Not a Game

God can reach into the dark places and shine His light. And, we can make the choice to walk in the light of Jesus Christ - that involves renouncing the darkness and refusing to participate in sinful behavior that can weigh down our souls. When we are burdened, weighed down by sin, shame, and guilt, we can release it to Jesus, who will "light"-en our load. Ephesians 5 instructs us:
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."

He is approaching 24 million subscribers on YouTube, with over 19 million followers on Twitch. In the world of gaming, he is a superstar.  

His name is Tyler Blevins - he is a work in progress, spiritually speaking, but the light of the Lord is seemingly breaking through in his life.  A Christian Post article highlighted elements of his journey, stating:

Streamer and professional gamer Tyler Blevins, better known as "Ninja," recently told viewers during a Twitch livestream that he and his wife have been attending church weekly and striving to become more authentic and disciplined — both on and offline.

"We're going to church every Sunday," Blevins said, referring to himself and his wife, Jessica. "Jess and I are going through this journey, where, you know, our relationship with God and Jesus."

The article goes on to say, "During a stream...titled 'NEW FORTNITE SEASON | God is great!' Blevins opened up about his evolving spiritual life and personal goals." He is quoted as saying, "I'm just trying to be a better person, dude," adding, "Trying to walk the walk and not just talk the talk."

This past March, Blevins declared online, "Jesus is King."  And, he seems to be evaluating his life in light of the truth he has been experiencing.  That includes behavior that the article describes as "explosive."  Ninja expressed his disdain for hypocrisy in his life, and he struggles to live Biblically while still hurling insults.

And, he's trying to stay away from negativity.  The Christian Post relates that Blevins "quit playing the game 'Marvel Rivals' citing the toxic community" and "said he is learning to step away from negativity rather than retaliate." He says, The point I'm trying to make … it's a lot easier to combat negativity with negativity and just roast these people that are roasting me back. … You know what I mean? But I just don't want to do that anymore."

Certainly, Ninja is being transparent about his spiritual life and his struggles.  The Christian Post article says: 

"We don't need something like the threat of the end of times to start becoming better humans and developing a relationship with the Lord," Blevins told his followers earlier this year.

One habit he said has helped improve his mindset is prayer. "I can confidently say I feel like I'm all-around a better person and in a better mindset since I started praying every night," he said.

You may not identify with a person with an enormous online platform who is closely tied to the gaming community, but you can possibly identify with the challenges of living the Christian life and trusting God to overcome sinful patterns in our lives.  Each day, we face the pull of the flesh from within and the temptation of the enemy from without.  And, each day, we have to die to self and live to Jesus, reliant on His power.  As Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15, "I die daily."

Apparently, Tyler Blevins is still working to tame his tongue, a concept that is alluded to in James chapter 3.  And you know, that's an ongoing battle that many of us face, right?  We allow ourselves to become consumed in the moment, and we say what's on the forefront of our mind and the tip of our tongue.  Actually, Jesus said that we speak out of the abundance of our hearts.  So, we have to get our hearts right - we have to renew our minds with the word of God and recognize the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to live the Christian life productively and effectively.  We can draw closer to Him and seek to bring honor to our Savior.