Are You Out of Your Mind?

A new study of more than 130,000 ‘gamers’ suggests that playing violent video games increases aggressive thoughts and behavior and decreases empathy. They also concluded that any game that involves killing or harming another character in order to advance is likely to be teaching inappropriate lessons to whoever is playing it. Tragically, in real life, some of these gamers have lost touch with reality, taking their gaming to the streets, schools, and malls, where they have proven that such games have driven them mad—they are “out of their minds.”

What an unfortunate picture of the worst that can happen to those whose minds are poisoned by the ‘father of lies’ (Jn. 8:44). Like gamers watching hours of evil video games, our minds become conformed to, even poisoned by, the world’s way of thinking. Paradoxically, in order to have our thinking transformed (Ro. 12:2); we must get “out of our minds.” What I mean is we must get outside of the mindset of the world’s way of thinking, and let the Word of God renew us in the deepest part of our minds (Eph. 4:23).

And of course whenever you attempt to think the way God does, the world will look at you and say, "Are you out of your mind?" But remember this: because “you have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), it is possible to think like Him. But to do so, you will have to get “out of your mind.”

One final thought: You are probably not a gamer, but if you have not stopped to think how TV, movies, books, newspapers, internet news, and radio are adversely affecting you, you must be out of your mind!