Giving Up What You Love

Why does this keep happening?

Have you ever noticed that when you get closer to God the things that you once loved end up get left by the wayside? Sometimes it's habits - sometimes it's addictions - sometimes it's even people. More than often we don't see the significance of letting go at first; but if we truly let it go we will see the benefit in the end. 

When I really gave my life to God at 21 years old, I lost a lot of things that I "loved". My group of friends dissolved, my love for certain things lost it's luster, and I found myself in a "What now; God?" situation. Many of us get into this situation and begin to feel lonely, bored and impatient. We head back toward the the things that we think we love instead of remaining faithful to the One that is truly love. 

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:8

With the world being in the state that it is in right now, it's not a good idea to get caught up in the tricks and schemes of the enemy. Now is DEFINITELY a time to get serious and really serve The Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind. (see Matthew 22:37). We have to remember that we are in a war - Jesus is coming back soon and it's almost time for the enemy to lose for good. The enemy knows that his time is almost up, and he's trying his hardest to kill, steal, and destroy God's people. Our focus should be set on God's will and not our own. We should be aiming toward what's good for The Spirit and not for the flesh. 

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Phillippians 3:14

(this next part of the blog is probably going to have bad sentence structure...but follow along...it's a true story) 

Recently, (like literally last week) I found a new fascination with adventure video games. I've never really been a gamer, but I guess I wanted to try something new. I usually just play NBA 2k, but I've played it so much that I'm too good at it now. So I began researching new video games to play on gaming websites - there are even Christian gaming websites that break down games from a Christian perspective. I soon found that adventure games these days are packed with killing, drugs, sex, and bad language -- all things that are unsuitable for a Christian to fill their minds with on a daily basis. However, despite this obvious fact, I still bought a new adventure game to play in my free time. This game was undoubtedly the worst game that a Christian could play -  it had all of those aforementioned things that are obviously not pleasing to God - however it was so new and so much fun! I soon found myself getting wrapped up in the storyline of the game - so much that I pretty much played it for two days straight. After two days the game was finished. I don't even know the last time that I've beat a game in two days. You would've thought after two days of straight adventure gameplay that I would have had my fix - nope! - I was even more ready to play something newer and as fun. So I looked up the developer of the game to see if they had any other games that they developed. I found one. 

However, before running to the store to buy it, I went through a battle in my mind. 

Is this good for me to be playing this?

It's just a video game.

It's like watching an action movie.

People watch action movies all the time. 

But that doesn't mean that I should. 

What else could I be doing in my free time?

Stop over spiritualizing things. It's just a game.

Other people do things way worse than this. 

Ok, so let's stop right there. If you ever spend a lot of time thinking about something this hard, you may be developing an idol. God is supposed to be what occupies your thoughts more than anything. Nothing, and I mean nothing, should take the place of God in your life. Think about things in your life that you spend a lot of time doing and thinking about. Do you put these things before God? Do you get on social media before you pray in the morning? Would you choose hanging out with your friends over going to Bible Study on Wednesday? You have to be careful, these things develop fast and you need to make sure you're keeping God first in all things. Exodus 34:14 states, "Do not worship any other God, for The Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God"

God doesn't play with idols. Be careful with these things that you "love" so much. 

But back to the story. 

So I battled in my mind for a few days whether or not I should get this new adventure game. I even went back to one of my previous Bible Study post "Decisions, Decisions" to see if it met the requirements. 

- Does it Glorify God? Nope 

- Is it pleasing to God?  Nope

- Does it require God's help? Yes, to not do it.

- Is it kind? Nope

- Is it loving? Nope

- Is it necessary? Nope

- Is it uplifting to others? Not at all 

- Would God be happy if I did it anyway? Probably not.

- If Jesus was right here standing in front of me in the flesh would I do it? He'd probably snap the game in half. 

Aside from all of that I heard The Spirit say, "Garrett in a few days, there's going to be a new president of the United States...things are going to change drastically. Do you really want to spend your time playing a game (or doing anything really) that doesn't glorify God?" 

A random as that was, that was more than enough that I needed to hear. 

Everything was going against buying this game. I even had a Bible verse come to me. 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever, is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things" - Phillippians 4:8 

I still bought it. :/ 

I listened to the flesh instead of The Spirit. I wanted the fun that the game offered instead of listening to the obvious signs. I took a huge L as they say. I played the game a little bit and instantly regretted my decision. I literally felt convicted every time I read anything Bible related. I tried to justify my decision through the lie of "it's just a video game." 

The devil is a liar. It's not just a video game. It was a major distraction. It pulled me away from thinking pure. It pulled me away from my alone time with God. It pulled me away from my focus. 

"Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." - James 1:14-15

The desire to play an adventure game - led me to be tempted to get a certain game even though I knew it wasn't good for me. 

Playing the game drug me away from God. 

HOWEVER. I'm not going to allow this sin to grow.  

I couldn't take it anymore. The conviction kept coming, but it was a video that my girlfriend sent me on Facebook of a man preaching that put me over the top. I took both games back to the store - even though I was nowhere near done finishing the second game. Who knows how that game ended, and who cares. I won't lie, the game was fun but it wasn't that fun. 

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I'll more than likely be punished for my disobedience. However, I'm happy that I took that games back - partially - now I'm starting to wish that I destroyed the games. 

I'm not saying that every time you love something, you should let it go. Not all things are bad for you. However, if it gets out of hand and God tells you to let it go; listen to what He tells you. I don't think there's anything wrong with NBA 2k morally -- but if it gets in the way of my relationship with God -- it's gotta go -- no matter how much I "love" playing the game. Think about the fruit in the Garden of Eden that Adam and Eve partook of. The Bible says that Eve saw it was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom. (Genesis 3:6) We also know that God said don't eat it. No matter what it looked like. The enemy persuaded her by questioning everything. They still ate it (even though God said don't) and we know the results that followed. (Genesis chapter 3)

If God tells you to let something go, pray about it and let it go. Don't let the enemy trick you into setting yourself up for disobedience by telling you that it's not that big of deal. 

How do you feel about this topic? Do you have any stories of your own? I'm interested in hearing other opinions/stories. Please share in the comment section!

God Bless.