Beware of what you consume

I'll confess - I'm an avid gamer. I have been since I received my first gaming console Sega Genesis, complete with that wonderful blue hedgehog game. I was hooked.

I've played Diablo, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, Outlast, Amnesia: Dark Descent, Dead by Daylight. But I especially loved the horror genre.

So when my sister asked me to play a game called Mortuary Assistant, I was intrigued. But I wanted to look it up before I spent any money. I'm glad I did.

Not only did it deal with death (duh), but there were elements of the occult in there too. And demons.

Now - hear me out for a minute. Remember my last post where I said I dabbled in witchcraft and satanism? I wasn't kidding. And I truly believe that "dabbling" did more than dabble - it opened the window for me to be influenced by unseen darkness. How do I know? Constant nightmares, anxiety, sweating, fear, repeated disturbing imagery, thoughts of suicide. My mind became DARK ya'll. Dark with capital D-A-R-K. I was never like this as a kid. I was always bubbly and happy. 

I thought it was depression and mental illness. But as I've said before, I took medication and did therapy for that. It didn't work. The images still came and the feeling of being haunted was still there. 

Can I tell you with all my heart that since I gave my life to Christ, I am no longer haunted by the darkness? 1000%. Sure, it tries. But it can't hold me because I belong to Him. 

I say this also to stress very urgently - BEWARE OF WHAT YOU CONSUME. I used to think that games, television, music, and the internet had no effect on me. But why do you think these companies spend BILLIONS of dollars to get your attention? Because your attention = $$$ and action. What you consume becomes your behavior and your beliefs. 

Not only that, but you become desensitized to immoral things. When you watch porn, you become desensitized to normal sex and you want more extreme things, sometimes leading to violent porn. When you watch shows like the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, you think (especially if you're a young teenage girl) that witchcraft is female empowerment and cool, and satan is really no big deal. Don't believe me? You would be amazed at how many teenage girls do seances in their rooms at sleepovers, play with Ouija boards, or try to call up Bloody Mary. It's almost like every teenage girl goes through an occult phase and pop culture has a lot to do with that. I grew up in the era of Charmed and Buffy and definitely was heavily influenced by them.

So I told my sister no. And I was laughed at. She asked me if I thought demons were going to come out of the computer and get me.

You make think it's funny. Laugh at me. But even if you don't believe in the devil, he believes in you. And he is the ruler of this world. When you consume dark shows, music, imagery, you give power to him and become more easily influenced by him.

"“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:1–4)."

My mind is clearer, my heart is lighter, I am more forgiving and kind. I'm less depressed. Why do you think so many people in this world, especially in the U.S., are so depressed? Our media tells us to HATE ourselves and that the world is an awful place. To fix it, we need to buy things and sell ourselves either physically or spiritually. Of course that's depressing.

But there is another way. He is the way. And the way I see it - YOUR WAY ISN'T WORKING. You've tried and you're still sad and miserable. Try to get to know Jesus and see if you feel any better. If you don't, then continue on. But I promise you'll be transformed. He loves you too much to leave you where He found you.

Stop trying it your way and do it God's way. Your life will be radically transformed and you will be bathed in His holy light.