Daily Devotional for Tuesday October 30, 2001

Halloween

(2 Timothy 1:7)

Tomorrow is the day much of the world celebrates Halloween. Rather than dealing with what Halloween is and isn't, let me simply say that too many believers take on the superstitions and mindset of this world. They become fearful of days like Halloween, possible "end-time" dates on the calendar, and of so many other world related events and customs. Today's scripture tells us that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power. You do not fully comprehend the power that a believer in Jesus Christ possesses. As a follower of Christ, you can tap into the never-ending power of God's Holy Spirit, which gives us the advantage over any superstition, calendar date, let alone anything this world can throw at us.

To me, Halloween is just another man-made holiday that the world celebrates. I totally am aware of the historical roots of this pagan holiday, what it represents, and why people celebrate it. What else do you expect? From a person that is lost and without Christ, why wouldn't something like a Halloween appeal to them? When you are lost, unsaved, without Christ in your life, you are always looking...searching for answers. You have no compass to guide you and the "feel good now" philosophy makes sense.

My challenge to you is to work hard every day living a life that the world can look at and see is different. Be bold in your proclamation of why you live the way you do. We can never stop these types of days because of the sin-filled, unsaved world we live in. It is a byproduct of unrepentant lives. Our goal as believers isn't to fear these types of days, but recognize the daily responsibility we have to be God's witnesses and a living testimony of His grace and goodness.

I realize many were looking for a scathing lambaste of Halloween and all the evil it represents and stands for. I realize others were looking for direction on how you should handle this with your children. I am sorry to disappoint you. The fact is, we can either accept the truth of God's Word, or live in fear. I understand Halloween is symbolic of the evil in the world, but the fact is, my Jesus overcame the things of this world when He rose from that grave on the third day. I am NOT going to let a day the world celebrates, that stands for evil in this world, get me down. It is simply a reminder to me of why I am here and what the job of all of God's children is...to shine His marvelous light in the darkness of this world. I can only encourage parents to take the time to explain to your children what Halloween is all about, what it represents, and why it is not something people of God should be involved in celebrating. I realize that for small children, the act of dressing up and getting candy is something to look forward to. You can still do that at home, and at many churches that offer alternative celebrations. It will be a good lesson to them that we are different. While we live in this world, we are not of this world. We are not to let the world dictate to us our actions, but we are to influence this world in how it acts.

I love you and care about you so much. I pray today that you will have a spirit of boldness, not of fear. Realize your responsibility as His child to live a life showing this world there is another option. Let those in your life understand that there are answers, real answers that make sense out of this life. I pray today that God will instill in you the realization that you truly are the light of this world and to let your light shine brightly.