Playing With Fire: The Charlie Challenge

Trending throughout social media recently is a phenomena that people are calling the Charlie Challenge or #CharlieCharlieChallenge. The lore behind the game is that it originated in Mexico and is used to summon a demonic spirit named “Charlie”. Similar to a Ouija board, players place 2 pencils on a piece of paper with the words “yes” and “no” on the top and bottom corners. One pencil is placed vertically and the other horizontal atop the vertical pencil.

Players ask “Charlie” if he wants to come out and play, the pencil is then said to move in a direction of either the “yes” or “no”. Though several news and online sources have researched and found zero historical value to this game’s origin, parents are likely to hear about this game from school-aged kids across America.

Here is where I find this game to be concerning.  We live in a world where human beings operate on a physical plane and forget about the spiritual side. The Bible tells us that we don’t just wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, spiritual forces and evil in high places [sic]. I don’t believe that someone who possesses the spirit of Christ is able to be possessed by another, the chances that young people with immature minds may consider this only a game. Demons and Angels operate in a realm where we cannot see. Occasionally we are privy to a glimpse of things on the other side, through dreams and visions that the Bible promises God’s children will have. Demons can be conjured through less specific means than a game of pencils or a Ouija board.

When we don’t guard our hearts and minds we are likely to allow influences of many types to include a supernatural force. Jesus spent a good amount of His ministry casting out demons of all types, possessing many types of people. Our children are in a place where they can be led away from the truth because of cultural and peer influences. As parents it’s our responsibility to know what our children are being taught and exposed to when they leave our homes for school and other activities.

Though generally innocent, the fire that kids are playing with – and intrigued by – can do some serious damage to the spiritual principals we are trying to teach them at home. Please take the time to talk to your kids about the dangers of meddling with spirits as the spiritual world is in deed a real and influential place.

Reference: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32887325