We Are What We Practice

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 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. 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 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.

The problem comes when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit 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. 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.

His Promises

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.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.