Hi again, Steve Elzinga here. This is the coaching class. If you made it this far, congratulations, you're almost going down the stretch here. Keep at it. I hope you've been practicing some of the things that you're learning. Without practice, there’s no way that you can become a coach. You can practice in any relationship, any encounter with anyone. You can practice listening, you can practice asking good questions that help people think about their life. It's just a good way of communicating all around.

I want to talk about, in this session, the place of the Bible in coaching. You remember, you're not just a coach, you're a Christian coach. There's a lot of coaching out in our cultures these days, and a lot of it is not Christian at all. It has more of a New Age kind of feel to it. It's all about the truth inside of you, sort of this Buddhist view that God is everywhere, and we're all part of the collective God, and all we have to do is search deep within to find out the truth that is somehow within us. It can sound very Christian, but it's not.

So how do we act as Christian coaches? I want to talk about the Bible and Christian coaching.

Hebrews 13:20–21

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you…”

Equip you with everything good for doing His will.

So God is not some truth that somehow, as a human being because you're a collective universe something, you just have to know. If God is in you, God is the one that's equipping your clients to be able to figure things out. So we start with the premise of God, not some generic world where we're all part of some collective thing.

Equip you with everything good for doing His will — for doing things, for making things happen, for coming up with goals and plans. And then as a coach, I'm going to help you follow through with those goals and those plans.

“And may He work in us what is pleasing to Him…”

The goals that the client comes up with are not just goals; they’re goals about how to please God — kingdom goals, not just selfish, build-your-own-kingdom goals.

As a coach, I have to keep reiterating that the goal here is to follow God, not to build our own kingdom. My goal is not to coach you to become some successful person, but to become a successful follower of Jesus Christ — a successful person using the gifts that God has given for His Kingdom.

Jeremiah 29:11

This verse communicates to your clients that they have value, that trying to figure out what they should do is a cosmic thing:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

These words were first given to people whose world had collapsed — Jerusalem destroyed, the temple gone, the people exiled. Everything they believed in seemed lost. And yet God promised a future.

Your client often comes to you in a similar emotional state — frustrated, unable to focus, unable to accomplish things, feeling like their walls have been destroyed. They need to hear that God has a plan for them.

Psalm 119:105

“Your word, Lord, is a lamp for my feet, a light to my path.”

Communicate to your client that the Word of God is the chief source for figuring out what to do with their life. It’s not just thinking about areas of life — it’s reading Scripture and asking what applies.

Proverbs 3:5–6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”

Your client is trying to figure out goals and plans. How are these submitted to God? You might pray in the session:

“God, this is the goal we have in mind. If You have something different, let us know.”

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

Ask your client:

How does your goal help you seek God’s kingdom first?

You’re a Christian coach. You’re not helping someone rob a bank. You’re helping them follow Christ.

James 1:5

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”

Your client has many possible directions. Ask God. Stop and pray. Let Scripture guide the process.

Proverbs 16:3

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

Don’t just write the plan — commit it to God.

Questions Related to the Word

1. What was interesting to you in your reading of God’s Word this past week?

This checks whether your client actually has a walk with God — a prerequisite for Christian coaching.

2. Why do you think it was interesting to you?

This helps them reflect on why a passage struck them.

3. What might God be saying to you in this?

This is where the real thinking begins. This is where coaching meets discipleship.

You can use these three questions in Bible studies, family devotions, or coaching sessions. The Bible is not just a fact book — it’s a relationship book.

Word Related to the Client’s Focus

1. What Scripture applies to the area of action you want coaching in?

2. What Scripture applies to your plan of action?

Always bring goals and plans back to the Word of God.

Favorite Verse Questions

Ask:

  • What’s your favorite verse and why?

  • How does this verse apply to the change you want to make?

A favorite verse often carries deep personal meaning — a powerful motivator.

Steve’s story about Deuteronomy 31:8 illustrates how a verse can shape decades of ministry and relationships.

Summary

So what is your favorite verse and why? How does this verse apply to any change you want to make in your life? How does this verse apply to any area of life where you want to go to the next level?

So just to summarize, anytime that you can use the Word of God in coaching, do so. You want to center everything that you do in the Word of God. You want to center all the goals that are come up with, all the plans — you want them centered in the Word of God. You want a verse attached to all these things.

And then as you manage this process too, you're always bringing up that verse. Let a verse become the theme of what this person wants to do. Because what happens when the client succeeds in this coaching relationship — instead of just thanking you and saying, “All praise and glory to you, the coach,” they give praise and honor and glory to God. And God is in the driver's seat. God is the one that is ultimately making these things happen.

And that's what you want the client to figure out and understand, because when he helps other people, he will give the glory to God as well.

Okay, we'll see you again next time.



Last modified: Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:25 AM