Pokémon Go and the Unseen World
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16 NKJV.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? – Hebrews 1:14 NKJV.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. – Ephesians 6:10-13 NKJV.
Having never played Pokémon, I have little knowledge of what it actually is except what I have read or viewed in news stories. Please bear with me as I share a little information that I have found. I turned to Wikipedia to find out more, and this is what they say Pokémon is: The name Pokémon is the romanticized contraction o
The Pokémon website says this about the new incarnation of Pokémon, Pokémon Go: “Get on your feet and step outside to find and catch wild Pokémon. Explore cities and towns around where you live and even around the globe to capture as many Pokémon as you can. As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you’re near a Pokémon. Once you’ve encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone’s touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away! Also look for PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments, where you can collect more Poké Balls and other items.”
One of the unfortunate side effects of Pokémon Go is the injuries some have experienced hunting these imaginary creatures. The Washington Post published an article 07.10.16 about those injuries. Here is a quote from the article: “Pokémon Go put me in the ER last night,” read one post on the Pokemon Go subreddit. “Not even 30 minutes after the release last night, I slipped and fell down a ditch,” said the Reddit user. “Fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in my foot, 6-8 weeks for recovery. I told all the doctors I was walking my dog lol… Watch where you’re going, folks!” Others posted that they, too, had near misses or minor scrapes from chasing Pokémon a little too enthusiastically. Some have reported mishaps while seeking Pokémon and driving, which is a thing that just shouldn’t happen. That bears repeating: do not Pokémon Go and drive.
The good news for Pokémon go players in Russia is a new free insurance policy that is now available for them. Sberbank will insure players with a free policy providing up to $800 in case of injury while playing the game. The same article about the insurance policy says: Ever since the game’s release, people have been crashing into police cars, tumbling down stairs, getting shot and someone has even fallen off a cliff in their effort to catch the best Pokémon. (CNBC 07.25.16)
Through the Pokémon app on their phones, players are able to see and interact with an unseen imaginary world. What if there was an app on our phones to see the unseen, very real spiritual world? Looking through the app we could then see the demons attacking our lives and the angels of God trying to protect us. We could then see that when we sin it allows the demonic world an entry point into our lives to cause trouble. When we live righteously we could then see how much easier the angels are able to repel the demonic attacks. When we respond in prayer to those demonic attacks we would see how crushing blows are delivered by God upon those demonic forces.
Although we cannot see our spiritual enemies they are very real, and we must resist them. The Bible does give us much direction in how to do this. Here are two additional Scriptures that can help us: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double