Question for some of the stronger Christians.

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dothackzero

dothackzero

Banned
#1
May 4, 2009
1,534
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#1
Did you give up everything that used to like before you become a really strong Christian. Like right now, I like anime and video games, but I still like them when I become a really strong Christian? I mean I know I'll want to spend more time in the Bible than I do, but will I still like what I like right now?

 
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motojojo

Guest
#2
#2
Let me answer the best I can, I'm not a strong Christian I'm a very weak one. Ok, now that I got all that false humility out of the way. Its not that you give things up you just have no desire to do your things when your doing someone else's will. I wouldn't give up something you enjoy until He tells you. Don't play evil games and don't play all the time. Study the word and look for GOD in the word, pray that the Holy Spirit teach you the word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
 
jjkg

jjkg

Senior Member
#3
May 25, 2005
109
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#3
I don't know that God will want you to give up those things specifically, but the real question for all of us is, are we willing to let go of those things for the one we call Lord?
 
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Twilight

Guest
#4
#4
Hey, d. Good question. I believe God made you with a distinct personality, with unique interests and talents. As He is making you more like Jesus, He doesn't want to take away that uniqueness and fit you into some kindof mold or make you a Christian clone! He will shape you for that special call that is uniquely yours. So, you may like some of the same things. But you will also develop a stronger desire for spiritual things as you walk with Him and your spirit man grows stronger.

Sometimes He may ask us to lay things down that are less than His best for us and He will give the strength and patiently walk us through this. But it is always because He has something much better for us. Also, I have often experienced that the closer I am walking with God, the more intensely aware I am to the giftings and the dreams He's placed inside me! And that is when I feel most alive! Don't worry, God's purpose will not be boring!

Just remember that alot of the godly desires and interests that we have are part of the unique creation He made us. For instance, I love to write music, and I believe that God put this desire and ability in me because He wants to use it someday! Likewise, maybe your enjoyment of video games says something about you. Maybe you like a challenge, or are very electronically inclined (not me!). God will lead you all in good time, but know that He will make you the best YOU (in Christ)! Not just like everybody else! And it will be exciting! Keep chasing after Him!
 
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ilavjesus

Guest
#5
#5
hey...
dont know if im out of space here,,,,im not a strong christian, instead im a very weak one.. but just
want to say that im sooo inspired by the advices from twilight... and all of you here..(coz just new this site)
God bless us all
 
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carpetmanswife

Guest
#6
#6
When we become born again , our likes and dislike will change . Just because we are saved doesnt mean we have to give up what we still do like, unless God convicts us of it . Surely certain things He will, sometimes we just need to maybe ease up on some things that may be taking our time away from God and make that extra effort to give Him the time from us He deserves ..like um .....always being online chatting or being in forums . lol NOT that I have that problem *coughs*:eek: My point is if we listen to Him carefully He will tell us what we need to do..we just have to learn to listen :) and obey
 
J

Jezreel

Guest
#7
#7
I would not call myself a strong Christian either. I have a some weak areas that really annoy me that I wish God could do an overnight job. I am more "stubborn" than strong and that is a weakness. In our weakness, he becomes strong so I ask God to make me stubborn for Him.
 
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Densetzu

Banned
#8
Jul 6, 2009
318
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#8
I don't consider myself a strong Christian either, but I've struggled with such issues myself. A few things to ask yourself:

1) Are you being materialistic, obsessed with owning anime and video games for the sake of having them? Or are you just watching/playing them for fun? Does it put a strain on your budget?

2) Are you obsessive to the point that your relationships or your morals are compromised? Would you steal these things if you could get away with it?

3) Are you basing your self worth on how good you are at games? I had a bout with that as a teenager and it led me to giving them up for a good while.

4) Do you get into arguments online or off about what anime is better or what game system sucks the most? I don't mean civil discussion, but angry fights with insults and curses thrown about?

None of these things are necessarily signs that you need to give them up entirely, but they may be signs you should cut back and mellow out in regards to them. Remember, if something is causing you to be worse off in morals, emotions, or body, then cut it off until you've matured.
 
E

espresso

Guest
#9
#9
Like others here, I don’t necessarily qualify as a “strong Christian” but………………

The closer you get to God the more your hearts desires change. Some of the things you like now that are not in line with his will, you will simply not want anymore, others you may still desire but your desire to be obedient and please the Lord will outweigh your desire for that thing, so you choose to give it up. And then there are the things we continue to hold on to that keep us apart from God. It is a constant battle and we have choices to make.

You use the example of anime and video games. Questions that comes to mind are: Can you better serve and grow in the Lord with that time you spend doing those things? Are these games and anime’s glorifying to God or do they include things offensive to God? The Holy Spirit will lead you in discerning these answers and empower you to make wise choices going forward.

It's not that God wants us miserable and wants to take away our fun it’s just that what our flesh considers fun is often in contradiction with Gods desires for us. The closer we draw to God the more we see this and realize that what he wants for us is good.

In my walk with the Lord I have noticed that when I give something up for Him (that my flesh considered fun) but was not in line with his will, he replaces it with something even better that is in line with his will. The key is the giving up part. Sacrifice often leads to blessings.

You'll notice that nowhere here do I say this is an easy process and I for one need to practice what I preach better because I tend to hold on to things that I know keep me apart from the Lord even when I know it separates me from him and I miss out on blessings as a result. It’s a process and we are all works in process being led by a heavenly father that loves us.
 
dothackzero

dothackzero

Banned
#10
May 4, 2009
1,534
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#10
Densetzu said:
1) Are you being materialistic, obsessed with owning anime and video games for the sake of having them? Or are you just watching/playing them for fun? Does it put a strain on your budget?
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nope, I just watch and play them for fun, nope not really.

Densetzu said:
2) Are you obsessive to the point that your relationships or your morals are compromised? Would you steal these things if you could get away with it?
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nope

Densetzu said:
3) Are you basing your self worth on how good you are at games? I had a bout with that as a teenager and it led me to giving them up for a good while.
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nope

Densetzu said:
4) Do you get into arguments online or off about what anime is better or what game system sucks the most? I don't mean civil discussion, but angry fights with insults and curses thrown about?
Click to expand...
nope
 
Chico_Zimbabwe

Chico_Zimbabwe

Banned
#11
Jul 29, 2009
54
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#11
dothackzero said:
Did you give up everything that used to like before you become a really strong Christian. Like right now, I like anime and video games, but I still like them when I become a really strong Christian? I mean I know I'll want to spend more time in the Bible than I do, but will I still like what I like right now?
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Don't let people tell you what to like or dislike. You are who you are the way God made you. There are a lot of people out there who will try to sway you in the direction THEY think is right but they are like the Pharisees. Remember that Jesus hung around with thieves and prostitutes. Love God and the people around you. Have fun with the anime and video games. :)
 
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Densetzu

Banned
#12
Jul 6, 2009
318
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#12
Sounds to me like they're not causing anything negative in your life. A lot of times things are condemned by others who don't understand them. Novels in the 18th and 19th centuries, Rock and Roll in the 1950s, comic books, RPGs, video games. If some authority figure you know is making you feel as though there's a problem, it could simply be them fearing things of which they actually know very little.
 
dothackzero

dothackzero

Banned
#13
May 4, 2009
1,534
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#13
Densetzu said:
Sounds to me like they're not causing anything negative in your life. A lot of times things are condemned by others who don't understand them. Novels in the 18th and 19th centuries, Rock and Roll in the 1950s, comic books, RPGs, video games. If some authority figure you know is making you feel as though there's a problem, it could simply be them fearing things of which they actually know very little.
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yeah, I've gotta agree. There's game that's coming next year Called Dante's Inferno. Where this guy goes through hell killing demons and stuff. I'm really sure why, but it looks like it's to save he girlfriend or something like that. But there's Christians protesting that game saying it's evil. As for me I see that game as opportunity save people. You showing them that hell is real even if they are getting the wrong interpretation of hell. But I just get this feeling and need to support this game.
 
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imlissening

Guest
#14
#14
yes you will if you put it in its write place in your christian life.as long as it dosnt keep you from your servise to christ and its not agaist his word..
 
D

Densetzu

Banned
#15
Jul 6, 2009
318
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#15
dothackzero said:
yeah, I've gotta agree. There's game that's coming next year Called Dante's Inferno. Where this guy goes through hell killing demons and stuff. I'm really sure why, but it looks like it's to save he girlfriend or something like that. But there's Christians protesting that game saying it's evil. As for me I see that game as opportunity save people. You showing them that hell is real even if they are getting the wrong interpretation of hell. But I just get this feeling and need to support this game.
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Actually the "Christian" protest of Dante's Inferno was fake. EA hired actors in a parody of religious zealots to create a fake controversy.
 
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MaggieMye

Guest
#16
#16

Did you give up everything that used to like before you become a really strong Christian. Like right now, I like anime and video games, but I still like them when I become a really strong Christian? I mean I know I'll want to spend more time in the Bible than I do, but will I still like what I like right now? Ok..this is the deal. WHEN you ask Jesus do to His will in your life and to fill you with His desires, it's not so much that you have to give anything up. He will not force you to change your ways. What He will do is to, upon your request for He will not violate your will, is to fill you with HIS desires FOR YOU. You will lose desire for some things and gain new passions. But you will not, for even a minute, regret it or feel like you've sacrificed because the things that He replaces it with are SO much cooler!! That is not to say that at some point, down the road, He won't ASK you to sacrifice some particular thing…but He will ask you and the choice will be yours. Just remember….when we do things His way, WE GET BLESSINGS beyond all that we can ask or think.
Maggie
 
Kakashi

Kakashi

Senior Member
#17
Jan 3, 2007
626
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#17
As a Christian who both loves anime and video games, i think I can answer this.



So, there came times in my life where I really had to wonder where to draw the line. The more I read my bible and prayed, my hear could hear the Holy Spirit a bit clearer and I could discern what was wrong for me to play/watch. There are some games i would never play based on that they could affect me adversely and the way i think. Some games are too sexual and if I look at that then my mind would begin to wander and that's obviously never a good thing for a guy.

The same goes for anime. There are some anime I like to watch9 watched tom today), but there are some i regret watching and some I would never watch for the same reasons as above. Some are just too sexual. Some are too disturbing for me and I don't want to watch that. Some people might need to not watch violent things because they are violent and don't need anything to feed that. Basically, it's as Oswald Chambers put it: prayer required honesty. Be honest with God. You have to search deep in you and say. " Ok, God what am I watching that's causing me to sin in action or in thought" and whatever those things are, surrender them to God

I had to be honest with myself as a guy and severely limit the movies i watch and anime I watched because many were sexual and being honest I put many of those away.

Becoming a "strong Christian" is one who obeys God and does so because he loves Him! When we get closer to Him, we know what we must give up and leave behind and know the things that we can still keep because they don't hinder us from Him. So, to answer your question, will you still like them when you become a strong Christian? The answer: you'll know when you listen for God voice more and more. You'll know specifically for you what must go and what must say and you'll know because you'll have God's word to back it up.

For me, I go with Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl" you can apply that to ALOT.
 
dothackzero

dothackzero

Banned
#18
May 4, 2009
1,534
6
0
#18
Kakashi said:
As a Christian who both loves anime and video games, i think I can answer this.



So, there came times in my life where I really had to wonder where to draw the line. The more I read my bible and prayed, my hear could hear the Holy Spirit a bit clearer and I could discern what was wrong for me to play/watch. There are some games i would never play based on that they could affect me adversely and the way i think. Some games are too sexual and if I look at that then my mind would begin to wander and that's obviously never a good thing for a guy.

The same goes for anime. There are some anime I like to watch9 watched tom today), but there are some i regret watching and some I would never watch for the same reasons as above. Some are just too sexual. Some are too disturbing for me and I don't want to watch that. Some people might need to not watch violent things because they are violent and don't need anything to feed that. Basically, it's as Oswald Chambers put it: prayer required honesty. Be honest with God. You have to search deep in you and say. " Ok, God what am I watching that's causing me to sin in action or in thought" and whatever those things are, surrender them to God

I had to be honest with myself as a guy and severely limit the movies i watch and anime I watched because many were sexual and being honest I put many of those away.

Becoming a "strong Christian" is one who obeys God and does so because he loves Him! When we get closer to Him, we know what we must give up and leave behind and know the things that we can still keep because they don't hinder us from Him. So, to answer your question, will you still like them when you become a strong Christian? The answer: you'll know when you listen for God voice more and more. You'll know specifically for you what must go and what must say and you'll know because you'll have God's word to back it up.

For me, I go with Job 31:1 "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl" you can apply that to ALOT.
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Sorry, I'm in a hurry right now so I can't give a reply to that. But Do you what God thinks of RPG that has a like a lot of magic in. You know stuff like that. I dont' reallly have to worry about the sexual stuff, because most of the games and anime I see and play have little to none of it in there.
 
dothackzero

dothackzero

Banned
#19
May 4, 2009
1,534
6
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#19
MaggieMye said:
Did you give up everything that used to like before you become a really strong Christian. Like right now, I like anime and video games, but I still like them when I become a really strong Christian? I mean I know I'll want to spend more time in the Bible than I do, but will I still like what I like right now? Ok..this is the deal. WHEN you ask Jesus do to His will in your life and to fill you with His desires, it's not so much that you have to give anything up. He will not force you to change your ways. What He will do is to, upon your request for He will not violate your will, is to fill you with HIS desires FOR YOU. You will lose desire for some things and gain new passions. But you will not, for even a minute, regret it or feel like you've sacrificed because the things that He replaces it with are SO much cooler!! That is not to say that at some point, down the road, He won't ASK you to sacrifice some particular thing…but He will ask you and the choice will be yours. Just remember….when we do things His way, WE GET BLESSINGS beyond all that we can ask or think.
Maggie
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Yeah, I don't mind loosing some of my desire for video games and anime, I just wanna make sure I don't lose all of it. I know this probably sounds stupid, but I think knowing this type of thing will help me grow stronger. Or atleast will help me become less afraid of growing stronger as a Christian.
 
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MaggieMye

Guest
#20
#20
I just wanna make sure I don't lose all of it. WHY? If those desires are replaced, in your heart by Christs desires, why on earth would you be concerend about keeping something that HE, most likely, wants you to get rid of?? I know this probably sounds stupid, but I think knowing this type of thing will help me grow stronger. How so...in what way? Or atleast will help me become less afraid of growing stronger as a Christian. What is to be afraid of? It is a FASCINATING, EXHILERATING JOURNEY!! The only thing you should be afraid of is NOT taking the trip!!
Maggie
 
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