During my law enforcement career, we were required to qualify with our service weapon a minimum of four times per year. We fired, not only the Pistol Qualification Course, but many other courses of fire to train in various scenarios and skill levels. This expended a lot of empty brass, or shell cartridges, onto the ground at the range. For many years, we used to clean up after each course of fire before moving on to the next. This made it easier to keep the range clean as we went along.
This was a common practice among most law enforcement agencies until a strange phenomenon was discovered during actual shootings. Officers and agents were picking up their brass in the midst of a shoot-out. Why? Because it was an automatic reflex as a result of their training. Their brains were telling them to stop and pick up their brass as soon as they stopped shooting. This created an extremely dangerous situation in a firefight, not to mention the violation of post-shooting protocols. They were simply doing what they practiced.
Training policies were changed to ensure that brass clean-up occurs at the end of the day’s firearms training, not between each course of fire. Just like in sports, you play like you practice. Muscle memory is a real thing. You train repetitively so much that even your muscles know exactly what to do in a specific situation. That’s how expert marksmen do so well in pistol matches.
You may also apply that to your spiritual life. Stay immersed in the Scriptures and know God’s Word so well so that, when the enemy tries to lie to you, you are able to confront his lies and thwart him with the truth. Find time each day to spend alone with God and make it so automatic that you won’t skip that special time with him. It will be the best habit you have ever developed and you will be much better off for it!
Proverbs 7:1-3 (NLT) - “Follow my advice, my son; always treasure my commands. Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.”