Shively Christian Church

I was talking to some guys on Sunday afternoon about planning and action, and heard an interesting story.

 

It seems, back in the early 70's several policemen got involved in  a shootout with several bad guys. I'm not sure what the crime was, but that's okay because it's not the point. What happened was this, several policemen were gunned down, and get this, because of their training.

 

Usually you would expect it to be the other way around, that they were saved because of their training. But for these unfortunate officers, their training played a part in the loss oftheir lives. Here's why, in order to maintain a nice, clean firing range the officers had been trained -trained- to take all the empty shells from their revolvers, dump them into their hands and then deposit them into their pockets. This way they wouldn't have to clean up all that brass after their time at the target range.

 

So, these officers, in the midst of a shootout, were still taking the time to empty their revolver's spent shells into their hands, transfering the shells into their pockets, then reloading their guns. That may seem silly to do that, but when they were recovering the bodies of the fallen officers, they found empty shells in their pockets.

 

In the moment of greatest stress, where you run on your instincts, these officers fell back to the training they received. Like I said, falling back on your training should be something to help you, but in this case it unfortunately did not.

 

What about you, in your moments of greatest stress, what training do you fall back on? If you have been a student of the Bible, commiting it to memory, spending free moments soaking it in and making sure it is a part of who you are, then by all accounts it should be your basic guide in those tough times.

But if your basic training was learned from Madison Avenue, Hollywood or in your high school locker room, you are going to find yourself ill-equipped in those tight spots. We will fall back to what we know, what has been ingrained in our minds and hearts. You can always see someone's true colors when they are under stress.

 

Spending time in Scripture isn't just some self-righteous exercise. It isn't something for the spiritual elite, or church staff or some monk in a stone cell in Europe. Making Scripture the foundation of your day, reading and seeking God will equip you to handle anything life throws your way.

 

Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the full armor of God:

 

"¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle  is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, ¹⁵ and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; ¹⁶ in  addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly,  as I ought to speak." (NAS)