After legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden was fired, he said, “There’s a saying in my business that there are two kinds of coaches—those who have been fired and those who haven’t been fired yet. That’s kind of like prostate cancer. Every man will have it if he lives long enough.”

The resignation and replacement of head football coaches in college or professional sports is a sure thing. There are always a few exceptions, like Tom Osborne, who coached his entire career at Nebraska before retiring. However, it is much more common for a coach to change jobs.

 Acts 16 – Trust God

Often, when one door closes, another opens. That was the case in Acts 16:6-12. It was an example of open and closed doors when Paul and his colleagues launched their second missionary journey from Antioch. Along the way, they encountered some closed doors and then an open door.

God called Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and he obeyed God. As he traveled, he decided to try to go northeast into Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit said, “No.” God shut the door. Then he traveled on and tried to go north into Bithynia toward Russia, and once again, God shut the door. Eventually, he took the gospel to Greece instead of Asia Minor.

That was the first time the gospel entered the European continent. Paul paid attention to God’s closed and open doors. We should be glad Paul paid attention to God’s closed and open doors. As we think about open and closed doors, we realize that failures and problems can be blessings in disguise.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete trust God will guide them even when it doesn’t seem clear. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” The Shepherd Coach knows disappointments in life can become God’s appointments.

Bible Memory Verse – “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:47-48 (LSB)

Click HERE for the Kingdom Sports Minute on Flexibility.

Our featured book this week is Huddle Up —Devotions for Coaches and Competitors by Charles Gee.

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