When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. (10) For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, (11) or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. (12) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. (13) But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. (14) The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things (Deuteronomy 18:9-14 - NLT).
I have noticed over the last several years that Halloween has become an overtly celebrated holiday in America with houses being decorated with ghosts and goblins, witches and black cats, Jack-O-Lanterns on the steps, along with lots and lots of blow-up items for the yard and lights in the front yard.
To top it all off, families dress up their kids in their favorite costumes and trick or treat at all the places where candy can be retrieved as a “treat.” Schools favor the holiday, and offices and businesses frequently allow the costumes to be worn too.
I have some questions. Should I as a believer dress up my house and yard in Halloween decor just like my neighbors? Is it appropriate for my kids to dress up for Halloween?
I as a child did what every other child in the 1960’s did at Halloween. I dressed up like a devil or a skeleton or a ghost or whatever and did the normal trick or treat thing. We were good Baptists, and didn’t think a thing about it. Our Baptist church celebrated Halloween with all kinds of spooky rooms decorated to scare the daylights out of the kids. After all, it was all fun and play! Really, it was nothing serious, right?
After I was genuinely saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, I look back with great surprise on what I did as a child, and at what my church and other Christians in my circle allowed on Halloween.
Susan and I raised our children to honor God, and to dislike all things demonic and satanic. We did not celebrate Halloween. Today, these things are freely celebrated among Christians.
Here are a few things to think about today as our culture celebrates Halloween. What would it look like if you flew a Nazi Swastika on your property during World War ll? People would think you were nuts, and you would be. What if you flew an ISIS flag on your porch? Hopefully you are smarter than that!
What signals are we sending to our kids when we allow them to dress up like the enemy of our souls one day out of the year? And what does it say to our enemy satan and the hordes of demons that do his bidding when we dress up our yards and homes with replicas of the dead, of witches and demons and ghosts and all things spooky. We can’t see them, but they must be quite entertained at our lack of seriousness about the spiritual battles we face! And you better know that feel the permission to visit these homes and families and kids that innocuously celebrate Halloween.
For the origins of halloween historically through the centuries and its celebration here in America, check out this hyperlink from the University of Albany:
All things satanic are forbidden to be practiced by the people of God in the Old Testament. I have traveled a good bit in Africa and India, lands where superstitions and all sorts of demonic practices are woven into the fabric of their cultures. And I have seen how demonic power has wounded these beautiful people.
Americans are naive to the dangers of the demonic world. Demon influence and possession are real. I have cast these foul entities out of people. They are not nice. They want to steal from you. They want to kill you and destroy the peaceful life you have. I have nothing to do with them, and you would be wise to walk with Jesus and cleanse your home of any demonic symbols and rituals, and not just at Halloween, but all the time. And we should teach our children to steer clear of these things. And we should teach them to honor God, to love His Word, and to believe His promises, and to ACT like Jesus!
Here are scriptures from the Old and New Testaments where God encouraged His people to have nothing to do with any kinds of demonic activities. We would do well to listen and obey them today. King Saul in Israel sought counsel from a witch in Endor. It eventually cost him his life. Read with interest.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NLT)
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. (10) For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, (11) or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. (12) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. (13) But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. (14) The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
Leviticus 18:1-5 (NLT)
Then the Lord said to Moses, (2) “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. (3) So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. (4) You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. (5) If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, (21) envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 10:19-21 (NLT)
What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? (20) No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. (21) You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (11) Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (12) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
(13) Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. (14) Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. (15) For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (16) In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. (17) Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(18) Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Revelation 22:15 (NLT)
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
Leviticus 20:6-7 (NLT)
I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community. 7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
1 Samuel 28:5-22 (NLT)
When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. 6 He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. 7 Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.
“I have to talk to a man who has died,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”
9 “Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?”
10 But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”
11 Finally, the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”
“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”
13 “Don’t be afraid!” the king told her. “What do you see?”
“I see a god coming up out of the earth,” she said.
14 “What does he look like?” Saul asked.
“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him.
15 “Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.
“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”
16 But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done just as he said he would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. 19 What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”
20 Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
21 When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. 22 Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.”
2 Kings 21:6-7 (NLT)
Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger. 7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel.
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