How well do you respond in a crisis? What would you do if you were flying an Airbus full of passengers over a populated city when you lost both your engines?
Most of us would simply panic - resulting in disaster. But that is because we have no training and no experience. When an experienced pilot gets into difficulty often their training kicks in and they simply do what comes naturally.
The best sports people in the world often respond instinctively and effortlessly to situations, making brilliant catches, scoring goals or runs, or kicking conversions. But the reality is that thousands of hours of practise lies behind the instinct and intuition. In the heat of the moment they do what comes naturally - but they have worked for years to ensure that what comes naturally is the very thing that will bring success.
Last Sunday, at church, we were thinking about how the Bible plays an important role in forming our Christian character, so that in the heat of the moment, we instinctively know what to do - we naturally do the thing that will bring glory to God. And what goes on in our minds is so important. Our thinking affects our behaving.
Therefore it is essential that we spend time reading and reflecting on God's word - but also get into the habit and discipline of memorising Bible verses - something that has gone out of fashion in recent years.
If you want somewhere to start, Psalm 119:11 says 'I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you'. Write it down - on a small card that will fit in your pocket, and on a post-it note stuck to your fridge, mirror, computer screen...Repeat it often - including the reference. Think about it. Ask the 'so what?' question.
When we get God's word into our minds and hearts, when it affects us, when we allow it to change us, we will find that what comes naturally is pleasing to God.
