Happy Friday, my fellow anime lovers!
I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter celebration this past weekend. Jesus’s resurrection is the most important event in history, and while many other religions claim historical roots, Christianity uniquely centers its faith on a historical event. Had Christ not risen, then, as Paul writes, our faith is useless (2 Cor 15:14). But he did rise, delivering victory over death and opening the way for the Holy Spirit to dwell in those who believe in his resurrection and starting a great mission for God’s children.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
~ Acts 1:8
Those words above mark the last command Jesus gave his disciples before ascending to Heaven. We have a mission to share Jesus with the world, but we aren’t doing so without resistance; the devil attacks believers, often in sneaky ways, and often closer by than we consider. The classic magical girl series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, perfectly expresses how the devil can work. Kyubey, a cute rabbit-like creature offers our heroine, Madoka Kaname, and her companions a deal that sounds too good to be true (of course, later we find out it is): Have any wish granted and in return, become a magical girl, defeat the evil witches, and become a hero. It sounds like a pretty good deal. If you’ve seen the end result, then you know what a sham it is, though. What awaits the magical girls are dreadful curses, not the desire of their hearts or heroic deeds they hope to do.
In Madoka Magica, the girls are tempted by Kyubey (the devil), some without much warning. But we do have warnings with scripture again and again explaining the evils of the enemy and how he operates. The devil has not and will not stop leading us astray. What's more is that the methods aren’t always clear. As with Kyubey’s promises to the girls, the devil could speak to us with misleading promises that sound like truths, as when the devil tries to ensnare Jesus in the wilderness, using something good (scripture) to try to lead Him into sinning.
Be aware of the enemy and his ways. Build discernment so you can be aware of where the enemy is hiding. And gird yourself so that you will not go astray.
Weekly Mission: When you encounter a moment of “Does the Bible really say that?” in the coming days, I encourage you to stop a moment, look to the Bible, and if you find a matching passage, read it in context. Build a habit of opening your Bible rather than taking whatever statement at face value.
Memory Verse: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” ~ Ephesians 4:26-27
BtT in Review
Speaking of Madoka, we posted fanart of the series last Friday—a very suitable anime for Good Friday.
Check out the plethora of newly and recently released manga, light novels, and manhwa our reviewers covered on Reader’s Corner this week!
Easter has passed, but we encourage you all to continue to meditate on and pray about Christ’s death and resurrection, and what it means for you and all humanity. This video by the same folks who created the Jesus movie may help. We post it every year on Easter weekend!
Finally, we’ll end with encouragement to follow our Twitch channel. Remember that Whit draws on the stream each week!
Have a great week, all, and God bless!