Truth Pursuer: Fight the Liesنموونە

Scene 3: You’re playing video games in your buddy’s basement. He gets bored with football and car racing and pops in a game where you have to shoot and kill lots of people. You wonder if you should protest, but your friend says, “It’s just a game. Don’t worry about it!”

The Lie
He’s right. It is a game. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t worry about it. Anyone who thinks that entertainment choices have no effect in real life believes a lie—and is trying to get you to believe it too.

The Truth
Of course, playing a shoot-’em-up video game isn’t going to make you go out and shoot someone. But what you put into your head will eventually affect how you act and who you are. God’s Word says to test everything. Hold on to what is good and avoid evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). Besides, King David wrote that God hates it when we love violence (Psalm 11:5).

Know It, Do It
It takes a lot of self-control to pass up something that sounds fun in order to keep your mind and heart pure. But when you do, you make God proud. Feed your mind with stuff that makes you wise, courageous and good—not stuff that makes you a lover of violence.

Gentle Warrior
As you learn to pick out culture’s lies and counter them with God’s truth, remember that the friends who believe those lies are not your enemies. They’re just people who need to be set free by God’s truth. The sword of the Spirit (God’s Word) will defeat any lie—but make sure you’re wielding it with wisdom and love toward others.