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Yesterday's Answer Might Not Be Today's

biblical coaching black and white thinking discernment hearing god pendulum process seasons Nov 10, 2026

Here's a trap I didn't see coming.

You do the hard work. You define the extremes, you discuss both sides, you pray, and you discern where God has you. And it's right! It brings peace and fruit.

So you write it down as a rule.

"I don't take on new commitments." "I always say yes when someone at church asks for help." "We don't do that in our family." What started as a living conversation with God quietly becomes another black-and-white rule.

But the pendulum moves.

Look at Mark 6. The disciples come back exhausted from ministry, and Jesus says, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Good plan. Clear direction. They get in the boat.

When they land, a huge crowd is waiting. And Mark says Jesus "had compassion on them... so he began teaching them many things."

Rest was right. Then compassion was right. Same afternoon.

Jesus wasn't being inconsistent. He was responsive to the Father, to the people in front of Him, and to the moment.

Discernment isn't a decision you make once. It's a relationship you keep.

Where God had you last season may not be where He has you now. A season of saying no to protect your family may give way to a season of opening your home. A season of speaking up may give way to a season of quiet prayer. Neither cancels the other. Both were faithful choices.

This week's questions:

What is something you discerned well in the past that has hardened into a rule?
Has anything changed: your season, your capacity, the people around you?
What would it look like to bring that "settled" question back to God with an open hand?

One week from today, What If It's Not Black and White? officially releases! I'll also be offering Pendulum Coaching sessions for anyone who wants to work through a specific situation with a guide. More on that next week. Join the launch list here.

Yesterday's Answer Might Not Be Today's

What If It's Not Black and White?

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