Hello Partners and Friends!

Today we are going to continue with the questions God asked me. If you remember from last week’s blog, the Lord asked me if I was as disciplined with Him as my players were with me.  And as I shared with you, I decided that I was not. For you see, champions will do whatever it takes to reach the goal of winning a championship game. I realized that I had not disciplined myself on the same level for God as my players had been for me! And some of you may be thinking the same thing. The great thing with God, though, is every day is a new day! We can decide to make this day a more disciplined day in God.  

The second question God asked me was “Are you seeking me?” I thought this was an easy question, so I proudly answered, “Of course I’m seeking You, Lord!  I go to church every Sunday morning and every Sunday night.” The Lord asked me again, “Are you seeking me?” and once again I read off my list of wonderful things I do for Him.  “Yes, Lord. I even go to church on Wednesday nights, speak at chapel when I am asked, and pay my tithes.” Then the Lord asked me again, “Are you seeking me?” I replied, “Evidently not!” It was obvious that I didn’t have a revelation of what seek meant. So I began to study the word out.  

The actual Greek meaning for seek is crave.  In other words, what the Lord was really asking me was, “Are you craving Me?” Right away, a couple of Bible verses came to mind that had the word seek in them:     

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Then I saw it - these two verses go together! If we seek Him first - crave Him first - and do it diligently (disciplined), all things and rewards will be added to us. God is so good!  He has made every possible blessing available to us. But these things came as a result of seeking Him - craving Him - not just because we are born again, but because we love God with our whole heart and want Him to be in every part of our lives. We crave God’s presence in every part of our lives. So determine this week that you are going to seek and crave God, His presence, and His word more than ever before. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

 -Coach Brim

Hey Partners and Friends!

Today I want to ask you two questions: are you seeking God? Are you disciplined? Twenty years ago the Lord asked me the same two questions. He started with the discipline question. At that time, I was still coaching so he used my players as an example.  He said, “Are you as disciplined to Me as your players are to you?” Wow! I had to think about that because my players were disciplined! I could call them at 2 AM and tell them to meet me at the field to run laps and they would say, “yes, sir, coach”. No whining, no complaining. They’d just do it!

Why? Because they trusted me, and they craved the championship. They were willing to do whatever it took to win. So, when the Lord asked me if I was that disciplined to Him, it took me back a little. It was tough to answer. Like I stated in last week’s blog, I wasn’t backslidden. My family went to church. I was reading my Bible every night before I went to bed. In that second it dawned on me; I was just a regular, “plain ol’ Christian.”  No extras added to my life in my relationship with God. I was not the champion that God had called me to be. Champions crave the championship with their whole heart. They will spend extra hours practicing, lifting weights to get stronger, reading books, and watching films to make them smarter at their position. They do all of this to help them understand and prepare for their opponent - seeking after the championship is their number one priority.   

Upon asking myself “Am I disciplined?” I realized that I was not as disciplined with God as I was in running a state championship program. I realized that just going to church and “clocking in” was not enough. Reading my Bible verse every night was not enough either because Bible study had become something that I just did right before I fell asleep.  I would read, “Jesus wept” and fall asleep. That is not a disciplined Bible study life! Our number one calling in life is our relationship with God. I realized that day that my job, my family, and watching this baseball game on TV was more important to me than disciplining myself to spend time with the Lord and truly read His Word. You see, when athletes discipline themselves to work out, they are not just “clocking in.” They push themselves past the level of just clocking in to a disciplined level that brings great results. They no longer look at the discipline set before them as a drudgery but something that will make them better, stronger, faster and healthier.

It’s the same thing with God!  Our disciplined lives set before Him will make us better, stronger, faster, healthier, wiser, and equip us with everything we face in life.

Come visit the website next week to see the second question God asked me.

Don’t Forget! The 18th annual Champions 4 Christ youth rally in Branson, MO is coming soon! This powerful week of meetings has great speakers like Chip and Billye Brim, Steve Munds and other impactful speakers.  For more information please go to our website, Champions4Christ.org or check us out on Facebook at C4C Rally or Instagram @c4crally. See you July 23-27!

   -Coach Brim

Hey Partners and Friends!

This week I felt led to talk to you about the ministry God has called me to, Champions 4 Christ.  I have been blessed to have traveled in this ministry for the last 19 years, and I am very thankful to God for the calling on my life. But, it wasn’t always that way. When I first started out my life as an adult, I was a baseball coach; and God had blessed me with the ability to coach on a very successful level.  I looked to God for help, but God wasn’t my first priority. It was always my plan and not God’s plan. It wasn’t that I was running from God or that I had backslidden.  I loved him and gave Him the glory for everything He blessed me with, but I wasn’t putting Him first. And because of His great love, He still blessed me with a great deal of success.  

My plan was going well, I was successful with it, and I believe it prepared me for the greater plan God had for me; but it wasn’t God’s plan.  The word of God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has a plan for us! The Word states, “For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Praise God! You may not know the plan yet, but God does! Trust Him!  Speak Jeremiah 29:11 over yourself when you get to looking at your life and feel like you don’t know what the plan is. Champions talk the talk before they win the game.  Speak over yourself, “According to the word of God, God has a plan for me and I thank Him for it now and as you speak over yourself, put your feet to work. Ask God to direct you to people that you need to meet, the places you need to go, the applications you need to fill out. Then praise God for it! Praise God because you trust Him that He will fulfill His promise. He will fulfill your plan. And Remember what Jeremiah said, God’s plan is to give you a future and a hope!  Trust God!

It’s fast approaching! July 23rd will be here soon, and you don’t want your youth or youth group to miss out on the annual Champions 4 Christ youth rally. Not only do we have great times of ministry with Billye Brim, Chip Brim, Steve Munds, and a special guest; we have as part of our packaged deal trips to Silver Dollar City, White Water, and the new show at Sight and Sound theater - Samson! Once you arrive, meals, lodging, and services are all part of your registration! It’s all included in one package deal and it’s a great deal! I’m telling you! You won’t want to miss out!  For more information, check out our website Champions4Christ.org, Facebook at C4C Rally, and Instagram @c4crally.

  - Coach Brim