In middle school, I had a basketball teammate with a peculiar goal. He wanted to grow from 5-foot-6 to 6-foot-2 by the next season. I tried everything to convince him this was unrealistic because no one in his family history was taller than six feet. Not to mention, the “Jack and the Beanstalk” growth plan was a myth, not reality! There are no protein shakes with magic beans!

Wanting something to be true doesn’t make it true. Eventually, reality catches up.

Exodus 8-9 – Truth Matters

Because Pharaoh refused to listen to Moses and let the Israelites go free from slavery, God unleashed a series of ten plagues on the nation. Despite the unmistakable signs and wonders God sent, Pharaoh continued to deny the reality standing right in front of him. Each plague revealed the power of the one true God, yet Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to surrender.

That’s the danger of resisting God’s clear Word. The more we reject truth, the easier it becomes to reject it again. A hardened heart rarely happens all at once. It develops one act of resistance, one excuse, and one stubborn refusal at a time.

Ultimately, God has “given over” hard hearts to pursue their own desires (Romans 1:21–32). God desires that no one perish, yet many continue to insist on their own way rather than submit to Him.

Pharaoh discovered that denying reality doesn’t change reality. Denying God’s truth doesn’t make it any less true. The wise response when God speaks is not resistance, but surrender.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete refuse to abandon God and His Word. They recognize the severe consequences of a culture under His wrath, as the Lord gives people over to a depraved mind (Romans 1:28), resulting in a mindset that doesn’t function properly and can’t think clearly.

Bible Verse: “But, indeed, for this reason I have caused you to stand, in order to show you My power and in order to recount My name through all the earth.” Exodus 9:16 (LSB)