Christians sometimes go into a dither about Halloween. Some denominations see Halloween as a celebration of evil, a veritable devil’s day of satanic rituals and death worship. Other churches view it as a harmless fall festival of costumes and candy. So, what is a believer to do on October 31?
I heard about a church that insisted all their kids come to the “fall festival” dressed as their favorite Bible character, less they frighten one another by coming as a troll or Batman. I envisioned every boy dressed in near identical robes and beards. “Are you Moses?” asks a smiling youth worker. “No! I’m Habakkuk!” replies the frustrated adolescent.
As a kid l loved to watch horror movies. N
ot the blood and gore stuff that Hollywood makes today (Saw, The Hills Have Eyes, et al.) but the classic Universal films like Frankenstein. I still watch the original Frankenstein every time I can; I consider it and Bride of Frankenstein to be two of the greatest movies ever made. Those films still creep me out just a little, but they don’t make me believe in monsters. I do, however, believe in demons.
Fact: Jesus himself dealt with demonic forces. He confronted Lucifer directly when he was tempted in the wilderness; he cast a demon out of a young boy in Matthew 17; he confronted a posse of demons named Legion in Luke 8. Demons were active in Jesus’s day and they are still around, though we educated 21st Century Christians may not like to admit it. In 1 Timothy chapter one it states:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons…”
Yeah, I want to avoid all of that… demons, deceitful spirits and so forth. Give the devil a foothold and he’ll cripple you. Those who dabble in psychic readings and the like are inviting Satan into their mind. You do not want him in there.
It’s important to remember that folks who have genuinely accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior are safe from demonic possession.
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
Jesus is infinitely more powerful than Satan and I totally trust His protection, but in the same way I avoid people with the flu, I avoid interaction with satanic influences. I want far more Scripture in my head than horrific images. More Jesus, less evil.
I will likely continue to watch scary movies, hand out Halloween treats and carve jack-o-lanterns, but I’ll stay away from the hard stuff. Think of Halloween like wine; you can enjoy a little of it in moderation.