Are You Coachable?
or think your way is better…
'Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” ' Joshua 6:1-5
i liken these verses to the image included of a coach giving instructions to the team. as a player, you have the choice to follow or not. while the outcome is not guaranteed because we’re human, with the proper strategy, preparation, practice reps, and belief that it is going to happen as planned, you have a significantly greater chance of accomplishing that than just by winging it. so many of us do the latter in life and we expect the same results as the former.
the difference here than my illustration is that The Lord spoke to joshua and gave him these specific things to do. not suggestions, not recommendations, not “what do you think about this idea,” but concrete - do this, then that, and finally…. there is nothing to great for Him to do, and His promises are true and will come to pass. that is the assurance we all can cling to.
in my life i do wish that i could hear, as joshua had, from our Heavenly Father, from Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. if it were clear as day as in this story, it would have made my life easier when making critical decisions. i’m still working on paying closer attention to the promptings and still voice though i am not 100% there. even though i struggle in this area, i am committed to doing what He’s asked me and press on because i want to be a faithful follower of Christ.
Father God, may my heart and ears be inclined to you. that through your prompting by your Holy Spirit, or as you speak into my life, teach me to follow exactly what you are asking me to do. to the glory and honor of you Heavenly Father. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!