The Month Of Purposeful Fear

 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:4-5

 October is the month of fear. Hollywood cranks out the bloodiest, scariest, fearful movies. Many well meaning brothers and sisters in Christ see going to these movies as a Halloween ritual. Only the Holy Spirit can bring conviction to a person of evil. The whole thing with glorifying witches on broomsticks and ghosts is a bit much for me, and my birthday even falls on Halloween! I know Christians who decorate their homes in the traditional scary decor obviously not convicted of its' inherent evil. I have close friends who love going to slasher movies. Some parents dress their small children like the devil. My job is not to judge. My job is to love and pray and not act self righteous. I am not the Holy Spirit.

 Here are some things to think about though. Satan loves this day. Satan worshippers celebrate on Halloween. Sure it may be fun to go to a costume party but why not dress up in a fun way and not like a demonic creature. There is good and evil in this world and not much good happens on Halloween except maybe if you were born that day.Smile. Many churches use this as an opportunity to witness to the community with 'harvest parties' where good old fashioned fun is the order of the day. Aren't Christians supposed to be 'different' than the world? We don't have to act better than people who don't think all this celebration of evil is okay but simply pray that God touches their heart with the light of Jesus in this area. This factoid from the History Channel "Evolving from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, modern Halloween has become less about literal ghosts and ghouls and more about costumes and candy. The Celts used the day to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and also believed that this transition between the seasons was a bridge to the world of the dead.  Over the millennia the holiday transitioned from a somber pagan ritual to a day of merriment, costumes, parades and sweet treats for children and adults."

 Now you can probably see how this holiday got to be where it is. It is how we as believers choose to observe it that matters.

 PRAYERS: Lord help me not be condemning of my friends and family who maybe celebrate Halloween in a big way. Instead perhaps change their hearts and let them see it maybe isn't all that cool to put gross movie content into their heads. Keep all of us safe and alert during this time of year. Let our light shine for you during a dark holiday. In Jesus' name. Amen.