The NBA regular season is over and that means the teams that missed the playoffs are heading into evaluation mode. They are determining which players and coaches they want to return and what changes need to be made to have a better season next year.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a proud franchise that is used to winning championships. Despite having LeBron James and Anthony Davis, this season was a tremendous disappointment because of injuries and the lack of chemistry with their new addition, Russell Westbrook. They finished with a record of 33-49 while losing 18 of their final 24 games. This brutal season led the front office to act swiftly by immediately firing their head coach, Frank Vogel. It’s fair to argue that he wasn’t the main reason for the team playing so bad, but the Lakers felt this was the move they needed to make.
LA’s general manager, Rob Pelinka, said this about Vogel’s firing: "We just felt organizationally, at the highest level, it was time for a new voice.”
Oftentimes in sports, the voice of the head coach no longer gets through to his players and they eventually tune him out. They are no longer listening or doing what he’s asking them to do. This results in the team needing a spark, so a different voice becomes the obvious solution.
Each day we are constantly tuning in and tuning out different voices and messages. We must evaluate what voice is having the most impact on our lives. As followers of Jesus, it’s His voice that we desire to hear and obey. However, sometimes we get to the point where we’ve been tuning out His voice and allowing ourselves to listen to the voice of the enemy, or culture, or the negativity of others. If this is happening, we must acknowledge that “it’s time for a new voice.” The most powerful and loving voice is available to us if we choose to listen. God speaks clearly through His Word, prayer, circumstances, trustworthy people, and other personal ways. By recognizing we’ve been listening to the wrong voices, we can make necessary changes to exclusively follow God’s voice. The Bible explains in John 8:47 (AMP), “Whoever is of God and belongs to Him hears God’s words; for this reason, you do not hear them: because you are not of God and you are not in fellowship with Him.” Jesus says in John 10:27 (NLT), ”My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” Just like an NBA team understands the importance of having the right voice in the locker room, and knows when to get a new voice in there, we too can rely on the right voice (God’s voice) to lead and guide us each day. It’s up to us to listen and then do what He’s asking us to do. Jesus also tells us in Luke 11:28 (NLT) “…But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.” God has provided a way for us to fellowship with Him through Jesus, and is the only voice that gives us hope…peace…clarity…and victory! I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to have access to Your voice to direct and comfort me. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit who lives in me and provides promptings and guidance. I pray I’d listen to Your voice above all else and silence the ones that are trying to bring me down. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What voice seems to be impacting you the most in your life right now? Is it time for a new voice?
What prevents you from hearing God’s voice?
How does God usually speak to you?
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