“Mommy, I really want to have a Halloween party! Can we?” asks my preschool daughter, every few days. To which I respond, “Lily, Halloween isn’t a holiday from Jesus. While you can wear a fun costume, participate in your preschool parade, and trick-or-treat with your friends, that’s all we’re doing.” I realize that she really just wants a party to see all of her friends. She’s looking for a reason to celebrate, but Halloween isn’t the right one.
Ugh, these “in-the-world” issues are tough. I don’t want to be an extreme and rigid parent, but I don’t want to condone anti-biblical practice, either. As Christians, it’s a balancing act. We live in this commercialized world, so God understands our struggles, but we are not to be “of” it. He expects us to use discipline and discernment. And especially, to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We have to be very careful what we allow into our lives (especially our homes), because things carry energy—spirits can attach to them and affect our atmosphere. These spirits can be demonic. I know what you’re thinking, “How can silly Halloween decorations make an ounce of difference in our environment?” That’s what I used to think, too. Before the Lord showed me, through lots of life experience, just how easy it is to open the door to the kingdom of darkness. Most of us do it unknowingly and unintentionally, although there are some who go at it full-throttle.
I had a cute little kitten-witch perched on our hearth last fall. One day in prayer, the Lord gently reminded, “You’ve got a symbol over that doesn’t belong here.” I knew right away that He was referring to the witch doll. I only sat it there because the kitten was cute, my daughter loves cats, and it was October. But we are to adorn our homes with things that glorify Him, and anything that symbolizes witchcraft, no matter how seemingly innocent or silly on the surface, doesn’t belong. So, I said, “Sorry, Lord. My bad.” Then I discarded it and moved on.
As Christians, we’re called to guard our hearts and avert our eyes when tempted (tempted to do anything that goes against God’s will, not just typical vice-like activity). That includes worldly commercialism that may be unhealthy for us. So, when it comes to something like Halloween, I start by taking it to prayer. I asked the Lord if it’s okay for my daughter to participate in her preschool parade and candy-hunt with friends. He just reminded me to be vigilant and aware of the spiritual atmosphere–things will be heightened. Her costume is fun (not gory and scary), her preschool is Christian based and doesn’t go all out in decorating and talking about the real nature of Halloween, and she plans to trick-or-treat in a neighboring community with her friends from school (she’ll be lucky to salvage 10 pieces, because I’m one of those parents who watches their child’s sugar intake, lol).
Am I making the right decision by allowing her to participate at all? Lord only knows. I consulted Him, which is what is important, and I don’t feel uneasy about letting her wear the glittery costume and enjoy a couple hours of fun with friends. Next year, the Holy Spirit may tell me “nope” when I take it to prayer. And if He does, I’ll be prepared to honor Him.
The Holy Spirit’s leading will be different for every person. Someone who may be more susceptible to the influence of demonic energy may be put in too vulnerable of a position by doing something that may hardly affect another person (it really depends on our individual walks with Him, how grounded we are in Him, and our individual sensitivities).
Treat to takeaway: Always consult Him in prayer before doing something that could make you susceptible to spiritual attack. Be careful with Halloween. It’s not something that Christians should be going all-out for. If you’re turning your yard into a graveyard, watching horror movie marathons, and whipping up a cauldron of witches brew, you may be getting into hot water.
