Your Breakthrough Year: 5 Days of Inspiration to Kickstart Your New YearSample

DAY 4 – LIFE’S SIDE B

Today we listen to music mostly with earbuds streaming from our phones. Everything is digital. There used to be cassette tapes, 8 tracks, and vinyl records. But only records had more than one type of recording.

Maybe you aren’t old enough to remember when songs were on 45s. In this digital age, it might be hard to believe that once there were these little records you could buy that had two songs on them. One song was on side A and the other was on side B.

An album would have ten or twelve songs on a 33 or long-play record but the recording of a single song was sold as a 45. Both kinds of records could be played on a turntable, but you need an adapter for the 45 because the hole was larger than the album size.

The song the record company thought would be a hit was on side A and the other song on side B was essentially a throwaway. But sometimes the eventual hit song was actually on side B.

Some of the biggest hit songs were "side B" recordings. “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles, “We Will Rock You” by Queen, “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, “Super Freak” by Rick James, and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones.

Acts 16: 6-7 tells us, “Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them.”

God stopped Paul’s side A- which he thought would be successful and he ended up with side B in Macedonia. But it changed history. Christianity advanced from Asia to Europe. The Church was established in Europe and then spread throughout the world.

This would have never happened unless Paul responded enthusiastically and positively to the change in his plans. He could have been mad at God or felt sorry for himself. He could have begrudgingly gone to Europe but not given himself fully to the work. But instead, he established the Church in many cities.

You may be like Paul in a situation you did not plan to be in. It’s a complete change from what you thought you would do. But God can use it to bring greater success and a higher impact than you could have ever dreamed.

You never know what God might do on your side B.