So many people get excited about October 31st. Both Christians and Non-Christians look forward to the Halloween holiday. God has put it on my heart to share with you how He’s convicted me about this celebration. Many people try to justify Halloween by saying “It’s just a fun day to dress up and eat lots of candy.” The problem is... that’s not at all what it is. This pagan holiday was also known as “The Festival of the Dead”. Halloween is derived from nothing but pure darkness. If you’ve never researched the holiday, I encourage you to! Read about how everything from dressing up, to trick-or-treating, to carving pumpkins all got started. This day is represented by things like witches, ghosts, spirits, etc. None of these things are of the Lord. No matter how people try to justify it, it is what it is. Why do Christians desire to be part of such an ungodly celebration? Witchcraft practitioners declare October 31st as the most conductive time to practice their arts. Witchcraft is an abomination to God. It really doesn’t take much to look around and see that everything Halloween is about is completely separated from God and what He’s all about. Halloween cannot be justified or redeemed. Satan loves this day and he loves to see Christians participate. Let’s not give that to him!
Here are a few origins of halloween customs:
Costumes: Celts wore masks when they left their homes after dark to avoid being recognized by ghosts who might mistake them for fellow spirits. “Guisers” dressed to impersonate the returning dead, singing and dancing to keep evil spirits away.
Trick-or-treating: Prior to the Protestant Reformation, women and girls went “souling”, visiting houses and begging for “soul cakes” (each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed). Seventeenth-century Irish peasants went door to door asking for donations for a feast to honor the Lord of the Dead.
Jack-o’-lanterns: In Britain, people hollowed out turnips and pumpkins and placed candles inside them to make food offerings to the dead. They were then posted outside homes to keep away evil spirits.
Black cats: (Black cats are a popular Halloween decoration.) Celts believed that bad spirits would take the form of cats and other animals on the night of Oct. 31st.
Halloween has absolutely NOTHING to do with Jesus Christ. And He wants nothing to do with it. Shouldn’t us, Christians, want NOTHING to do with it? When Christians go to Halloween parties, dress up, etc. and see it as something harmless, they are letting the enemy deceive them. This holiday cannot be made into something innocent. Those who say, “We just do this for fun...it’s not like we practice witchcraft or anything...” That which represents Satan cannot be handled “for fun”. The Bible instructs us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness. When that’s exactly what Halloween is, why would we want anything to do with it? God unmasks Halloween and sees it for exactly what it is, so we shouldn’t try to white-wash it and declare it something good. Although people celebrate the holiday as if it’s nothing but innocent fun... its traditions, customs, and practices are rooted in a far darker and far more demonic place than they realize.
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 says, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their 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.” If you research the origin of Halloween, you’ll see that all of these things are what make Halloween what it is.
Every year, I absolutely dread October 31st. I hate the feeling I have all day just knowing what the day is all about and all the evil that goes on during this day. I’m always ready for the day to end. But this year I want to use the day to pray, to be a witness, and to be a light during such a dark time. I truly believe this holiday is in no way honoring to God. Let’s turn our eyes away from what this world has to offer and fix our eyes on Jesus! Let’s not choose to participate in anything that’s not of Him! Anyway....that’s my heart about Halloween.
