by Zack Love This is an essay about overcoming an addiction, the effects of sin, and sacrifice. What is World of Warcraft?

For those of you who don't already know, World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role playing computer game, otherwise known as a MMORPG. That means that you can create a character, then play in a world created by game programmers, and these worlds are stored on computer servers. Oh, and another little detail that I must point out, is that you have to pay to play in these online worlds. In a way, this might sound absurd or ridiculous to people who do not own a computer. A game like this is the perfect escape for those who have trouble dealing with real life, and just want to get away and "have fun." The only problem with a game like this is that it takes a lot of time to play. I played this game over a span of 5 months, and put over 200+ hours into it, not to mention paying the annoying monthly fee of $15 a month. So I invested ($15 x 5) $75 into a virtual reality that ultimately got me nowhere. How I Was Introduced to World of Warcraft My brother, Chris, played World of Warcraft, and before that, he played another online game that was very similar, called Asheron's Call. I felt bad, in a way, because back when I lived in NC, we sort of made fun of him for always playing it, for always being in this artificial world on his computer. Little did I know, that I would myself be trapped in this delusion myself, later on in life. I am not saying this to put down my brother, but I am saying this because I, too, was deceived. So my brother asked me to play World of Warcraft with him online. Our past basically goes like this: When we were little, we played video games together. Then we were separated due to family problems. Then when we lived together again, we played video games together. More family problems, and then now he was asking me to play a video game with him, online. I didn't really want to at first, but he sort of made it sound fun. So I got the game and paid the monthly fee and was playing it. But to be honest with you, I saw him very little in the game. The whole reason for getting it was not justified, but the gameplay was so involved and addicting, that I wanted more and more.

Time is Required to Play World of Warcraft To explain this game a little bit more, you complete missions in this world, and then you receive experience points for the missions. These points that you receive is called XP, which is shorthand for experience. It took at least an hour each time I played to complete a mission. My point is that the game is very time consuming and a person could easily play for an 8-hour span on it without realizing how much time was spent sitting at your computer. So I did see my brother occasionally online, and we did complete some missions together, but very few time was spent playing together. This was the whole purpose of me even playing the game! I then became addicted to playing this game. By the way, the shorthand for saying World of Warcraft, is WoW. Just like saying the word, "wow." Eventually my brother left my server to play on a different server with friends from school, and I was left to play on my own. Unfortunately, at this point I was already sucked into this virtual reality, which sucked my time and my money down a black hole. Why I had to stop playing World of Warcraft I played this game way too much. After a while, I realized the deception of what I was doing. Not only was I paying to play their game, but I was sucked into this false reality. They had me right where they wanted me, and I was going nowhere with my real life because of this game, and it was keeping me from building my relationship with the Creator of this Universe, God. I eventually snapped out of the trance I was in playing this game and say that they were keeping me from glorifying God, which is my purpose in life. That would make playing this game, a sin for me. Do you know what happens when we reject God over and over and over. He lets us stay in our own evil desires. Romans 1:24-25, King James Version (KJV) - Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Satan, was definitely backing this game, because it made me an ineffective Christian, keeping me from building my love relationship with God - which is what God wants more from me than anything I could possibly ever do for him. That is why God sent his only son, Jesus, perfect and sinless to die on the cross for all of our sins. To take on the sins of the world so that we may go to Heaven and have eternal life through him. Why? Because he loves us. That is the only reason why I could ever love him. 1 John 4:19 - We love him, because he first loved us. When I played World of Warcraft, it reminded me of how I used to be. A person so caught up in sin, that I could not escape, hopeless and drowning in my own selfish desires. Sin is disobedience to God and is what keeps us from our relationship with Him. The Bible says: Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 - For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Micah 7:2 -The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. What are the Results of Sin? The Bible says: Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ezekiel 18:4 - Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: James 1:15 - Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. What is the Cure for Sin? The Bible says: Matthew 20:28 - Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 Corinthians 15:3 - For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Galatians 1:3-4 - Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: Philippians 2:5-8 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

There is hope, but only one hope for existence, and that is my Savior, Jesus Christ. Before I could come to have a relationship with God, I had to surrender everything, all of my sins, all of my pride, and my life over to God. It has not been the same since, and I am thankful, because I was not happy in the purposeless life that I once lived. In the same way, God asked Abraham to surrender his son to him. Genesis 22:2 - And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Abraham had two choices: he could do what God asks of him, or he could've said no, and rejected God. Abraham chose not to sin and disobey God. He chose to do what was right. So many people today hear God calling out to them but ignore or reject Him so they can keep living in their own selfish desires. Abraham took his son up on the mountain because he loved God, and wanted to please him. Genesis 22:7-8 - And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. This is a prophesy of Jesus coming to take away the sins of the world, because God himself was Jesus in the flesh. A quick example of why Jesus had to pay for our sins is this: When you stand before a Judge at a trial, and he tells you the crime you have committed, simply saying your sorry will not get you off trial. There is a penalty to pay. The only problem is that the only person qualified to pay our penalty was Jesus Christ, because he had never sinned. Sin leads to death, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23,6:23). Without accepting Jesus, we are condemned to Hell at the Judgment. Jesus paid the price for our sins, and rose from the dead so that we may go to Heaven, if you trust in Him as your Lord and Savior, and believe He was resurrected by God (Romans 10:9). How Can One Turn Away From Sin? Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Galatians 2:16 - Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Romans 10:9-11 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:13 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So I leave you with this...if you believe that you have not ever sinned, then I challenge you to take the ten thousand dollar challenge right now at this URL http://www.tenthousanddollaroffer.com . Take the test, and see how you fare.

2012 Zachary Love A World Without Warcraft essay may not be copied or reproduced, without express permission from the author. Zachary Love can be contacted at zlove18@hotmail.com