I am going to write about an experience I’ll never forget. I used to play video games- particularly only one that I took a real interest to in Middle School and that was Super Mario Brothers. I don’t condone the use of playing video games because most of them are addictive and can lead to violence and aggression, but I believe that through my experience of playing this game I learned a lot of things about the Lord, and He sowed a seed and it was a type and shadow of things to come in my own life.
The purpose of Super Mario Brothers is to go through a series of levels until you defeat the dragon and rescue the princess. There are several dragons, and enemies you have to fight. They can be kind of hard to fight and if you are not careful you can lose your life in trying to fight them. There is a thing where you hit your head against this box and a star comes out. The star gives you power to be able to surpass, destroy, and escape from any enemy that you come in contact with and essentially giving you “super powers”, but that only lasts for a given time period. There are other tricks that you can use to defeat the enemy. Then in the last level – number 8, you come across the king of all dragons.
The experience I had was that I was consistently playing the video games and guess what I was listening to when I won? “Make It Happen” by Mariah Carey:
[Excerpt]
"And if you get down on your knees at night And pray to the Lord He's gonna make it happen"
It also talks about believing in yourself as well, but what I got from it was that the Lord was going to make it happen. Now I wasn’t Christian at the time, but I kept on listening to that song over and over again while I was playing the video game. I listened to other secular songs too, but I didn’t defeat the dragon until I heard this song.
I also thought it said, but maybe I’m wrong – “If you believe in the Lord, with all your might and all your soul, He’s gonna make it happen. Make it Happen.”
What was the purpose of the Lord letting me listen to this song and play this video game? It was to show that by trusting the Lord, He can make anything happen, and if I believe in Him and in myself that I can conquer the demons and dragons in my life.
It is very interesting the symbolical meaning of Super Mario Brothers. As I look back now, the Star power reminds me of the Holy Spirit, which can defeat all the attacks of the enemy if you find it and if you know where it is. There’s also fire power and mushrooms that remind me of the two edged sword, of the Word of God. At first when you are a baby Christian, you need mushrooms to make your self bigger so that when enemies attack you will not get destroyed, but you will grow bigger. Then there is the fire power, which allows you to throw fiery darts at your enemies, which reminds me of using the Word mixed with the Holy Spirit to utilize your fire power. Are you aware that you have fire power?
There are a lot of obstacles and enemies in Super Mario Brothers, and it takes special skills and persistance to learn how to fight them. In fact if I remember correctly, the first thing you have to do is either fight an enemy or climb up an obstacle. This is good teaching ground for a Christian, the first thing you have to do learn how to do as a Christian is how to resist the attacks of the enemy, but so many of us are unprepared because we don’t know what God’s Word says. We just are learning, and we don’t know enough to take it to practice. It takes some special movements to go and get to places and after a while your thumbs begin to hurt. You also can’t do it in a few minutes or even an hour. It takes hours and commitment of time and energy to defeat the dragon. I am sure that there is a lot more God can reveal to me about Super Mario Brothers, but I am glad He has allowed me to use what I have learned and apply it in my own life.
Are there dragons in real life or in the Bible? Yes there are in real life and in the Bible. In real life, I’m sure you can think of the many problems you are going through, but did you know that you have Star Power and Fire Power if you go and seek God and know His ways?
In Revelation [and in Daniel (prophet Daniel), John mentions the dragon –
- Revelation 12:3 (Whole Chapter)
Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-reddragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads. [Dan 7:7 ] - Revelation 12:4 (Whole Chapter)
His tail swept [across the sky] and dragged down a third of the stars and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stationed himself in front of the woman who was about to be delivered, so that he might devour her child as soon as she brought it forth. [Dan 8:10 ]
Sounds like a theme of a video game doesn’t it? But it is not one, and the dragon in Super Mario Brothers, is a lot easier to defeat than this dragon. That’s why the Lord has to come down and defeat this dragon himself, in the most amazing battle that can be a far more thrilling than any video game. In a world of fiction, you can learn things and you can experience things, but when you take hold of what is real, and that is the Truth of God it can be a lot more effective, powerful, and awesome than anything you can experience in a video game.
singingsinglev4 