Before you read
So there’s this stuff that raved about twitter for a while and still goes round occasionally: Unpopular opinion. You state something most people do not believe in but that you strongly do.
When I decided (quite impulsively) to write on Game of thrones, I thought to myself, well here’s an unpopular opinion.
Should it be though? My opinion shouldn’t be unpopular among Christians if it is based on God’s word. Don’t buy into the lie that each Christian should live differently – rather we have a common faith, there is no favourite with God, his standard is sure for all generations 2 Timothy 2:19.
As you read, know that there is no tension in God’s word, if there’s any tension, its with us.
So let’s get right into it!
Ah, Still hold up! This post is for Christians, beautiful people. If you’re not a Christian, I can very well understand your annoyance.
I was hall representative in my fellowship close to two years back now (This means hall pastor). At that time, Game of Thrones was trending. It later died down so I forgot about it but its noise increased in the past few months as the anticipation for season 8 came up.
At the time I was hall rep, I put together a short advice to the members of my hall church on our Whatsapp page and it is below:
Good afternoon everyone.
Something has been on my mind for a while and who else to share it with than you all?We need to be mindful of the things we feed our bodies, souls and spirits with. Very mindful. We are Jesus people and we can’t afford to get contaminated. We stand out with purpose.
This is about that popular TV series “Game of thrones”. This series has taken the world by a storm. Please I plead with you to desist from seeing it. It troubles my spirit. I’ve never seen it before but I know it’s not the best.
There are much better entertainments for you, without you welcoming evil spirits. I confess to you that I’ve seen the movie ‘twilight’ before and I know its not good for Christians. This Game of thrones seems to be the same and extremely prolonged for a purpose.You can exercise discipline to stop seeing it if you’ve started. You can pray it out of your desires.
Just imagine how it has taken most people worldwide and held them captive. Scriptures says “don’t become so well adjusted to your society that you fit in without thinking”. Please think. Don’t let this sap out God’s current dealings with you. There is more to it than meets the eye, contend for the faith.
A word is enough for the wise.
God bless us all.
Romans 8:1-2 “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
With love,
From your sister
Today, I find that I still don’t have much to write other than the bible passage above, and if you’re in need of more passages, here are two others:
1.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Whatever sets your mind outside the course of intimacy with God, that thing is your enemy, don’t cuddle it. Your heart and mind is the primary way God speaks to you as a believer, don’t let it become misty. Of course, this goes beyond game of thrones to other things (including other movies).
2.
“But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:32)
Rather than saying to yourself, “its not that bad, I can handle it”. Rather than quietening your discomfort by focusing on the thrill of the movie, be honest with yourself that seeing this movie is not coming from a place of faith. The swearing, the sex scenes, the worldview it projects…(at this stage, we’re broadly discussing movies). Your desire to be in tune with the Holyspirit should supersede your curiosity for an interesting movie, if you’re properly developing.
Finally, on the issue of nudity.
Desiringgod.org has an article on GOT(12 questions to ask before watching GOT). When I read it, I remembered someone mentioned once that GOT is very graphic, sexually. John Piper of Desiringgod.org invites us to join him in the pursuit of purity of heart and mind. Don’t let us become so well adjusted to our daily culture that we fit in without thinking, thereby ruining our witness.
Christians do not conform – this is not a mouth confession, its a lifestyle profession.
Whatever tension you may feel now, whatever discomfort, its coming from one of two places:
– My reference to evil spirits in my address to those hall members two years ago, lol.
-Your inner discomfort because you know this is right and you have a candid choice to make. You probably preferred not having a choice to make by not considering the matter seriously but then, I just ruined that.
We’re the ones who need to change, not God. Certainly not God.
If this opinion is still unpopular with you as a Christian, lets discuss below.
Love and light,
Debby
Razor sharp! Poignant! Hot! Encouraging! Strengthening! Inspired!
Maybe Table-shaking too! ? (people should be shaken and woken up to righteousness)
Our freedom in Christ is not for poison.
I can’t agree with you more, Debby.
This is such a timely reminder for myself and everyone else.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, I appreciate this. Our freedom is Christ is indeed not for poison.
Very good, down-to-earth sharing. Believers need truth like this in such times as these.
God bless you Debbyhub!
Thank you so much! I pray we all continue to have these important discussions.
Truly table shaking!
But it’s profound and essential at a time like this…
Good work Debby!
God bless you Debby.
I read the post on Desiring God a while back. I shared it then. When I found it again I must confess I hesitated before putting it out there till the Holy Spirit asked me why was I reluctant to speak the truth whether unpopular or not. A lot of Christians don’t watch it, but can’t defend their actions because other Christians watch it and so we have left it in the group of ‘do whatever works for you’ practices.
And that popular “do whatever works for you” is an awful mindset. We really have to spell out the truth for ourselves. I hesitated with this blog post too!
Thanks dear
Word! Timely too! I must say though, that I’m one of the people “who is not always current”, you can laugh at me?. So it didn’t even click on time what the GOT you put at the top of the write up meant, until I read further, I’ve only heard of game of thrones a few times and it didn’t sound very significant, lols.
Anyways, as Christians, scriptures warn us to guard our heart with all diligence…(prov 4:23). Our minds not only get polluted, but we expose ourselves to far more serious dangers. You are right (@Debby) when you talked about some movies giving evil spirits entrance to one’s life, I’ve witnessed a deliverance session where the demon confessed entering through a movie the guy watched.
In as much as some people might think what I said earlier as untrue, I would want to add that I once watched a movie and at some point I knew something was wrong with the movie, spiritually speaking, it wasn’t a Nigerian movie before you’re quick to think I’m talking about witches, lols. I didn’t want to continue the movie but my human nature suceeded in permitting me to skip through the scenes where they were conjuring all sorts and reciting enchantments and the likes. However, I cannot deny in my spirit that I knew the movie wasn’t just naturally acted, there was a supernatural thing (not God of course) in it.
I don’t want to tell you the funny things I did to be able to finish watching that movie that day, because it was interesting and I wanted to see the end. At some point I was praying and sealing myself with the blood of Jesus and speaking in tongues. Yes! I know you would say I was deceiving myself, I’m not saying all these to justify my actions, I can’t justify myself and I admit I was wrong. I’m only sharing this experience so that at least someone reading this would determine to guard his heart with all diligence. I tried to guard my heart by skipping through the scenes, but I lacked that diligence in stopping completely. But I thank God He had mercy on me, against my disobedience. I’ve learnt sha!
Someone is saying people are very superstitious, I hear o!
May we not learn the hard way!
Hmmm
May we not learn the hard way!
Amen really. May we not learn the hard way. Dear, I know movies like that myself which i tried praying in tongues to neutralize. Which is why we shouldn’t now deliberately step into watching one we know is like that, yet highly addictive. I pray we’ll all have strength in our inner man to do the needful per time. Thanks dear. Your comment is highly appreciated
The table has been shattered!??
I’m glad, I read the post.
Very timely and accurate.
You’re welcome, boss.
This is wonderful, truly wonderful. I’ve been having the exact thoughts about this lately and been feeling weird that I’m the only one because its really saddening seeing Christians so engrossed in the movie
Yea, like for sometime now I have mean having issues on the kind of movies to watch and God was like it is either His spirit or the spirit of deceit. It is not that I want to be disobedient or something. To be honest I have issues accepting it. There are some movies that are, well we would classify them as secular, for example “half of a yellow sun by the book writer Chimamanda. Those kind of films, should we not watch them? Or other motivational movies or even books. Please I really need insight on this. Also there are some movies that are just for our relaxation and fun like an anime that I watched ” Big friendly Giant”, it was all Good to me, my spirit was at rest but I still want to know???
Hello Dara. There’s nothing broadly wrong in watching secular movies that drive home certain lessons or serve as pure comedy. However, today, the devil who is the prince of this world has so poisoned the minds of producers and almost all movies are contaminated (Apostle Joshua Selman has a 2013 message on “Give me this mountain” i.e the seven mountains of influence, you can listen to it. Media is a primary one). This puts us in a place where we can’t be open to just any movie.
Specifically now, you have to be obedient to God’s leading with you each time. This is what it means to be sanctified – to be set apart for a specific use, and so, you have no “will” of your own. Since you know God is really saying its either his spirit or that of deceit, please be careful. Look at Genesis 4:7 for the specific instruction that came before a temptation. I know you have the strength for this. We can discuss more via my email: admin@debbyhub
Like someone commented, there are a good number of Christians who still don’t see it but many do not comment aloud because its becoming an unpopular opinion among other Christians.
Thanks for the comment Liz.
May we not learn the hard way!
Thank you so dearly Debby for this. My heart is gladdened to find a voice open to the Spirit’s leading to speak up about this.
I remember watching a brief video on a WhatsApp status of people crowded in a movie hall just as the new season began some days ago. I was in complete shock to see the excitement. Everyone jumping around, throwing pop corns and screaming. I knew beyond all doubt that something was truly wrong.
I trust that the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the subtlety of the enemy against the victory we have in Christ.
God bless you again, Sisi♥️
Amen, I pray indeed that our eyes will always be open to the devils subtleties. I can only imagine what that WhatsApp video was like. People speak GOT language now, the drum beats are everywhere, its just a new world.
Thank you Gbemi.
This article is really not about GOT or any other movie (I believe), but about other things taking centre stage in the life of a christian; they showing more excitement to such things than to the things of the spirit.
If one was a movie maker, one’s prayer would be to have a GOT effect on the audience; A good script that keeps the audience in suspense… Making them want more.
Hello Dapo. On the contrary, it IS about GOT. That is the driving force of this post. This fact, I think, speaks for itself – a TV series like GOT is a time-consuming one, not something you complete in two hours. It hijacks your days, weeks and months.
Without intending to be cantankerous or full of dissent, I’d honestly think that if spending that much time(which is the real currency of life) doesn’t show a person’s excitement to be attuned to “such things” as you put it, more than the things of the spirit, then this state would indeed be a difficult one to prove.
And if I was a movie maker, Dapo, I wouldn’t want my movie to have this kind of effect because this is more than suspense. This post being directed to Christians, I can say if your overall success as a content creator is marked only by the money and fame your work generates, you have failed. I wouldn’t want the GOT effect that I have witnessed.
You couldn’t have said any better. You are apt. To think I just had this conversation with some teenagers at a camp I’m attending at the moment. As believers the question we should ask ourselves before getting involved in anything is that “does it edify you?” If not, why do it all. Thank you for this.
Thank you too Ini. I’m glad you had some people to discuss this with yourself. I pray we’d always be Gods mouthpiece
Humbly sincere! Can this world ever offer us things that are neutral to our nature? If it is not helping it, it is damning it. To be carnally minded is….
GOT has held many captive. I was telling a friend my reservations about it and he was of the contrary opinion saying the storyline is beautiful and that at his age he shouldn’t be affected by what he see.. I couldn’t help but wonder at his submission.
We, as believers, are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God and we are told to abstain from every appearances of evil.. We must decide to honour God with all we do even the movies we feed our eyes on.
May the Lord help us to keep speaking against and abhorring that which is evil. Thanks for this amazing write-up Debby!
Thank you Debby, so many controversial issues as this would be laid to rest if only we can give in to the doubt (caution) in us.
Shaking some tables will not always be acceptable by all. Keep shaking ma’am!
I have been looking for this post! I remember seeing it one time but I didn’t finish reading it. So I went to Google to type in your blog name and game of thrones (keyword search haha)
Girl!! I love this as an anti-GOT. Looool. You know what fascinates me?? That Christians defend it. Thing is, I would rather you say ‘Oh yes, I know this thing is bad for my spiritual health as a Christian but you know now…’ instead of even defending it and shunning those who try to explain the darkness of the series.
Some will even feel one is just oversabi but trust me, I’ve been burnt by bad movies and books a lot of times. And I learned my lesson the hard way. God has really helped me and I’m learning that if I don’t watch some movies, I won’t die! My salvation is more important.
I used to be a movie lover, but thank God for grace! I steered clear of GOT and I’m soo glad I did! Because God is still trying to delete the movie memories I have in my mind due to my ignorance in the past. I would be doing myself much harm by compounding the problem.
Your opinion may be unpopular, but trust me there are many who feel this way about movies like GOT and many others. Keep shining your light Debbie! Jesus wasn’t sharing popular opinions either. Lool
Xx!
Hahaha. I’m so delighted to know how determined you were to find this post.
Really, it’s what all believers need to factor in – nothing should be too much to give up for our walk with God. Particularly movies you already know aren’t the best, don’t start it. It’s inviting sin and impurity.
To more unpopular opinions ?
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!