STOP THE OBSESSION

They said God is dead, right?

31% of the USA doesn’t believe in any God. In the UK, that number is 51%.

But the truth is, these numbers are false. A lie. Everywhere you look, you see people worshipping. Often in public. In large groups. Even sometimes in stadiums of 70,000.

We all worship something.

So many people in the Western world say they don’t worship a God in the traditional sense, but I can tell you with certainty that everyone still has a God in their life.

My little sister loves K-pop. These young Korean boy bands have become her obsession. Posters on the walls, official merchandise, even her phone lock screen. (Ironically, these K-pop singers are genuinely called “idols” by their fans).

But she’s not just a fan, she is obsessed. I hear her chatting with her friends on FaceTime - “OMG, did you see this guy dyed his hair?” She watches every video. Every live stream. Every post. Almost religiously.

This is what actually gave me the idea to write this newsletter. While my sister is obsessed, there are millions of people who take it even further. Following every move of their hero. Their idol. Their god.

It gets to the point where these people stop having aspirations of their own. They don’t have dreams or goals, they don’t even want to improve themselves.

This is their one source of joy - the actions of a Korean 20-something year old who lives halfway across the world. Their life revolves around somebody else - their happiness depends on someone who doesn’t even know they exist.

Now up to this point, you might be agreeing with me. You might be sat here nodding along, “yes, these teenage girls are so cringe-”

But it goes much deeper than that.

Follow the average football fan for a week, and you will see much of the same.

Social media updates following their favourite player’s every move.

In the stands every week without fail, wasting hundreds of dollars and days of their lives every week.

Letting your joy be controlled externally. You have no control. You have no influence. These players don’t even know you exist.

And yet you let them be the one thing that determines whether you are happy or depressed that week. (I’m a United fan, so it’s usually more of the second one.)

When your team loses, you feel devastated, angry down bad.

But it’s arguably even worse when they win.

Undeserved dopamine floods through your bloodstream, and you feel on top of the world. But what have you done to earn it?

You feel happy, elated, satisfied. All whilst your life hasn’t changed one bit.

Don’t outsource your happiness.

You should be the only person who can determine whether you enjoy your life or not. Don’t give that power to someone else who doesn’t even know your name.

Focus on yourself.

Go to any rapper’s concert, and you see people literally screaming and crying tears of joy when he walks out on stage. Changing their profile pictures, getting posters and merchandise. Following social media accounts that show every step of their idol’s life.

“Look, Travis Scott got a girlfriend. Travis Scott went to the shops. Travis Scott had a shit-”

It’s insane.

The world used to worship God.

Jesus Christ was a man who “knew no sin”, and was perfect in every way. He took the punishment that all of us should have received for our sins, even though He never did anything wrong. Just so we could be free.

So every day, worshipping him, trying to become more like him in everything we do is a noble pursuit.

But there is a big problem with worshipping these modern idols.

They are all fallible.

No one is perfect. Every person has sins, mistakes, a darker side, and that’s to be expected. Romans 2:23 in the Bible says “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

But then why do we worship them, D-riding them, defending their every move?

Judges 10:14 “Go and cry out to the “gods” you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

What’s Kendrick Lamar going to do to save you? In fact, he said it himself, that he is “not your saviour”. So why do you treat him as if he is?

I am speaking from my own personal experience. I wish someone told me this a year or two ago. But I can’t go back in time, so I will pass this knowledge onto you so you can avoid my mistakes.

We’ve gone from idolising someone who was perfect in every way, to idolising people who promote degeneracy.

Every day without fail, we stick in our headphones, and transmit Drake talking about “fucking bitches” into the depths of our brains. Central Cee bragging about dealing drugs.

This is your God?

Because every single day, willfully and ritually brainwashing yourself sounds like worship to me.

I’m not going to push a religion on you, this is a personal journey for you to undertake. But if you want to give your life to Christ, pray this prayer and be saved:

"Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen. 🙏"

Hope you didn’t find this letter too weird.

Until next time,

Yvan