In the Light

Ephesians 5:8, 11-13 - For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 

I hadn't planned on going here with the scriptures above, but as I started writing my thoughts suddenly and unexpectedly changed. Hmmmm, how did that happen? 

With the change the Church today, accepting what once was considered wrong as right so as not to offend, we are slowly changing the truth of God's Word for the lies of the devil. Oh, here we go again, some might sigh. But it's true. The truth is this world is upside down and continues to get worse. I know my thinking is not considered popular. 

So, where did my thoughts end up? On Halloween. I don't celebrate Halloween. I've told people I don't. Ouch. But what's the problem? It's fun partying and seeing all the creativity of the costumes. Even so, Halloween is filled with darkness and although it is not mentioned by name in the Bible, we are told not to have fellowship with darkness. 

So what's wrong with Halloween? Isn't it a benign celebration? Kids (and adults) dressing up in costumes and begging for candy? What's wrong with that? Although for many it is done in fun, there still is an element of darkness, the focus (in the spiritual realm) being on witchcraft and demons. Oh, but not all children dress up as goblins or witches or demons, nor do they conjure up evil. The atmosphere still exists. The Bible tells us to avoid anything that has to do with darkness....because there is no truth in darkness. Satan can use a fun party to accomplish his goal.

God warned us in the Old Testament of these things: Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD. Why tempt God? Why allow the devil a foothold. I'm convinced there's a reason why the word devil is spelled d-evil. A Hebrew definition of the name Satan is telling: one lying in wait. He is out there waiting for that foothold, a chance for the door to open so he draw one more person closer to his side.

Halloween, or All Hallow's Eve, was a celebration of a mythical time when the dead would arise from their graves, a time when the good and evil spiritual realms were broken. See, mythical... But not really. 

Oh, stop! It's no big deal. If it's not, then why the harsh words in the Bible? The devil is a liar. Remember that. He's going to put thoughts into minds that it's not a big deal, through fun and frivolity. He sugar-coats wickedness. We should not assume that Halloween is harmless. It's only opening that door to the evil part of the spiritual realm that is quite often overlooked because we can't see it.

There you have it...that spiritual realm, both good and evil, which we do not see but exists nonetheless. We have no idea what goes on other than we are told that it does exist... There is a constant battle even today between the two for the lives of all people. Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Oh, there was a time when I dabbled in the occult. I didn't think there was anything wrong with reading my horoscope each day...in fact, I used to read it at the end of the day to see if anything it said actually happened! I attended psychic fairs, had my palm read, my numbers read, my mind read, my aura read, meditated. When I felt I needed some sort of spiritual healing I bought crystals, attended a Reiki session, even attended some sort of yoga-type class to become "centered." I was always a bit skeptical but continued to search (for something spiritual) and perhaps that was why I perceived it as not working. So, was that skepticism part of God's protection? Was that His way of reaching in and touching my heart and spirit, knowing He had a plan for my life? All I know is that some time later I received Christ. This has always been a wonder to me.

Not everyone would agree with my thinking. But this is where I stand. I know there are still a lot of truths I need to know and even some evils I'm not aware of yet and I'm confident that God's Spirit will reveal them as I need to know. I just know today I do not want to acknowledge evil. I'm believing God's word as the truth. 

1John 1:6-7 - If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.