Standing Firm in the Gospel: Reading is Food for your Brain

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

 All my life I've been a fan of fiction, and much of it has been in the fantasy genre. C.S. Lewis* has taught me more than a few lessons, and Frank Peretti*, Bryan Davis*, Gilbert Morris* and Ted Dekker* have added their voices to this narrative. I used to think that reading fiction was just for fun, but I've come to realize that we can learn so much more through stories than through direct teachings. I'm sure this is why Jesus taught the people in parables. We can read the account of Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross and be deeply impressed by the logistics of what went into the provision for our salvation in the Gospels, but experiencing Aslan's gift of himself to Narnia through Lucy's eyes and heart adds layer upon layer of depth to my understanding of the ramifications of the crucifixion of Jesus. Similarly, Frank Peretti in his two-part series including This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness* introduced me to the spiritual forces at work around us. Ted Dekker built on this in his Circle series*. Yes, I had read about the aforementioned powers and principalities, but when they took shape in the form of bat- like demons sucking the life out of people through straws, it took on a whole new meaning.

 Now, when I read in the Bible that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world I have images and story lines that generate understanding. I couldn't possibly paint these pictures for you as well as these authors have already done, so I refer you to their excellent works. What I want to communicate to you today, though, is that while these are works of fiction, the lessons they teach and the feelings they invoke are very real. What you are reading matters. It changes you. According to this article, reading actually physically rewires your brain, and this article talks about how your brain chemistry is altered when you read. What you read literally changes who you are. So, just like what we eat, we need to be careful about what we consume through reading. Are we ingesting stories that will deepen and edify our life and relationships or ones that will draw us away from God and His perfect plan for us? I've personally witnessed the devastation that can occur when someone allows their mind to be reshaped apart from God's will through fiction. Reading can be a blessing or a curse, it's all about your choices. 

Here's the Thing: Reading or fiction is not inherently good or evil. There are both good and bad things out there and, just like with our food, we are challenged to choose the good. 

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