This is a summary of a part of chapter six of Dr. Kevin McGary’s book, Freed to Be Servant and Slave (available on Amazon).

Caught in the Current of Cultural Deception

Many people today unknowingly live under the sway of systems designed to enslave their minds, emotions, and spirits. Like characters trapped in a digital illusion, society’s masses have grown increasingly desensitized to truth, numbed by constant entertainment, miseducation, and narratives that deny God. Just as in the movie The Matrix, where people live unaware of their bondage, modern culture fosters a false sense of autonomy while reinforcing spiritual captivity. This cultural matrix is a spiritual deception, crafted to keep people blinded, busy, and bound to a system that substitutes the lordship of Christ with the tyranny of sin, secularism, and self-worship. Recognizing this reality is the first step toward breaking free.

The Matrix Unveiled: A Spiritual System Masquerading as Freedom

The “Matrix” in this context is not simply a cinematic construct; it is a metaphor for a vast, deceptive web of ideas, ideologies, and institutions that perpetuate spiritual blindness. This includes media, education, politics, and even aspects of religion that have been infiltrated by relativism and postmodernism. The matrix promises freedom and progress, but delivers moral confusion, identity crises, and disconnection from divine purpose. It conditions people to accept lies as truth, redefining morality, blurring gender, deconstructing family, and ultimately removing God from the center of human life. It encourages individuals to define their truth, making personal feelings the ultimate authority while rejecting God’s eternal standards. Those who resist are mocked, marginalized, or labeled as outdated and oppressive.

How We Got Here: Sin, Systems, and Spiritual Warfare

The Bible teaches that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Satan, the father of lies, works through worldly systems to blind minds to the gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Over time, sinful humanity has built systems that reflect rebellion against God—systems that reward selfish ambition, normalize perversion, and commodify human life. The educational system often replaces objective truth with humanism; entertainment glorifies violence and sensuality; and politics increasingly legislates immorality while suppressing righteousness. These systems operate with a spiritual agenda: to keep people away from the truth of Christ and to deceive even believers into complacency. The matrix is not just cultural—it is demonic, reinforced through compromise, ignorance, and fear.

The Great Awakening: Christ as the Only Escape

Just as Neo in The Matrix had to be awakened to the real world, so too must individuals be spiritually awakened through a relationship with Jesus Christ. John 8:32 declares, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Christ offers not only forgiveness of sin, but also deliverance from the lies that keep people enslaved. His Lordship is not tyrannical, but liberating. Under Christ, truth becomes absolute, purpose becomes clear, and identity is rooted in God, not in shifting cultural trends. Repentance and surrender to Christ is the red pill that awakens the soul and severs its dependence on the systems of deception. The transformation is not just spiritual but mental, emotional, and relational. In Christ, believers gain eyes to see beyond the veil of illusion and courage to live in a countercultural way.

What It Means to Submit to the Lordship of Christ

To escape the matrix is to submit to the Lordship of Christ in every area of life. This means letting the Word of God be the lens through which we interpret reality, rather than mainstream media, academia, or popular opinion. It means yielding our ambitions, desires, and relationships to God’s will and living under His authority—not just in word, but in practice. Christ must be more than Savior—He must be King. His reign over our hearts means we do not bow to the idols of our age: comfort, success, sex, fame, or politics. Instead, we live as citizens of heaven, resisting cultural indoctrination and standing firm on eternal truth. We renew our minds daily with Scripture, submit to God’s order in our homes and churches, and carry the light of truth into every dark place.

Living Free: Walking in Victory Amidst the Culture

Escaping the matrix is not a one-time event but a daily journey of sanctification. While we live in the world, we are no longer of it (John 17:16). Through the Holy Spirit, we walk in discernment, empowered to reject lies and live out the truth boldly. We become salt and light, countering the decay and darkness around us with the wisdom, love, and authority of Christ. Our lives become testimonies—living proof that the system can be resisted, and that true freedom is only found in Christ. We engage culture not with fear, but with faith; not with compromise, but with conviction. We build families, businesses, churches, and communities that reflect the kingdom of God, not the deception of Babylon. Victory means refusing to be conformed to the pattern of this world and instead being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Real World Through Christ

The call to escape the matrix is a call to awaken to truth, embrace Christ’s Lordship, and live courageously in a fallen world. We are not victims of fate or culture—we are warriors of truth and carriers of divine light. The more we submit to Christ, the less power the matrix holds over us. Let us choose to unplug from deception, walk in truth, and help others find the path to freedom. In a time when lies are loud and truth is censored, it is the surrendered, Spirit-led believer who will shine brightest. The real world—the one God intended—is not found through the lenses of culture, but through the eyes of Christ. And in Him, we are not only awake—we are truly alive.