Life is starting to imitate art as the high stakes battle between Microsoft and Sony for control of Activision Blizzard is playing out like a video game boss fight with LITERAL game-changing implications… and as the cold war between these two behemoths plays out in court, a LOT of previously concealed communications are beginning to come to light. If you have not kept up to date on the legal happenings between these two companies, here is the quick version… Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion dollars, and with this transaction Microsoft would own exclusive control over major franchises such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and the rest of Activision Blizzard’s massive portfolio of titles. But a purchase of this magnitude has resulted in a massive amount of legal review such as the ongoing proceedings by the FTC in the UK to explore the ramifications of this deal.

Sony, Microsoft’s primary competitor in the console space, is taking this opportunity to block the transaction amid concerns that these massively popular games would become Xbox exclusives at the end of their current contracts. As of this writing, both sides are providing their testimony in an attempt to prove their case in a court of law, with Sony attempting to conclusively show that Microsoft will not negotiate in good faith in regard to the shared future of arguably the biggest franchise in gaming (Call of Duty). But while I think we all knew that Microsoft’s aggressive action to purchase the largest prize in gaming would do nothing to thaw the icy relationship between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation platforms, this courtroom drama is exposing more than just the numerical details of the Activision deal… it is shining a bright light on both companies intimate financial data, previously private emails, and other forms of internal communication that was meant to remain out of the public’s eye. And like most information that was never intended to see the light of day, the underbelly of both of these companies and many of their “secrets” are shining a less than flattering light on not only many of the decisions they have made over the years, but their thought processes on why they made them.

Communications on both sides show that neither of them is truly the “hero” in this showdown, with this new evidence clearly showing that Microsoft truly had a plan in mind years ago to completely push Sony out of the gaming business (in direct opposition to their publicly stated stance of mutual respect and solidarity)… as well as proving that Sony is less concerned with the potential “exclusivity” of a Call of Duty deal than they have been publicly complaining about (openly mocking Xbox’s acquisition plan as well as confirming that they know they will be just fine either way). And the deeper this probe goes, the more likely that “less than flattering” details will continue to be opened up for public dissemination and review for both of these typically private companies… a very unintended and unforeseen outcome for a gaming deal that might not ever actually end up happening.

While the long-term impact of this court case on the world of gaming will be a pretty big deal no matter how this story ends, there is a much bigger thought that this entire series of events has provoked that has much larger ramifications. As individuals, we are all accustomed to a pretty large amount of privacy in our day-to-day lives… sure, on occasion there is a data breach somewhere that results in some of our personal information getting leaked or our social media accounts getting hacked, but unless we have chosen to document them somewhere, our THOUGHTS are as private as we choose to make them. And with some of the anonymity that the internet provides us, the changes in the way we communicate in both form and function means that there are many people who can share hurtful and damaging things without any seeming repercussions. With the ability to create these private online aliases, we can all write words that we would NEVER actually say to someone’s face because we are “safe on Twitter”. But before we rush to judgment against these “keyboard warriors”, here is the sobering realization that this entire Sony vs. Microsoft drama has me pondering… how prepared are ANY of us for having our most private thoughts and conversations revealed? How comfortable would we be if not only our text messages, emails, snapchats, and other forms of communication were revealed, but the ACTUAL intents and motivations behind them were exposed as well?

I am going to speak for myself and say that I have been guilty of a MASSIVE number of thoughts and intentions that I am not proud of… and if every text, email, or phone conversation that I have ever had was stripped of my attempts to justify or rationalize them and judged based solely on what they contained in front of a jury of my peers, I would be completely mortified. And this is INCLUSIVE of my time spent as a follower of Christ… as much as I was hoping that the “transformation of my mind” spoken of by Paul in his letter to the Romans would somehow mean that I would no longer have these selfish thoughts and sinful motivations once I committed my life to Christ, the constant warzone within my daily stream of consciousness reveals that my heart is still not as pure and altruistic as I would prefer. And seeing Microsoft and Sony’s “inner motives” openly displayed for all the world to see has me thinking about the day that every private pondering of MY heart and mind will be completely unpacked in front of an audience of ONE…

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

Romans 14:10-12 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 

Psalm 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Hebrews 4:11-13 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

These Scriptures and so many more make this uncomfortable truth plain and clear… every one of us, regardless of our choice to serve and follow Christ, will stand in front of our Creator one day and give an account of our lives. And this reckoning will go far beyond our observable “deeds” and expose our most private thoughts and intentions. I don’t know about you, but that is an incredibly intimidating prospect. Many times, even when I do the “right thing”, I know that my private motivations are not something I would be thrilled to see posted on a billboard along the interstate. Maybe I showed someone a kindness, but it came from a place of obligation rather than compassion. Or perhaps I SAID the right words to somebody, but the grumbling thoughts in the back of my mind were saying the exact OPPOSITE. But before this awareness of our future episode of “This was your life” leads us to a place of paralyzing fear or despair over our guilt from our past and present thoughts and actions, let’s refresh ourselves on our Heavenly Father’s omniscient knowledge of His flawed but beloved children as well as the all-encompassing unearned grace we have been offered…

Psalm 103:10-14 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.

Our Father knows we are just dust, and He has mercy and grace for us far beyond the transgressions we have committed… both in thought and in deed. And thanks to the sacrifice of Christ, the eternal consequences of these shameful decisions have been removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:10-14). And we know that one day, just like the exposure of all of these embarrassing private conversations for both Microsoft and Sony in their court battle, every one of our personal thoughts, motives, and actions will be laid bare. But rather than allow this knowledge to cause us to live in a perpetual feeling of condemnation and unworthiness, there IS an answer. It’s not an easy one… but the narrow way was never promised to be an easy one to follow (Matthew 7:13-14).

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 

The secret to enjoying a life free from the feelings of condemnation are right there in the verse… to walk in tune with His Spirit rather than in service to our own selfish fleshly impulses. There is no shame in being tempted… but living in victory over both our actions AND our thoughts is not going to come from our mere awareness of our future date with destiny. Overcoming our sinful actions can occasionally be accomplished by exercising an incredible amount of personal will and determination, but the battleground of our minds will not be so easily conquered. But Paul did not leave us without hope… he also provided the solution.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 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, 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.

The uncivil war playing out in the courtroom between Microsoft and Sony brings a timely (and slightly uncomfortable) reminder that we will ALL have to answer for the hidden motives in our hearts and minds, not just the visible actions that we present to the public. Maybe it will never happen in the way Microsoft and Sony’s “private” communications are being revealed to those who were never intended to see them… but an appointment for a full accounting of our “secret thought life” is written on the schedule for each of us. And with that knowledge in mind, we should be even MORE mindful of the importance of bringing EVERY thought under submission so we can receive guidance from the Lord on if each conscious thought is serving Christ and His will or our own selfish motivations. Does this thought give glory to God? Is the reason I am sending this text going to be something that I am proud to review in the future? Is the hidden reason behind why I am sending this message founded on the principles of Philippians 4:8?

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 

Is this going to be easy? Nope. Can we do it in our own strength? Absolutely not… not even close. But this is why our constant, intentional, ever-present acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ in both our hearts AND our minds is the ONLY path to living in victory over these secret thoughts that only serve to bring us shame. Not to EARN our salvation, because we never could. But to live in full enjoyment of the REASON why we became saved in the first place… to be set FREE from that former life, thoughts and all, and demonstrate the authentic fruits from a life lived in service to His will for us. And when we live in constant communication with His Spirit, we can enjoy the peace and confidence that comes from knowing that we can stand in His presence in that day (Romans 5:1-2)… and fall on His boundless grace when we fall short (Hebrews 4:16).

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