Scary No More

Halloween is less than a week away. All around, there are witches and ghosts, vampires and monsters, demons and dead people. Evil, death, and darkness are glorified and celebrated. But, it's all "just fun" and nothing serious, right?

Sure, I used to celebrate Halloween when I was younger. I dressed up. The costumes I remember are a fairy princess, a gymnast, and a circus clown (not a scary clown). When I was in high school, I do remember one year that it wasn't quite that tame, and some friends and I decided - last minute - to go out as dead high school students. Really creative... In college, there were a couple years I dressed as a gypsy. As a kid, we used to decorate our house, play scary music, go trick-or-treating, attend the haunted house, etc. I didn't see any problem with Halloween. It was "just for fun."

As I've gotten older, had my own children, and gotten more serious about my relationship with Jesus, my views have changed. Why in the world would I want to glorify evil and darkness? Why would I want to purposely cause fear for myself, my children, or anyone else?

The Bible warns against witches, witchcraft, and magic many times. It warns against evil in general even more. In Galatians 5:20-21, witchcraft is included in a long list of acts of the sinful nature. After the list, Paul wrote, "I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says: Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. Even if you aren't actually practicing witchcraft, etc. yourself, the attention given to it makes it more acceptable. I don't want to be found detestable to the Lord. I don't want to miss out on the kingdom of God because I was "just having fun" playing around with evil. No thanks.

Cute costumes, visiting neighbors, getting candy - those things don't bother me. The problem is, it's hard to isolate those things from everything else Halloween. Even if you choose to think that you are celebrating Halloween in this "safer" way, what about every other child and adult out there? What about their costumes, decorations, pranks, etc.? You can't insulate your child and still participate.

It has become quite sickening the last few years. The decorations have gotten more disturbing. When yard displays now have lynchings, dismembered bodies, dead and bloody babies hanging from trees - it has gotten way out of hand. Why is this being considered acceptable and fun? Why is glamorizing murder, death, and evil okay?

This is not just a one-time-a-year thing, though. This is a year-round thing to consider. When a Christian is okay with praising God, being in the light, and living uprightly on Sunday, and then living in darkness with evil filling their minds, spilling out of their mouths, and teaching it to others at other times, I see a problem. I think as a society, we have allowed evil and violence to infiltrate so much in our lives (t.v. shows, movies, video games, books, news...) that we have blurred the lines of distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. This should not be, my friends.

Christians, we need to practice what is right. We practice to improve a certain skill, action, or habit. If you practice filling your mind with evil and celebrating it, that is not pleasing to the Lord - and the more you practice at it, the better (or worse, in this case) you'll be. Practice what you want to be true in your life.

Whatever you fill your minds and hearts with is what will come out of you. In Matthew 12:34, Jesus says, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Oh, be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little minds what you think. Be careful little mouths what you speak. Be careful little hands what you do. Be careful little feet where you go. Anything we put in our minds, words and stories we hear, has a habit of replaying itself over and over. Fill your hearts and minds with the word of God, so that your thoughts, words, and actions may be pleasant and life-giving.

Christians should be careful about what we are displaying to the world. We are supposed to be set apart. How will anyone see value in a life lived for Jesus if there is no difference between the way we live and the way non-Christians live? Churches, in my opinion, should not be creating haunted houses. Why is the spirit of fear being invited into churches when we are not supposed to have a spirit of fear? "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline," (2 Tim. 1:7). "But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine,'" (Isaiah 43:1). Over and over the Bible tells us "do not fear." Fall festivals can be just as bad, but I think they can be done in ways that are edifying for the participants and pleasing to the Lord. For example, the church we attend has a Fall Festival. There are activities and treats, games with candy prizes, and people wear costumes (generally okay, but some scary since the whole community is invited to this free event). The thing I truly love about our Fall Festival, however, is that every game is intentionally and carefully planned, and there is a Bible verse posted with every game. As my family participates, I make a point that we read each Bible verse out loud. It keeps our minds in the right place, allows other people around us to hear the verses, and calls their attention to the fact that the verses are posted all over.

Delight over evil no more. "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it," (Psalm 34:14). "Avoid every kind of evil," (1 Thess. 5:22). "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way," (Psalm 4:14-15). "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life," (Psalm 4:23). Work to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ," (2 Cor. 10:5).

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves'" (Luke 17:1-3). "'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible' - but not everything is constructive" (Romans 10:23).



"Create in [us] a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within [us]. Do not cast [us] from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from [us]. Restore to [us]  the joy of your salvation and grant [us] a willing spirit to sustain [us]" (Psalm 51:10-12).