As a millennial born in China’s central Hubei Province, a male believer surnamed Chen used to drink and play games and cards with friends after work every day. Recalling his nine-year faith journey beginning in 2013, Chen was thankful for being chosen by God who helped him find value and meaning in life and build a wonderful family.
As an excavator operator, he rested on rainy days when he might spend a whole day in the Internet cafe. On weekdays, after getting off work at six or seven o’clock, he and his friends would also play games in an Internet cafe until around the early morning. "At that time, it seemed that nothing interested me except gaming," he said.
In 2013, he fell in love with a girl, which didn't stop him from playing games. Besides, he often went to play cards, drink and sing songs in the karaoke bar with his friends.
Though his Christian girlfriend took him to the church before they were to get married, Chen, an atheist who was not interested in faith at first, just came to worship God to please her. After gathering, he found that there was a difference between unbelievers and worshippers who were full of love.
One year after they fell in love, they wanted to enter into marriage, which was opposed by his girlfriend’s family. Chen said that her mother was a strongly opinioned person with opposition to their romantic relationships. Due to pressure, his wife went to work in another city, while Chen was in their hometown.
During the year of separation, Chen grew in faith, seeking God on his own initiative from being urged to attend services. Though they prayed together for marriage in different places, Chen thought his mother-in-law would never agree to their marriage, asking her to steal her residence book from her house.
They developed their faith in God in two separate places. After one year’s prayer, his wife’s mother agreed with them to get married, which convinced Chen that God really exists, so he sought Him more earnestly.
"When your time is occupied by meeting, you won't think about playing games anymore." Chen said that going to gatherings was his first step in breaking away from his previous lifestyle, as it helped him get out of the bad situation. He declined the invitations from his friends due to attending services, and after a few times, his friends stopped asking him to play games or drink wine.
"To get rid of a bad hobby, you should foster a new hobby," Chen said this was the key to his escape from the game world. Finding that he was very interested in the praise during his long-term participation in the church, Chen signed up for the guitar class with encouragement from his wife, practicing guitar in his spare time. After a while, Chen joined the church worship team. Since then, Chen has completely disconnected from games.
Now he has not only given up gaming but also forsaken his habit of playing cards and drinking.
His friends gave witness to his faith, saying his family was harmonious, which was seldom seen in other families around.
As they had taken the pre-marital counseling course before the marriage, he and his wife sustained daily family worship in the habit of praising, praying, reading, and studying the Bible. Their eldest daughter can finish one chapter of the Bible every day.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
陈弟兄是80后，湖北人。没信仰前，每天除了工作，就是和朋友打游戏、玩牌、喝酒。从13年信仰到至今，陈弟兄回忆这九年的信仰路，他感恩上帝的拣选，因着信耶稣基督，在迷茫反复的日子中找到人生的价值和意义，并建立了美好的家庭。（==当summary）
陈弟兄从事挖机工作，逢雨就是休息日。平日工作六七点钟下班，他就和几个朋友一起约在网吧打游戏，一直打到凌晨左右；赶上下雨天，他们就在网吧泡一天。 “那个时候，满脑子好像除了游戏也没有什么事情可想”陈弟兄说。
13年的时候，他与妻子恋爱了。但恋爱并没有让陈弟兄停下手中的游戏，除此他还经常和朋友们一起去打牌，喝酒，唱KTV。
因为妻子信仰的缘故，恋爱期，妻子把他带到了教堂。从小是无神论者的陈弟兄，起初对信仰毫无兴趣，只是为了应付姊妹。但在慢慢的聚会中，他感受到这里的人和外面的人好像有些不一样，“觉得他们都很有爱”。
恋爱大约一年左右的时间，准备进入婚姻时，他们的关系遭到姊妹家人的反对。陈弟兄说，姊妹的母亲是一个很强势的人，坚决反对他们在一起。迫于压力姊妹去到另一个城市工作，陈弟兄自己在老家这边工作。
而与姊妹分开这一年却是陈弟兄信仰成长的一年。从被人督促着去参加礼拜，转变为自己主动寻求。他和姊妹分居两地一起为了婚姻祷告。在陈弟兄看来，姊妹的妈妈根本不会同意他们结婚的，他甚至还让姊妹把户口本从家里偷出来。
但就这样他们各自在两地，共同建立信仰，为婚姻祷告时，一年之后，姊妹的妈妈同意他们结婚了。婚姻的经历让陈弟兄确信神是真实存在的，便越发寻求信仰。
“你的时间被聚会充满的时候，你就不会再想着打游戏了。”陈弟兄说摆脱这个环境很重要。参加聚会就是他断开以往生活模式的第一步。开始的时候他的朋友也经常约他出去打游戏，找他喝酒，但因为要参加聚会，他都推掉了，几次之后朋友们也就不再找他了。
“摆脱一个不好的爱好，就是再培养一个爱好”，这是陈弟兄得以从游戏世界走出来的关键。长期参加聚会中，陈弟兄发现自己对教会的赞美很感兴趣，在妻子的鼓励下他报了吉他班的课程，空闲的时间就拿来练吉他。一段时间后，陈弟兄就参与了教会吉他的赞美服侍中。自此之后陈弟兄就彻底断开了游戏。
如今陈弟兄不仅戒掉了游戏，就连打牌，喝酒这样的习惯也都戒掉了。和他常在一起的几个朋友还见证，他这个信仰挺好的，因为他们家庭的和睦，是身边很多人没有的。
陈弟兄和妻子进入婚姻时，学习了婚前辅导的课程，他们也一直保持做家庭礼拜的习惯，每天会抽出一些时间，读经，研经，赞美和祷告，他们的大女儿目前也可以每天读完一章圣经。
https://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/63892
看这位弟兄如何摆脱游戏的辖制
As a millennial born in China’s central Hubei Province, a male believer surnamed Chen used to drink and play games and cards with friends after work every day. Recalling his nine-year faith journey beginning in 2013, Chen was thankful for being chosen by God who helped him find value and meaning in life and build a wonderful family.
As an excavator operator, he rested on rainy days when he might spend a whole day in the Internet cafe. On weekdays, after getting off work at six or seven o’clock, he and his friends would also play games in an Internet cafe until around the early morning. "At that time, it seemed that nothing interested me except gaming," he said.
In 2013, he fell in love with a girl, which didn't stop him from playing games. Besides, he often went to play cards, drink and sing songs in the karaoke bar with his friends.
Though his Christian girlfriend took him to the church before they were to get married, Chen, an atheist who was not interested in faith at first, just came to worship God to please her. After gathering, he found that there was a difference between unbelievers and worshippers who were full of love.
One year after they fell in love, they wanted to enter into marriage, which was opposed by his girlfriend’s family. Chen said that her mother was a strongly opinioned person with opposition to their romantic relationships. Due to pressure, his wife went to work in another city, while Chen was in their hometown.
During the year of separation, Chen grew in faith, seeking God on his own initiative from being urged to attend services. Though they prayed together for marriage in different places, Chen thought his mother-in-law would never agree to their marriage, asking her to steal her residence book from her house.
They developed their faith in God in two separate places. After one year’s prayer, his wife’s mother agreed with them to get married, which convinced Chen that God really exists, so he sought Him more earnestly.
"When your time is occupied by meeting, you won't think about playing games anymore." Chen said that going to gatherings was his first step in breaking away from his previous lifestyle, as it helped him get out of the bad situation. He declined the invitations from his friends due to attending services, and after a few times, his friends stopped asking him to play games or drink wine.
"To get rid of a bad hobby, you should foster a new hobby," Chen said this was the key to his escape from the game world. Finding that he was very interested in the praise during his long-term participation in the church, Chen signed up for the guitar class with encouragement from his wife, practicing guitar in his spare time. After a while, Chen joined the church worship team. Since then, Chen has completely disconnected from games.
Now he has not only given up gaming but also forsaken his habit of playing cards and drinking.
His friends gave witness to his faith, saying his family was harmonious, which was seldom seen in other families around.
As they had taken the pre-marital counseling course before the marriage, he and his wife sustained daily family worship in the habit of praising, praying, reading, and studying the Bible. Their eldest daughter can finish one chapter of the Bible every day.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Story of Christian Escaping Grip of Game After Believing in God
