Trick or Treat?

It is Halloween again and one of those holidays for Christians with a stigma attached. I have received several emails as to my thought of Halloween and as to whether it is celebrated in our home. First because of personal decisions that my husband and I made long before we ever had children based on personal convictions from the study of scripture and the holiday itself, we do not celebrate Halloween. I will not go into our personal reasons but I will share some thoughts that can be used for not only the celebration of Halloween but other activities in our lives as well.

Scripture says that we are to "Be self-controlled and alert" and that our enemy "the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Because we know this, as Christians we must be careful as to what we become involved in pertaining to the secular world. We must be careful as to not go along with everything that the world participates in so that we are not opening up ourselves to the influence of Satan and his attacks against us. Halloween can promote the belief that Satan is not real and that he is just simply a superstition or it can be used to create a fear of him within people. Both of these things serve as an encouragement to him and his agenda that in turn serve his purpose of bringing glory to his kingdom. Halloween can persuade people to think lightly of him and to fear his power, both of which he would like the world to do in order to take the focus from Christ.

As Christians we are warned to take his threat seriously but at the same time, we are not to fear him "because the One (Christ) who is in you is greater than the one (Satan) who is in the world". (1 John 4:4) As this holiday approaches, we should only have to ask ourselves if what we are doing is bringing honor and glory to God and if it is reminding us of the victory that Christ has over the forces of evil. Together we as Christians should rejoice together that through the faith that we share, there is victory. Use this holiday as a time to be creative and to reach out to the lost, sharing Christ's victory over death and the forces of evil at work in this world and in that, you will bring glory to the One who deserves all the glory.