Take a few minutes to listen to Something More (St. Augustine's Confession) by Switchfoot.
Switchfoot came on the music scene in 1996 with the album The Legend of Chin. I remember seeing Switchfoot in concert in 1997 at a church in Fargo, North Dakota. It was just two brothers and a drummer at that time, but they kept at it and hit it big in the early 2000s with Meant to Live and Dare You to Move. Before that came Something More off of the album New Way to Be Human. It was a 1999 release and resonated with me deeply. I too felt there had to be something more to life than the life I was living. Living for myself was empty and destructive. When I gave my life to Christ in November of 1996, I knew God had a plan for my life. A better plan. When did you first begin to follow Christ?
According to a Wikipedia article on St. Augustine of Hippo, at the age of 11.... Augustine "remembers he stole the fruit, not because he was hungry, but because 'it was not permitted.' His very nature, he says, was flawed. 'It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own error—not that for which I erred, but the error itself.' From this incident he concluded the human person is naturally inclined to sin, and in need of the grace of Christ." Has there been a time in your childhood where you first remember sinning? I remember stealing raspberries from Mrs. Hauge's raspberry bushes when I was about 7 years old. I got caught but she was so sweet about it. I knew it was wrong, but clearly chose to do it anyway.
Why do we choose to do what is wrong? Why do we choose evil? The Bible says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And the sad thing is, I still choose to sin today. Most of the time I'm doing the right thing, but occasionally I'll have a momentary lapse of reason and just sin anyway. Is it because I know God will forgive me? Is it because I am not walking as close to God as I should? Both may be true. The good news is that we can have victory because the Holy Spirit lives inside us. He will change us from the inside out, if we let Him. When we do, the fruit of the spirit will become evident in our lives (see Galatians 5). The first step is to ask God to guide you through His Holy Spirit, and then keep in step with the Spirit has He guides you towards holiness and away from sin. Then find a bible-believing church and a friend in Christ to encourage you in your walk.
Summary Questions:
- When did you first begin to follow Christ?
- Has there been a time in your childhood where you first remember sinning?
- Why do you think you sin when you know it's not what God wants?
- Do you have a church and a friend in Christ who can encourage you in your Christian walk?
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