My significant other has recently introduced me to the world of Kingdom Hearts. While the great gaming experience was expected, I was astounded by the well-rounded characters and complex storyline. Sadly, I have not yet progressed farther than a couple boss battles, but there was one cutscene which stood out to me. Here is a video of someone more skilled than me playing the scene. Pay special attention to the dialogue near the end. Cloud says something that stuck with me even as I continued through the game.
| "I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light." |
This character from a game's multiverse understands profound truth better than we do. There are times humans desire (or even need) something we cannot get ourselves. Sometimes, we make a truce with evil. expecting it to last according to our whim. People rely on worldly pleasures to help them cope with loss, relive the satisfaction of a special moment, or gain intimacy they always craved. They believe they will be able to back out as soon as they have what they wanted. They think they can use darkness to their advantage without repercussions. An old saying says, "Sin takes you farther than you want to go and keeps you longer than you want to stay."
Modern people are not the only ones who fell for this trick. King Saul had a problem in his nation, but God was not answering his petitions. Instead of repenting and surrendering himself to the Lord's plan, he decided to use a medium to ask advice from Samuel, the deceased prophet. Here is a tidbit of their conversation in 1 Samuel 28:15-16 (NLT):
'Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?' Samuel asked Saul.
"Because I am in deep trouble," Saul replied, "The Philistines are at war with me, and God has
left me and won't reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do."
But Samuel replied, "Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy?"
The prophet continues to tell Saul he and his sons will die in battle, and the kingdom will be torn from his lineage and given to David.
It may be easy to condemn Saul. He visited a witch (forbidden by his own decree) and took advice from a spirit, which could have been Samuel or a demon. He had no way of knowing whether the spirit would tell him the truth, but he was desperate and in need. He needed wisdom. The king believed he could channel the powers of darkness into working for God one time, but he was mistaken. Samuel's ghost or whatever it was condemned him. Therefore, we condemn him, showcasing our own hypocrisy.
How often are we like Saul? We turn to anything and everything other than God to fulfill our desires. We think we can control the darkness, like Cloud thought he could just use Hades to his advantage. In reality, Hades was controlling him. Once Cloud realized what was going on, it was too late to escape Hades' grasp on his heart. When we try to exploit darkness, we wind up entangling ourselves in it. Only God can satisfy our desires, and it's time we stopped looking for anything else to do so. Paul (formerly Saul) had persecuted Christians to gain God's favor. However, he realized only faith in Christ could fulfill his need for salvation and God's approval. "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
Modern people are not the only ones who fell for this trick. King Saul had a problem in his nation, but God was not answering his petitions. Instead of repenting and surrendering himself to the Lord's plan, he decided to use a medium to ask advice from Samuel, the deceased prophet. Here is a tidbit of their conversation in 1 Samuel 28:15-16 (NLT):
'Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?' Samuel asked Saul.
"Because I am in deep trouble," Saul replied, "The Philistines are at war with me, and God has
left me and won't reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do."
But Samuel replied, "Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy?"
The prophet continues to tell Saul he and his sons will die in battle, and the kingdom will be torn from his lineage and given to David.
It may be easy to condemn Saul. He visited a witch (forbidden by his own decree) and took advice from a spirit, which could have been Samuel or a demon. He had no way of knowing whether the spirit would tell him the truth, but he was desperate and in need. He needed wisdom. The king believed he could channel the powers of darkness into working for God one time, but he was mistaken. Samuel's ghost or whatever it was condemned him. Therefore, we condemn him, showcasing our own hypocrisy.
How often are we like Saul? We turn to anything and everything other than God to fulfill our desires. We think we can control the darkness, like Cloud thought he could just use Hades to his advantage. In reality, Hades was controlling him. Once Cloud realized what was going on, it was too late to escape Hades' grasp on his heart. When we try to exploit darkness, we wind up entangling ourselves in it. Only God can satisfy our desires, and it's time we stopped looking for anything else to do so. Paul (formerly Saul) had persecuted Christians to gain God's favor. However, he realized only faith in Christ could fulfill his need for salvation and God's approval. "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).