Walking in the Spirit - The Wesleyan Church

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)

Though raised by a Christian mother, Augustine had pushed back hard against his upbringing. Gifted with a brilliant intellect, he was a star at school. But when he was forced to take time off due to family financial issues, Augustine spent his time playing pranks and indulging himself sexually. Recognized for his rhetorical abilities, he received help from a powerful sponsor to continue studies in Carthage, which was the jewel of Roman North Africa at that time.

Augustine delved into his education but continued a lifestyle of hedonism. However, he began to search for meaning. This led him to explore two religious systems that highlighted the battle between flesh and spirit, though neither could provide adequate resources to conquer his impulses. Augustine became an adherent of Manichaeism, which centered on the battle between the spirit and the flesh. Yet his sinful nature still reigned. A later attraction to Neoplatonic thought inspired him but could not empower him.

However, the prayers and witness of his mother and Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, led Augustine to realize that only Jesus could help him to conquer his sinful nature. Hearing a child’s voice say, “Take up and read,” Augustine read Romans 13:14, which offers deliverance from sin, in Christ. He realized that his journey to freedom was at hand.

Rejoice in walking in the Spirit.

Matt Friedman was a professor of global ministry at Kingswood University (NB)and previously served in southern Asia for eighteen years.