In the world of coaching, we often talk about the difference between a player’s potential and their performance. You can have the most gifted athlete on the roster, but if they don’t put in the work, that talent remains dormant.

The Christian life works similarly. When the Holy Spirit regenerates us (grants us new life in Christ), we are changed forever. We are given a new nature and a new identity. But as Paul makes clear in Colossians 3, the Christian life is not a spectator sport. We aren’t called to sit on the sidelines and watch God work; we are called to get in the game.

To live a life governed by the Word of God, coaches must move from passive observation to active, gospel-driven participation. Here is the three-part game plan Paul lays out for us.

• Fix Your Eyes on Eternal Things

Every great coach knows that focus determines finish. In Colossians 3:1–2, Paul tells us to set our minds on things above. In coaching terms, this is about visualization. If you spend all your time dwelling on earthly frustrations—wins, losses, rankings, or parental drama—your coaching will be governed by those things. Instead, we are called to cultivate a heavenly mindset.

• 👉Filter your thoughts: Philippians 4:8 is the ultimate standard. Whatever is true, noble, and excellent—think about those things.
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• 👉Practice: Don’t just read the Word; execute it. Obedience isn’t just a duty; it’s a reciprocating process. The more you obey God’s Word in your life, the more your desires actually begin to align with his.

• Cut the Dead Weight

In verse 5, Paul gets aggressive: “Put to death... whatever belongs to your earthly nature.” In sports, if a player or a habit is toxic to the team culture, you cut it. You don’t manage it or negotiate with it; you remove it so the team can thrive. Paul argues we must do the same with our sin.

How to Starve the Old Man...

• 👉Identify the Sin: Use Scripture to ID the patterns of pride, anger, or greed in your heart. Which of these remnants are still showing up in your life?
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• 👉Starve the Impulse: As theologian John Stott famously noted, the way to kill the old nature is to stop feeding it. When a jealous or impure thought enters your mind, kick it out immediately.
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• 👉No Negotiations: Don’t consider that you're going to give in. You’ve already declared war. We don’t pull the nails out of the cross to caress the very sins that put Christ there.
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• Suit Up

Finally, Paul tells us to clothe ourselves. Once you’ve stripped off the old rags of sin, you have to put on the uniform of the Kingdom: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. But there is one piece of equipment that holds the entire uniform together-Love. “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Col 3:14).

Why Love is the Glue...

Without love, your humility is just a performance, and your patience is just gritting your teeth. Love is the source. When we meditate on the Gospel—how Christ loved us and gave Himself for us—that love becomes the basis for how we treat our players, our staff, and even the officials. At home it becomes how we treat our spouse, our children, and those we show hospitality to in our homes. When you clothe yourself with love, you aren’t just following a set of rules; you are clothing yourself with the Gospel.

The Bottom Line

Your identity as a coach is “hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3). That is your position. Now, the challenge is to make that your practice. By cultivating a Godly mindset, ruthlessly putting sin to death, and daily putting on the character of Christ, you move from being a spectator of grace to a participant in God's transforming work. So, don’t just watch the Spirit move—get in the game!

Sometime this week, consider these virtues mentioned in Colossians 3:12–14. Which do you find most difficult to put on when the pressures of life are at their highest? Pray for the Lord’s help to respond in a way that would honor Him and reflect who He truly is to a watching world.