Renouncing tech piracy and blessing for it!

[Serendipity..]

Many years ago I used to help myself to the vast pool of pirated (stolen) reverse engineered software, music and movies on the net that is used against the creators wishes which is copyright infringement to possess it.

I was just talking to my daughter about this and it occurred to me today looking back how my life while doing it was a moral and financial struggle and how much it has changed since then.

One day I decided to renounce it all never to do it again for God in obedience as I felt this was what I was called to do. At this time I was in a situation of struggling to make ends meet so there was a temptation to remain the same and justify doing it with my lack of income but I chose not to out of the guilt I began to feel.

The weird thing is from that decision forward there has been nothing but blessings for our family in terms of employment and being looked after and we have been given enough resources financially to buy anything we need like I was pirating before and purchase honestly even in these hard times.

I am not sure why but is it coincidence that in the hardest economic times I can remember we are doing well and I wonder if there is a some connection to it.

Has anyone else had experience like this?

I put this here as I am suspicious there is a connection and if there is to hopefully encourage anyone else into Gods blessing who might be struggling in that area.

 

[PsychoSarah]

This is actually a logic fallacy humans are prone to; your luck happens to catch your attention when it coincides with something religiously significant, but you don't notice the many times you were lucky during less religiously favorable moments nor do you notice the many times in which you made religious breakthroughs and you still had misfortune.

 

[Mystman]

I am not sure why but is it coincidence..

Yes.

Some exceedingly moral people have terrible luck, lose their jobs, live in poverty, have their kids die, etc.

Some exceedingly scummy people have all the luck in the world, and are rich, happy, and healthy until they die peacefully in their sleep at 95.

And besides, if God bestowed blessings based on how good you are, I doubt that He would use software piracy (of all things..) as the determining factor.

 

[Nithavela]

Now for the ultimate test, Serendipity: Did you get a Winrar license?

 

[Serendipity..]

Now for the ultimate test, Serendipity: Did you get a Winrar license?

Last time I can remember that winrar program I needed it for torrents to unzip the downloaded files on my old PC I used to have. Luckily macs don't really need proprietary software much so it takes that issue away a lot.


I think nowdays the mac just opens stuff. It's been a long time since I thought about shareware, especially when open source equivalents exist for things too.

I think you have a valid point though about buying it if you use it.

 

[Serendipity..]

Yes.

Some exceedingly moral people have terrible luck, lose their jobs, live in poverty, have their kids die, etc.

Some exceedingly scummy people have all the luck in the world, and are rich, happy, and healthy until they die peacefully in their sleep at 95.

And besides, if God bestowed blessings based on how good you are, I doubt that He would use software piracy (of all things..) as the determining factor.

Maybe it's giving up that which divides you from God and is a big idol in your life as it was in mine. I kept on inventing justifications why the big businesses deserved to subsidise my entertainment needs for free. The corruption of that had a follow on effect to other areas and really made it difficult for prayer. I eventually realised stealing off the richest man or the poorest one is still theft and grace is not licence for continually sinning with no attempt of repentance.

 

[Gadarene]

Now for the ultimate test, Serendipity: Did you get a Winrar license?

a winrar is you

 

[Serendipity..]

This is actually a logic fallacy humans are prone to; your luck happens to catch your attention when it coincides with something religiously significant, but you don't notice the many times you were lucky during less religiously favorable moments nor do you notice the many times in which you made religious breakthroughs and you still had misfortune.

10 years of doing it my way with my rules listening to my friends doing the same and living the life of hypocrisy saying I was a Christian but living another way as a person who regularly stole while encouraging others to steal. Life all changed when I gave that up.


Blessings come as inner happiness and peace as well. A financial blessing should not ever be the aim. Inner happiness wasn't random luck it was a result of action and what I perceived to be obedience I guess.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I personally don't believe in God...however, if the God (as described in the Bible) does exist, I doubt he cares much whether Kanye West makes $3 million instead of $4 million due to torrents.

 

[Serendipity..]

I personally don't believe in God...however, if the God (as described in the Bible) does exist, I doubt he cares much whether Kanye West makes $3 million instead of $4 million due to torrents.

what are you doing hanging around a Christian website if I can ask that in a polite way? I always wonder why people that that don't believe in God would find any attraction.

 

[Cearbhall]

I've found that there isn't really any need to download music and videos illegally anymore. I have YouTube on my phone, and most movies and TV shows can be streamed. I still don't pay for them.

 

[CounselorForChrist]

Well piracy is technically the act of stealing and selling that stolen thing and profiting from it. NOt sure why downloading a sound is called piracy, despite the fact its still theft.

With that said I was very much into downloading games and stuff when younger. It always ate at me but I made excuses as to why I did it. After finally giving in and destroying my downloaded stuff I felt relieved. Its like I was carrying the moon on my back and it had been lifted off. I to have had tons of blessings since then.

 

[Serendipity..]

Well piracy is technically the act of stealing and selling that stolen thing and profiting from it. NOt sure why downloading a sound is called piracy, despite the fact its still theft.

With that said I was very much into downloading games and stuff when younger. It always ate at me but I made excuses as to why I did it. After finally giving in and destroying my downloaded stuff I felt relieved. Its like I was carrying the moon on my back and it had been lifted off. I to have had tons of blessings since then.

it's weird the way it works but it does.