Summer is coming to an end and the fall crisp morning breeze graced me with its presence this morning. I love the smells that fall can bring us. As the leaves begin to change colors and then tumble to the ground, they offer an aroma that can take me back to many beautiful memories of my childhood. Raking all the leaves into piles at the bottom of our big hill, so that we could race to the top and then run as fast as we could down to jump into the pile and scatter the leaves over the lawn, only to be raked again for another dive. Oh, how we all would laugh and spend hours doing this over and over. Do kids still rake up leaves and jump in them? I sure hope they do.
Thinking of fall reminds me that it is the start of the holiday season. How fun it was to be a child and the excitement and expectation I had for each holiday. Once Labor Day weekend was over, we soon began planning for all the fall and winter events that would take place. I remember my mom’s least favorite holiday was Halloween. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home but there was something in my mom that made her really dislike the holiday. She felt it was pure evil. She still allowed us to do the festivities, but she didn’t allow us to dress up in anything demonic. No goblins, ghosts or devils. Mom didn’t even decorate for fall. She didn’t like the colors. If my dad wanted to watch a scary movie, mom would go to her room and read a book. But she never really explained why it was so evil to her.
I grew up and had my children and honestly, I loved Halloween. Yes, I went to church and at the time didn’t really care about what others had to say about it. After all, I thought I knew who I was in Christ and how my family should be raised. Like mom, the kids were not allowed to dress in anything that represented evil, I barely decorated. Maybe a candle with bats on it and a dancing skeleton I had for my coffee shop and that was about it. I thought it was fun. I really believed in my heart that I could not think of any holiday where complete strangers would take their hard-earned money and buy candy to give to children they didn’t know. That was gracious. I loved the excitement. I never allowed myself to really understand the dangers associated with allowing the small things because after all I knew I loved Jesus, I was going to church, I was a witness and all those things I patted myself on the back for. Little did I realize it was the small foxes that spoil the vine. Song of Solomon 2:15
Oh, how I wish I had dug into prayer and study of the word to truly understand what it was warning us about. Scripture says there are things okay to do but don’t benefit us. 1 Cor 10:23
I am learning in life. The more I do that benefits me the better off I am. I don’t want to get into the education of what Halloween means. We all know it’s not a good meaning. But I do want to talk about caring for your spirit and the things of God. If we are partaking of both good and bad, we will never be strong enough to withstand the evil the enemy has planned for us. One thing will build, and another will tear down and weaken. We will never get ahead if we continue a path of both.
Right now, we think it is all fun and games, no harm just a little fun. After all Jesus knows we love Him. Does he really? I can tell you if my husband neglected to show me, he loved me and just lived his life any old way that he wanted without ever considering me or my feelings, but he told me he loved me and at least sat with me an hour a week I would not believe he loved me. Our relationship would not be strong. We don’t want to be a fuddy duddy and ruin the fun. We don’t want our children to be outcasts or made fun of. So, we sacrifice importance of a relationship with God to be fun. I get it I was there, and I failed miserably.
Every time I drive past these large skeletons and extravagant creatures’ people are putting in their yards, I can’t help but think of the scripture that says, “what fellowship does light have with darkness”.
Why do you want death, fear and evil represented in your yard? Are you Christ like or satan like? As I stated it never bothered me when I was younger. It should have and I felt the conviction, but I ignored it. These last few years as I have needed my heavenly father’s guidance, peace, directions, healing power, love and support I have learned that I would have been a lot further in my walk with him had I not wasted my energy on the many foolish things this world had to offer. Though they offered fun and yes good memories it all was all a trick of the enemy to take me from recognizing the power and authority I have and the truth of true freedom, deliverance, life and peace that can only be found in God, I have sat by and watched family holiday dinners dwindle to hardly anyone because of death, destruction and offense. I have watched families and lives be destroyed because they didn’t know how to operate in the gifts and promises of God’s word! These awful thigs are the very things the enemy leaves us with after we are captured in his fun. The aftereffect of God is still life!
I taught my kids by a bad example that the very things this world is celebrating far outweigh the importance of denying evil and receiving light. Now I am on my knees interceding for their very soul! We can’t have a mindset that we are okay because we get up every Sunday and put on our best outfit and go sit in a chair or pew for a couple of hours that we are okay. If we are not walking away changed and with a burden for a lost and dying soul and doing something about it, then nothing has been accomplished other than the lie that we are okay because we warmed a seat for two hours. The Bible says we are to be doers of the Word, to follow Christ’s example. Christ healed the sick! Are we healing the sick? Christ pointed us to the cross that led to our salvation if we receive it. Are we winning souls to the kingdom of God? No! Many of us are just living the traditions that have been passed down and nothing is changing.
We think we are good because we do good, but it is not enough my friend. We need to get to a point where no evil has place in our lives. What fellowship does light have with darkness? When your loved one is told they have 2 weeks to live you need to be able to have the power inside of you to speak life over them. To curse death! You are not going to have it playing these games. Choose you on this day whom you will serve. Who are you in fellowship with? Deny evil and the very appearance of it. Be a light in the darkness of this season, don’t join in with death, destructions, fear and evil things.
If given the opportunity again this year I will be putting up my puppet stage and spreading the good news to show children and families, you can have fun without the presence of evil! Gods light will dispel the darkness if we choose to shine it. You can still enjoy the holiday and seasons, just do it by sharing the love of God and not partaking of the demonic side.