The 99

This weekend I went to this thing call the 99; each day an average of 99 young people die from preventable cases, these causes are the focus of this event, alcohol and texting related car crashes, drugs, gang violence and suicide, the 99 is a walkthrough theater spotlighting these deaths, as you walk from room to room you become witness to these deaths and the reality of the choices these young people make everyday. The devil is your guide as he collects the souls of these lost children on this typical night in America. As you near the end of this journey you get a glimpse of hell and the prison these lost ones can no longer escape from, but this is not the end of your trip you also get a promise of hope and become witness to the truth that lies in Jesus and the sacrifice He made so that He could bring those who believe home with Him.

As I took this walk Friday night I could feel the heaviness in the air, the hardest part about the experience was not fear, or condemnation over choices I’ve made in my life, it was sadly the reality that we witnessed, it was the sorrow found in the truth that for 99 people that night these events were not merely a theater but were true and final choices for their lives. The room that stuck with me the most was a video on a screen; the suicide note of a beautiful young girl, the lie she believed that this world would be better off if she were not in it. The reality of her choice made me want to cry. Her room looked like one of any average teenager, she looked like a normal girl, she was a normal girl, a normal girl who believed a lie, a lie that so many normal girls and boys around the world believe each and every day. The truth is the devil lies, he tells us we are worthless, he tells us we need to be at that party, he tells us to get in that car, he lies and lies and lies all he has the power to do is lie. His voice, his lies have become a part of society and if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t fill our minds with a different voice, one of truth and hope, with the word of God then the lies obtain more power than they have the right to; the lies obtain the power to steal lives. This is what the 99 is about, this is what I witnessed, the lies the devil tells us and the reality of what can happen when we believe him. My prayer tonight is that God’s truth overshadows the lies of the devil.