We Are What We Practice

We Are What We Practice

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:5-6

Football coaches are notorious for repetition. We show our players game film repeatedly, even if it shows the same situation or play. We outline the same play on a whiteboard day after day. Even more than viewing things repeatedly, however, we love to practice them over and over.

The “walk thru” was developed for just this purpose—muscle memory. We talk to our players about what we are going to run, and then we go on the practice field and actually do it—at half speed. No pads, no intensity, just a chance for the players’ bodies and brains to perform the action. Later, during practice, we’ll do it again, faster and with pads.

The goal is that when game time comes, the players will be ready to simply react without thinking when confronted with situations. They will have been filled with proper movements and reactions and won’t have to stop and think through the proper response—it will simply pour out.

In the same way, what we fill ourselves with day in and day out will spill out whether we want it to or not.

God’s divine plan to save the world was set in motion when He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins and our salvation. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to fill His followers. And when we come into a relationship with Jesus Christ—when we accept Him as Savior and Lord in our lives—we get all the Holy Spirit we will ever need.

The problem comes when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit—our Helper, our Advocate, our Comforter—into every area of our lives to help us with the journey and to help us live up to the absolute ideals of God’s Word. Salvation is available because of what Christ did for us on the cross. Help for becoming all we were created to be and power for living up to God’s directives for how we should treat others come through the Holy Spirit.

Is the Holy Spirit filling you? Are you ready to react?

Uncommon Key > Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you now, and allow yourself to be filled on a daily basis so that when life rushes at you, you can merely let your “Spirit-controlled mind” take over.