Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Wednesday, July 20, My name is Grant and this is Start Up, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we ask the question, “Can you honestly evaluate yourself?”
Romans 7:18–20 (HCSB)
18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.
Very few people are able to honestly evaluate themselves.  Most of us either think too highly of ourselves or too low.  When it comes to fighting sin, its hard to not think too highly of ourselves.  We say, “That’s something that I can choose to beat when I put my mind to it.”
So now, I’m going to give you a chance to evaluate yourself.  How is that going for you?  Are you able to beat sin just by putting some effort into it?  Paul, the author of Romans, could tell you a lot about putting effort into beating sin.  He had lived the life of a Pharisee, whose main goal in life is to live above sin.  How does Paul evaluate his efforts in overcoming this evil?
He says, “I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.”  This isn’t Paul’s excuse to give up trying to do good.  This is Paul being honest and saying that his efforts weren’t up to the challenge.  No matter how hard he tried, he can’t beat sin.  I think that you and I have the same experience as Paul.
Its a dire situation, because we know the pain and hardship that sin brings, and we don’t want that for anyone.  But that knowledge doesn’t stop our wrong actions. The lie that I want you to avoid is to say that you should just give in to sin.  The truth that I want for you to remember today is that your effort and actions alone can’t beat sin, you need God’s saving power.
Challenge
My challenge for you this week is to actively take note of sin’s deception in your life.  Try to figure out how it has been lying to you.  Some red flags will be places where you are becoming isolated in relationships, and were wrong desires and hopes are taking root in your heart.  I challenge you to actually write these things down, making a list of sin’s plan to destroy you.  My goal here is that you will be wise to sin’s strategies, and that this information will help to not be deceived and therefore to not be harmed.
Invitation
Our next youth event is this Thursday, July 21, we are having a BBQ and sports night here at the Church from 6-9 o’clock.  Grades 7-12 are invited, the cost is $3. I also want to invite you to church on Sunday, we have services at 9:30 and 11:00.
Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.
https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/
https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth
https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/