Can We Talk About . . .. Halloween?

October is fast approaching.  The leaves will start changing colors and falling.  Nights will be brisk.  People will be dragging favorite sweaters and sweatshirts out of their closets.  Pumpkin flavored goodies are already everywhere.  I love October!  Don’t you?

When I was younger, and a whole lot dumber or misinformed, I also loved Halloween.  Stay with me because this is important.  Years ago I became convicted of celebrating it so Halloween changed to Harvest Celebration for me.  Witches and ghosts were replaced with scarecrows and plain pumpkins.

A couple of years ago, I saw an interview about Halloween from a former high ranking member in Satan’s army here on earth. Wow.  I was shocked. For some reason I hadn’t even thought about an organized army of earthly people working for Satan and his terrible cause. This person, John Ramirez, had served Satan for years, but now is saved and serves Jesus Christ. Isn’t that awesome?!

In his interview, John discussed how Satan workers were busiest on Halloween.  They looked for houses and churches, yes churches, with Jack-o-Lanterns as a welcome for them to enter. Yes, you read that correctly. As a “welcome, come on in” sign. Children dressed in costume were unprotected and easy prey.  The interview was positively frightening.  It has put Halloween and any Harvest Festival for October 31 into perspective for me. Just calling it by another name, but doing the same thing does not change something. It only alters its name.

“Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, said: ‘I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.’  We are quick on our feet to rush and honor the devil in so many ways. We see no harm in Halloween, because we think it is fun. We paint our faces, we wear our innocent costumes, we dress up our doorways—even churches dress up their entryways for Halloween with pumpkins. These actions are like giving the devil license, saying, “Here’s my church. You can have it.”  This is from John’s article “I’m Shocked Christians Celebrate Halloween.”

I see so many pictures on Facebook of children dressed like zombies, witches, devils, and other evil things. Houses are decorated to look haunted and creepy. Is that really what we want? Sure, Satan is cheering, but I want to protect the children. Maybe we need a new day for them to get candy with a theme that is not scary.

I hope this blog today gave you something to ponder.  It has been heavy on my heart to share this. I recognize this is a very controversial subject. Research it for yourself and do what is right for you and your family.  As I look back in that old rear view mirror of life, I have a clearer understanding of why ministers in my childhood neighborhood had all of their lights off on Oct. 31.  They were not being stingy after all, as we kids thought.  There was a reason no gourds, pumpkins, ghosts, or witches  decorated their porches and yards.

Obeying God is my number one priority.  It is often hard in a world that doesn’t always, or even seldom, does that.  That is why we Christians are called to be set apart from this old world.  Ahhhhhh, wisdom does come with age.  More importantly, it comes from God.

Whatever conclusion you reach, I hope you enjoy October and this last quarter of the year.  For this lady, it has gotten here quickly.  Tempus fugit.

Note:  John Ramirez is an internationally known evangelist, author and highly sought-out speaker who for more than 16 years has been teaching believers around the globe how to defeat the enemy. He has shared his powerful testimony—of being miraculously saved as a high-ranking satanic priest—on It’s Supernatural!, The 700 Club, TBN, Daystar and more.

John Ramirez, author of Armed and Dangerous: The Ultimate Battle Plan for Targeting and Defeating the Enemy, Chosen.