trampled over. Relationships, and more specifically, relationships built on love and not "what can you do for me", should be our focus. Then and only then, when our tasks don't go as planned, it doesn't derail us.

Lord, help me come back to relationships when things don't go my way.

Know Your Competition!

10/23/2020

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

If we want to "win", we need to know who we are up against. The worst thing is to prepare for and attempt to compete against the wrong opponent. We aren't competing against ourselves or even others. We are competing against evil.

Lord, help me to understand that You are on my TEAM and so are others and so am I.

Sherpa!

10/22/2020

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Galatians 5:16

I wouldn't navigate Mt. Everest without a Sherpa. I wouldn't navigate life without the Holy Spirit.

Lord, help me to follow your lead.

More Than History!

10/21/2020

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12

Some view the Bible and the words in it as simply history. A story of the past. The Bible is more than that. The Bible is alive today and the words are more than accounts of the past. They are lessons for our current and future situations.

Lord, thank you for Your Word and help me to use it.

Butts!

10/20/2020

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9

I am sorry, I meant to title this "Buts", not "Butts". I apologize. I failed and it is my fault. See, it is that easy. All we need to do is to ask God for forgiveness when we mess up. He gets it.

Lord, thank You for making it so easy for me to ask for Your forgiveness and please help me to not turn it into something so hard.

Never Give Up!

10/19/2020

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)" Ephesians 2:4-5

God never gives up on us. We should never give up on Him or anything else.

Lord, thank you for always being there for me.