Almost every Christian coach I know wants to have a philosophy of coaching that is positive. But in the battle of competition, sometimes we get caught up in the heat of the moment and lose our focus. We may stay positive on the outside, but inside we are feeling the tension—tension that causes us to lose that positive edge.

I have found that what we tell our athletes to think about is exactly what they will think about. We may say, “Don’t ever miss a serve on game point.” What are they thinking when they come to the line? They are thinking about not missing the serve. What do they see? Missing the serve, which is exactly what we told them to think about!

Instead, in the same way Paul instructs us to “dwell on these things,” we need to encourage our players to focus on the good and right and true ways to compete. This way, they are not thinking about anything else. We can coach our players to do exactly what we want for them by not bringing in anything that will cause them to lose their focus. Jesus is the perfect example of this: He was so single-minded in His purpose on Earth that He never wavered. He completely fulfilled the task that He had been given to do: go to the cross for our sake!

Paul says in Philippians to keep our minds dwelling on what is true, pure and excellent. When we do, our athletes will fulfill their goals and develop their gifts—and we will experience God’s peace.