Goodbye Halloween!

     I'm sure that many people won't like what I post on here, and will disagree with me, but I feel like I should re-post this article with Halloween quickly approaching. I ask that you take some of these questions into consideration. I realize each family is different no matter what they read, and I realize that, but this is a great read nevertheless... 

The more I learned, the more I became convinced that this “holiday” (a word that means “holy day,” by the way) was not honoring to God in any way. I began to see that my refusal to give up Halloween was evidence of a divided heart — but Jesus wants my whole heart.

Ever since deciding to “just say no” to Halloween, I can honestly tell you that the blessings and joy of obedience are far greater than any fun I ever had “celebrating.”

And since many people, even Christians, think my decision is odd or even legalistic, I finally decided to put together a list of the top ten reasons I kissed Halloween goodbye.

1. Halloween glorifies evil, not God.

It’s no secret that Halloween is all about witches and ghosts and fear and death. Haunted houses, Hollywood movies, even neighborhood patios are graced with blood and dead bodies and axe murderers … giant replicas of poisonous spider and cobwebs … scary organ music, skeletons, and gravestones. Can anyone deny that this holiday glorifies Satan and every evil thing?

“Oh, but our family only dresses in good costumes,” we are quick to point out, as if somehow sugarcoating the evil with smiling pumpkins and sparkly Disney princess costumes somehow changes the meaning of the celebration.

I too continued to dress up for several years, but no matter what creative spin I put on it, eventually I could no longer justify that anything I was doing in respect to this holiday was honoring to God. Sure, my costumes were cute. Sometimes they were even sophisticated, clever, funny, or smart. But none of those things changed the fact that the holiday itself glorified evil, and I could no longer lend my talents and attention to remain part of it.

Most of us know that Halloween is one of the highest, most holy days for witches and Satanists. Even though we ourselves may not be involved in the practice of witchcraft, we give credence to the holiday by celebrating it. If we abhor evil, should we not also abhor any day designated to celebrate it? The Bible says to avoid even the appearance of evil.

“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” —1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that the Halloween is all about fear. Scary costumes, haunted houses, and horror movies are designed for no other purpose than to frighten us. Seeking out opportunities to be scared is, on this day at least, the highest form of entertainment. If we do not have a spirit of fear, should we even acknowledge a day whose purpose is to invoke a spirit of fear in us?

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7

2. If the seed is bad, the fruit will be bad.

Halloween has never been a Christian holiday. The foundations of Halloween are occultic, and the symbols and traditions we continue today all have roots in pagan practices. God tells His people over and over again to avoid all pagan rituals and traditions...

3. Don’t dine with demons.

Samhain was the one day of the year when the dead were allowed to come back into the world and commune with the living. People traditionally set a spot for the dead at their table, inviting them in. Since there was also the possibility that evil spirits would come looking for them, people took to “guising” themselves for protection. In other words, it’s okay to dine with demons — as long as you wear a costume to protect yourself.

“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” —1 Corinthians 10:21...

10. Come out from them and be separate.

Perhaps the reason I finally let go of Halloween was precisely because I didn’t want to.

If that sounds like a contradiction, let me explain. You see, the very fact that I kept coming up with reasons and excuses so I could continue celebrating eventually led me to question my motives. Why was I hanging on so tightly? Was it possible that my celebration of Halloween had become an idol to me? Certainly it appeared so, because still I embraced the traditions of men even when I knew God’s heart on the matter.

“Therefore come out from them and be separate from them, says the Lord.” —2 Corinthians 6:17

God wants His people to be holy, which means to be set apart. If everyone else is doing something, and I’m doing it too, that is a good time to examine myself to see if I’m really in the faith. If people don’t look at me and think I am peculiar (1 Peter 2:9) — if I fit right in with our culture and no one can tell I am any different — then I am probably doing something wrong.

The Bible doesn’t say that we should have less up do with darkness than other people do; it says have nothing to do with evil. By even acknowledging and associating with the holiday, I was giving credence to it in my life and opening myself to deception.

It is my prayer that everyone who follows Christ will be open to prayerfully seeking God’s wisdom about the traditions of man.

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” —Ephesians 5:6-10

Here are additional Bible verses you can review as you prayerfully seek God’s wisdom regarding whether your family should continue to celebrate Halloween:

http://www.openbible.info/topics/celebrating_halloween...
Read more on this article, here:
10 Reasons I kissed Halloween Goodbye

http://www.girldefined.com/should-we-celebrate-evil-sexualized-holiday-year

Seasons Change

     You know, it's funny; I look back at where I was last year, and so much has changed since then. I look at my life here in Ohio, and stare in awe at the wonders God's done in my life. 

     It was a year ago, when Josh wrote a guest post on my blog, found here: http://daughterofdestiny-generation78.blogspot.com/2014/10/guest-post-surrendering.html

     Many of you may not know, but I help take care of an elderly lady just down the street from me. I take care of her, right now for one day a week, from 7:30AM-5:30PM. Mary White (Mrs. White) tells me so many stories of her and her husband. She's 92, and has 5 generations of children/grand children/great grandchildren/etc...! When I look at Mrs. White, it's very clear that she's a Christian. For her, being a child herself was just yesterday. She has so many wonderful stories, and many stories when she had to lean on the Lord for complete and full guidance. Seasons change, and she got older. She fell and broke her hip in June, and ever since then, it's kind of been down hill with constant pain, and medications. But through it all, she still finds words to praise God... and to pray. Praying is never her last resort. We pray before each meal together. When she's worried, she'll offer a prayer up to God.
      Seasons change, and one day Mrs. White will no longer be on this earth, but with God. I can't help but wonder, what kind of a person I'll be when I get old. Will my husband and I have many children, and grandchildren? Will we be healthy? Will we read the Bible and pray all the time? I pray that we will! It seemed like it wasn't that long ago that I had my "sweet 16" birthday. I didn't want to get married anytime soon. In some aspects, I wanted to stay a child my whole life. However, God has other plans. God changes heart, and with time, God changed my heart. I longed to have a husband and children. I had the image that we'd have many children and sit down in the living room with our Bible's in hand, doing devotions, together, as a family.
     Now look at me?! I'm married! I got married at 22, and I pray to God that He'll bless our home with many children in the years to come.
     So, seasons change, and so do we. I need to remember to praise God in each season of life... even in the not-so-great-times. I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, 11, 14 "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him."

Reflecting on Media

     This week, I've had the chance to reflect about how much time I spend on the computer/social media sites etc... My husbands computer decided to quit on us on Saturday, and will be in the shop until the end of this week. My laptop stopped working when we got married, and hasn't worked since. Today, I have my smartphone, but my sister-in-law needed my phone charger for the day... which happens to be the only one I have at home. ;) It gave me a chance to reflect on how much I not only use the computer/phone, but rely on it to do so many things. The computer/internet can be used for so much good, but it can also be used for evil.
     I use the computer usually for catching up with friends via email/Facebook, researching things, reading articles, writing on my blog, chatting with my husband throughout the day, and various other things. It's a day and age when we use the internet a lot. Don't get me wrong, having the internet is awesome! I can keep in contact with my family and friends in Colorado, while I'm here in Ohio! There's Face-time to see my families facial expressions to things, Facebook that I can load pictures on and tell stories of my life and what I'm learning, Blogger, so that people can know what I'm learning both spiritually and physically, and so many articles that you can read with just the click of a button! You can order things online, and have them shipped to you, you can watch documentaries, and you can store your pictures and video's on the computer. It's amazing how far we've come in the last couple of decades!
     I'm reminded of the Bible verse in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." ... if we spend so much time on the computer, how can we enjoy Christ in the little things, like the birds, butterflies, flowers, trees, and blue skies? Are you spending so much time on the computer/internet, that we don't study the word of God, or pray?
     I tend to get into this cycle, where I reflect on things I should change, I change for a little while, and then a few weeks later, I'm back to my original self, doing the exact same thing that I promised myself I wouldn't do. Any way, just a  little something I've been thinking about this week. :) I hope that I might encourage you to think about these things. 

• How often are you on the computer daily?... whether that's for research or not. 
• When you get home, or when you're on break, what's the first thing you do?
• Should you consider taking a Computer Break?

     Having a computer/laptop around the house, has been wonderful, and it's helped me to keep in contact with many friends/family who I otherwise wouldn't know about. It's helped me to write down things, and look up recipes, articles, and so many things that I wouldn't otherwise do, if I didn't have a computer. I pray that God will help me to remember to not rely on the computer for my happiness, but ultimately, in Jesus Christ my Savior. May you all be blessed this week!