The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games movie opens in theaters this Friday, March 23rd. A couple years ago, I heard that the book was a best-seller among the teenage population, so I looked into the description of the book to see if it would be a novel I would like to read or encourage my son
to read. What I read disturbed me so much…..the apocalypse has happened (many books & movies have played this theme) and a new type of nation has emerged, which has been broken up into 12 districts. Each year 2 names are drawn from each of the 12 districts~ teenagers, 1 boy and 1 girl. They are put into an arena with every moment televised. The goal: Kill or be killed. Only 1 child will remain alive out of the 24. The child that “wins” will secure plenty of food for their district for the next year. The sound of Gladiator runs through the storyline…except that children are used and exploited and defeated…

Here is the description from the Scholastic Books website: "Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to
participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death –televised for all of Panem to see. Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows
it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

The book/movie suggest themes for discussion centered around 1) global warming~ this is how
apocalypse happened and 2) lack of food around the world~ people starving to death in various places on the globe. But I want to address the issue that is NOT discussed by the media~ the
children who are chosen as “tribute” for the hunger games.

The first time I viewed the trailer for The Hunger Games, I was at the theater and was completely unprepared for what came on the screen. I couldn’t even make it through the 3 minute trailer without crying…the first words that popped into my head were: propagating a culture of death. So, I want to share my concerns about this pop-culture book and movie.

The culture in which we live is indifferent towards children. The enemy has a mark on the children. His objective is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). From the beginning of life, children are targets of the enemy. The womb is a dangerous place to be~ the women’s “rights” movement from the 1960s to today disregard the life of the child over the “rights” of the
mother/woman. If surviving the womb, children are vulnerable. Child molestation/child pornography/child trafficking is rampant. The enemy hates our children.

I Peter 5:8 says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Lions prey on the weak~ devouring them. Children are weak…they are defenseless…they are vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. We (the adults/mature ones) need to be self-controlled and alert (vs 8 tells us). We need to look at the media’s propaganda and agenda. We need to look behind the curtain to see the enemy’s traps and snares for our children. This movie is propagating a culture of death.

Our children will view this movie and watch life being taken from the “least of these”. The enemy will use this as a desensitizing mechanism…more and more of this type of genre will come forth and it will be adopted as okay among this next generation. It is no longer possible to have one foot in the culture of the world and not get swept away with the current. Darkness is
getting darker and evil is being called good and good evil. With an onslaught of demonic activity in movies becoming acceptable to this culture, this is the next layer of that~ a culture of death.

Who will stand up for the children? Who will defend them? Parents, it is time to stand up; to be awakened to the reality of the culture of the movie industry. Be alert and self-controlled.

*A great website to check out before going to any movie is: www.pluggedin.com. They review movies from a Biblical worldview; examining the areas of violence, language, sexual content, spiritual content, positives and negatives. It will help parents discern what movies are appropriate for their families.

Simplicity

Simplicity is a grace given to us by God. There is no way we can build up our will power to put ourselves in the “discipline” of simplicity. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who leads us into a life of simplicity; however, we must position ourselves to receive this life of peace & contentment. Simplicity can usher us into the center of unhurried peace and power from the Spirit of God.

I’m going to use simplicity in the area of money & possessions because this seems to have such a hold on our American Christianity. We get tripped up in this area. Our culture teaches us to NOT be content, so here we are placed in the center of discontent. In fact, capitalism is successful to the degree that consumers purchase bigger, better, newer, fresher, different
products. Consumerism drives capitalism. So, how can we live free of discontentedness; simple lives full of life and peace?

Jesus speaks much about this throughout His earthly ministry. He is the example of simplicity. The more clearly we understand the nature of God, the more clearly we understand how we are to live. Models of simplicity are desperately needed today in this culture. Matthew 6 is the beautiful description of simplicity in all of Scripture. Jesus knows that we have a nature that desires to secure ourselves to earthly things (the natural mind holds onto that which is natural). In Matthew 6, Jesus is calling us to a higher way of living~ supernatural simplicity, not holding onto the treasures of this world, but clinging to the treasure of the next. I want to highlight several reasons why we should not go after earthly treasure:

1. This world is a very uncertain place. Security in this world is a false security. Things can change in an instant. This world is temporary, so nothing in this world will have permanence. In verses 19-20 Jesus gives a negative command and a positive command. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…” (19) “Do store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (20). A treasure is anything we trust in and cling to. No matter what our earthly treasures may be (money, occupation, children, gift/talent we have, etc) we must be careful that we don’t hold them too tightly. They will keep us from living in the Kingdom of God in freedom and power we desire. David Livingstone said, “I place no value on anything I possess, except in relation to the Kingdom of God.”
2. Whatever we fix as our treasure will consume our whole life. There is a connection between our treasure and our heart. The statement Jesus makes in verse 21 isn’t an idea, opinion or suggestion, but a reality. “Where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is”.
   No option. Our whole heart (mind, will & emotions) will be fixed around our treasure. Jesus said in verse 24 that it’s impossible to serve two masters. One will rival the
   other. If our “treasure” is our bank account, house, retirement fund, children, sports, education, or any other earthly thing, our heart will be focused on that. Verse 22 speaks of the eye as the lamp of the whole body. If our eyes are good ~ meaning single focused; void of duplicity~ then your whole body will be flooded with light (Spirit of Truth). I want my treasure to be Jesus~ consumed with Him and His Kingdom and His purpose and His plan. That’s where I want my heart to be!
3. Provision has already been made. God provides for us according to our needs, just as He does for the lilies (plant life) and birds (animal kingdom).Verses 26 & 28 tell us to notice the birds of the air and the lilies of the field ~ they don’t sow or store food or spin the beauty of the blossom ~ and yet they are clothed and fed by God Himself. How much more will He take care of His Beloved ones! We are not to have fear or anxiety over tomorrow. We also see in Matthew 6 the pattern of prayer Jesus teaches His disciples. The opening of the prayer is calling on the Heavenly Father….a loving Father who knows all that we
   need. He is involved in every detail of our lives. We say “Give us today our daily bread.”
   This speaks to material and spiritual needs. We are dependent upon God for our provision, but the good news is that He is a loving heavenly Father who lavishes His
   children with good gifts. God is our provider. He is our Father. He sees us and knows us. God knows when and how much.
   
   As we begin to ask the Holy Spirit to manifest simplicity in our lives, we position ourselves for an abundant life of contentment; focused on the Kingdom of God; inviting the miraculous workings of God’s power in our lives and the lives of others. Let’s not waste our precious time & energy worrying about our life or chasing after the “stuff” of this earthly kingdom. “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well,” Matthew 6:33.