Ever since I was a kid, I loved playing video games; so much that it became a vice and a source of addiction in my life. In my 40’s I loved putting on my headset, stepping out onto the battlefield in first-person shooters and playing in teams with others. I also loved getting into storymode, trying to beat levels to eventually win the game. But getting to that next level was a challenge, mostly because you had to beat the Boss.
What is the Boss? Well, it’s different for whatever game you are playing. The Boss is: a powerful non-player character (NPC) and tough-to-beat enemy that players typically encounter at the end of a game level, area, or chapter. They are stronger than any other opponent the player has faced up to that point in a game. The Final Boss is often the main antagonist of a game’s story and the defeat of that elite NPC usually ends with you winning the entire game. Here are a few characteristics of video game Bosses:
- They generally have higher health points (HP) and stronger attacks than standard enemies.
- They might have unique combat mechanics and attack patterns to learn.
- You may have to pinpoint your firing on certain parts of their armor to weaken them.
- Bosses are often designed to test players’ skills and strategies.
- They make us better players.
- They have a reward for conquering them.
- They are generally in one particular area like the field of a gladiator arena.
The Boss was the one computer-controlled character that kept you from total victory. Beating it was almost impossible, which made moving on to the next level or winning the game even more glorious. Though Bosses are extremely tough to beat, they all have two things in common: they (1) have weaknesses that you have to exploit, and (2) can be defeated.
What is your Boss?
In order to find out what we need to defeat our Boss, we need to identify what our Boss is in the real world. Have you ever asked yourself what is the one thing that is holding you back or going on to the next level with Jesus? Is there anything in your life that seems impossible to defeat and just will not die? Our Boss could be a particular sin in our life that we are trying to conquer like lust, pornography use, alcohol abuse, or gossip. It could be something that is not sin in and of itself that is hindering our walk with God like feeling fear in sharing our faith, believing lies from the enemy instead of trusting in the Lord, or our priorities need to be evaluated working on the weekends instead of going to church on Sunday.
Our particular Boss is different from everyone else. So, what is holding you back from becoming the man or woman of God you and your Lord want you to be? What is getting in the way of your relationship with Him? Spend some time thinking about that before moving forward. In the meantime, I want to share with you a Boss I defeated many times; his name is the BOSS OF FEAR, particularly in evangelism.
How to beat the Boss
In every video game, there is a strategy to beat the Boss. Every…video…game. The same goes for the BOSS OF FEAR. Here are some ways to secure victory over this Boss.
Save your game before entering the arena
In a video game, it is smart to save your game before heading into the arena to battle your Boss. This way, if you are defeated, you don’t have to go back and replay an hour’s worth of game time, running through the map and re-collecting power-ups to use. It’s smart to save your game with all that you need right before you are about to do battle.
Since we don’t live in a video game, we can’t save our spot; but as Christians, God has already saved us through the blood of His Son. We have already been given the ultimate do-over, and it is never GAME OVER for a believer of Jesus (John 6:51, 58; 11:25). What we can do is mentally prepare ourselves is to look at the challenge set before us and use Scripture to get us into a right frame of mind to battle the BOSS OF FEAR, as Jesus did when being tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4:1-11.
Don’t forget your wise Sage
Video games like, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, have a wise sage or guide to help you along in the game. Navi, named after its creator, replaced the “Z-Targeting Navigation” triangle with a cute fairy to give clues and help Link through the stages. Instead of calling it “Fairy Navigation,” they opted to simply call it, Navi.
Thankfully, we as Christians have the Holy Spirit, to guide, mentor, and live within us to give us the words to speak and give us discernment into the conversations we have. He is the promise of eternal life that we have now and gives us insight we need into the conversations we have. With Him, we are never alone.
Scripture tells us that it is not by might or power, but by God’s Spirit we are able to defeat our enemies (Zecariah 4:6). He is our helper (John 15:26), and convicts the world through the conscience (John 16:8); the same One who raised Christ from the dead will raise us give us life Who resides in us (Romans 8:9-11), helps in our weaknesses and makes intercession for us in our time of need (Romans 8:26-27). It is the Spirit who gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Peter 3:18). The Holy Spirit is the ultimate guide any of us can have.
Start with high HP
As a video gamer, going into battle with low health points (HP) is dumb and suicidal. You will not last, mostly because the very first hit by the Boss is known to deplete your health quickly.
So, how do we start with high HP in evangelism? First and foremost, we gain strength through prayer. Prayer is our lifeline and comm-link to the Holy Spirit, which we already saw in the last section — is our everything in battle.
Also, if you are working a large event that is long and tiring, like the Creation Booth at the Iowa State Fair, you are going to want to be well rested, hydrated, and eat nutritious food going into it. Take breaks often, and seek health and stamina. Even though we don’t battle against flesh and blood, we are made of flesh and blood, and it can still affect our physical and mental health.
Elevate your XP through daily challenges
When I played Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3, in the beginning, I sucked. I did. I was the biggest NOOB (Newbie) out there. Every time I stepped out onto the battlefield I got shot. But I just wanted to play and didn’t care, till I got tired of losing.
But then I learned about daily challenges that leveled up your experience points, (XP) quicker than just running around killing avatars. When I started playing to challenge myself and played to train, I was leveling up faster, and gaining XP to get better guns, ammo, and all the fun stuff that my opponents had. Before I knew it, I was killing NOOBS left and right, and was ready to take on the Bosses a whole lot easier.
When I battled my Fear Boss, I started giving myself daily challenges and then leveled up to different challenges when those became easy or I accomplished them. Here is an example list of challenges you can incorporate daily to level up your XP:
- Day 1: Put a tract in a credit card slot at the gas station when filling up.
- Day 2: Place a tract in a case of beer when going to the grocery store.
- Day 3: Place a tract on a bench when walking through a mall. Start with 1, then work to 2, 3, 4, and 5 dach day.
- Day 8: Place a tract somewhere and make sure someone sees you doing it. Then work to 2, 3, 4, and 5 each day.
- Day 13: Say hello to a complete stranger. Then work to 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Day 18: Start a conversation with a complete stranger. Then work to 2, 3, 4, and 5 per day.
- Day 23: Hand a person a “get away tract” that gives you time to get away from the person before they read the gospel. An example of this may be the 101 of the World’s Funniest One Liners tract. Just say, “Here’s some ‘dad jokes’ to brighten your day. Don’t forget to read the editorial.” By the time he reads it, you’ll be long gone. Then work to 2, 3, 4, and 5 each day.
- Day 28: Hand out a million dollar bill tract and say, “Did you get one of these? It’s a million-dollar bill with the million-dollar question on the back.” Try to engage in a spiritual discussion.
With each challenge you are giving yourself, your heart beats harder and faster; but you are gaining experience “points” and challenging yourself to get to the next level on a daily basis. When you look back at the month, placing a tract on a bench or a gas station pump card slot doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore. As you progress down the line, you’ll naturally get to the point of using tracts as a springboard to start spiritual conversations.
Practice, practice, practice
With the daily challenges, it wasn’t just gaining XP in a video game, but increasing your skills throughout the game. I never understood how these guys and gals were using all their fingers on each button of the controller. When I started playing as a kid, we had one joystick, and one button. Now, it takes great skill and hand-eye coordination to really master playing in the electronic colosseum. You have to master a specific set of controller inputs, and the timing between achieving power-ups and giving yourself an advantage.
Chuck Norris
won survival mode.
Conquering your Boss is no different. With Fear, the more I learned how to share the gospel, tips and practicing having a conversation in the car with myself, and role-playing with friends, I gained skills needed. It was training sessions like Tactics in Defending the Faith, that really helped me to have answers to hard questions. It gave me conversational skills, and I realized it wasn’t always about giving answers to others, but helping them to see for themselves to question their beliefs. You can find many suggestions from Ministry Friends and Resources on the homepage.
Watch replays
With any sport, whether it is football, ice hockey, or even NASCAR, the difference between a good team and a great team is watching film. Same thing with video games. Systems today have a built-in gameplay recorder that can be helpful to go to the videotape after a loss, rewinding, rewatching, and studying how and why things went wrong.
Now, we can’t record every witnessing conversation that takes place; but we can try to remember what was said, done, our mannerisms, and think about what was good or bad. The good things we see show that the Lord is working for us and we are gaining more experience; but also, where we need improvement.
It’s good to also share the gospel with others and having a person with you when sharing your faith, they can offer suggestions to have better conversations the next time. If you are with someone, ask them what you could have done differently. They can be the “video tape replay” and show what you need to work on.
The Bosses weapons
As you watched the recording of the fight, what did the Boss attack you with? How did he start, what moves did he use, and how should you have countered his offensive?
What weapons did the person you were sharing Jesus to use? Let’s say the person was an atheist. What did they say that you didn’t have a response for? Was anything you said or did change the person’s mind, and you can tell they were thinking? How would you combat attacks from the enemy, what worked, and what didn’t? Write these things down in a notebook and keep them in mind for the next time you come up against the same arguments.
“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,
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV
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,”
This is different than “survival mode” where players face increasingly difficult waves of enemies, with the primary objective being to survive as long as possible rather than to ultimately win or complete the game. This gameplay style emphasizes endurance, skill, and strategic use of resources, challenging players to achieve high scores or last as long as possible against the ever-growing and unstoppable threat. In survival mode, the player will ultimately die. Thankfully, we don’t battle an unstoppable enemy.
Play the game
Whether you throw quarters in a machine, or buy your own console and games, there is a cost to playing. You need skin in the game. Just like gaming, it takes commitment to being a Christian. Jesus bought us with His precious blood, we are not our own, and are to glorify God in our body and spirit, which belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23). It cost Him dearly to save us from our sin so that we can be restored to our Heavenly Father. So in a sense, through His blood, we have unlimited lives to play the game.
But, what if we never play?
Think about that for a minute; let that sink in. Are you playing the game? What if your Dad bought you the latest brand new game system, and you never have even taken it out of the box? What does that say about the price that was paid? There is a commitment to connect it all, download the newest software, and actually sit there to play. Just like battling our Boss, it takes time and skill to do it; the daily dying to self and sanctification of the Christian life: Bible study, prayer, repenting of sin, giving monetarily and of your time, service to a local church, and of course — preaching the gospel and sharing Jesus with a world that doesn’t know Him. Read 1 Thessalonians chapter one as an example of what the Christian life should look like.
If Christianity seems boring or stupid to you, it can mean several things: you’re not playing, and the system is still in the box; you’re replaying all the easy levels and never challenging yourself; and you never combat your Boss. It’s exciting to see people come to know the Savior and follow Him as Lord of their life. To see people who were once enemies of God now living for Him with purpose and intent all because of your influence in their life. It’s what motivated Paul to keep going and we see this in all of his epistles.
If this is you, let me coach you to get back into the game.
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Pens & Wrenches 
Excellent brother. Thanks for the challenge!
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