You know the drill. Every year in October the devil trots out, via mass marketing, his worst images of evil. Skulls, the Grim Reaper, murderous clowns, sinister witches, ghosts and ghouls of all sorts, bats, vampires, skeletons, coffins, haunted houses and miscellaneous demonic visages. They’re everywhere. In your doctor’s office. At work. On billboards. And I pray not in your front yard, though perhaps on your neighbor’s doorstep. Can all of this cause any real harm?
If you belong to Christ and have no unconfessed sin, you’re in no immediate danger. “It” (inside movie reference) isn’t going to pounce on you as you walk through Wal-Mart’s display of Halloween merchandise. But that’s missing the point. The danger isn’t being possessed by a demon attached to a witch’s cloak sold for trick-or-treating. The damage is done by the constant, cultural bombardment of satanic-themed images assaulting our surroundings. It’s an evil overload on the mind that does two things.
First, evil images engender a fear factor that pervades our culture. “God has not given us the spirit of fear,” 2 Timothy 1:7 says. Fear is the antithesis of faith. One or the other will fill our thoughts. Paul clearly says that “fear” is a “spirit,” an actual demonic force, not some ephemeral emotion instilled by a frightening impulse. From my experience as an exorcist, if a person has a demon of fear, that evil spirt will be a gateway for many other demons. Don’t put out the welcome mat for fear.
Second, evil images, may gradually erode your moral fabric. Philippians 4:8 tells us that our minds should dwell on things that are “true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.” That is not the motif of Halloween. To live and work in society, we may not be able to entirely avoid these ubiquitous images of evil, but we don’t have to take them into our homes. If you are a Christian and you’ve got displays of evil Halloween images in your possession, get rid of them. They emulate a message that is diametrically opposed to what you should profess. As a follower of Christ, you want to send positive communications of faith, hope, life, love, peace, and confidence in the Lord. Don’t dilute that witness by embracing evil images.
An encouraging word: REMEMBER GOD
To every young person reading this, mark the words of Eccl. 12:1 — Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.” When you have your whole life before you, make wise decisions early lest you live with regrets later. The most important decision is to honor God and follow the teachings of Christ. Better now than later after a squandered life has taken its toll and living has lost its pleasure.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online
