October is upon us once again. And though it arrives with its charms — pumpkins, laughter, cider, and more – beneath the surface, it beckons us toward shadows, inviting participation in rituals that most deem harmless. Yet, for the discerning, the invitation is one to decline.
Every October, the world sugarcoats death in glitter, costumes and candy, and calls it entertainment. It dresses decay in fun-sized candy wrappers and tells us it’s all harmless — just a fun tradition. But October, much like the people in costume, wears a mask. Beneath its laughter and lanterns, something sinister stirs — not pretend, not playful, but all too real.
It glorifies fear, celebrates darkness, and teaches even children to laugh at what once made men tremble. It embraces the demonic, dances hand in hand with Satan himself, and calls it “family-fun.” The world — the very family I come from — believes it to be innocent, even as it flirts with death and calls the devil a friend; as it teaches children that the devil is not necessarily something that needs to be stepped on and defeated, but instead can be something to be played with and enjoyed.
And for *my family*, its more than just one night. Halloween is a lifestyle, it’s their entire personalities, year-round.
Yet, for those who walk with Christ, the veil is lifted. What once felt like festivity now feels like warfare. The heart can no longer pretend not to see, and the soul can no longer enjoy what Lucifer loves.
Because light has no fellowship with darkness — and those who belong to Christ are called to come out from among them.
When the air turns crisp and cool, when pumpkins line porches and the laughter of neighbors drift through the night as they walk through neighborhoods to enjoy the decorated yards, it can feel so nostalgic, so warm & family-friendly — so “pumpkin-latte, warm plaid coats and sitting by the fire”.
But beneath the cozy glow, October dresses itself not only in colors of orange & black, but in the unholy images of witches & demons. It invites every age — from toddlers to grandparents — to join in its flirtation with the enemy.
And those of us who refuse to “join in the fun”, are labeled “party-poopers,” and “self-righteous”. We’re labeled “over-zealous killjoys who ‘take everything too seriously”, or even “horrible parents who are going to raise weird anti-social church kids”.
But the truth is far simpler: we just see it for what it is. We’ve been awakened from the illusion.
Beneath the cobwebs and costume masks, the world has been deceived into beginning its yearly celebration of the very darkness that Christ died to deliver us from. And we won’t allow our children to partake in the devils joy.
Anton LaVey, the founder of Satanism as a religion, very famously said, “I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.”
This statement underscores the gravity with which some view the celebration of Halloween, highlighting the spiritual implications of participating in such festivities.
The ancient Celts, in their festival of Samhain, offered sacrifices — sometimes animal, sometimes human — to appease the spirits that roamed during the “thin veil” between worlds. They believed these offerings would protect them from harm.
And then came the costumes. People dressed as the dead, as demons, as spirits, hoping to hide from the very darkness they feared. They didn’t trust God to shield them; they trusted their own cunning, their own disguise, their own powerless rituals.
This is where the danger becomes clear: we cannot protect ourselves from the spiritual realm without the power of Christ.
Dressing up as the dead or the demonic is not harmless fun — it’s an imitation of what God has called us to renounce. It’s stepping into shadows while claiming to seek light. It’s a lack of faith in the One who conquered darkness, the One whose blood and Spirit are our true protection.
Even if you do not participate in these rituals for that reason today, even if you believe in Christ and trust in His protection, you still cannot willingly embrace the darkness — enjoying the hell-fires, the demonic imagery, and the glorification of evil — while claiming Christ as your Lord and Savior. Light and darkness do not mingle.
The costumes, masks, and makeup aren’t just “fun” or “innocent”; they are a reflection of trust placed somewhere other than God.
True safety, true power over fear and death, comes only through Christ. To celebrate the dead, to glamorize the demonic, is to align — even unknowingly — with forces God has called us to resist.
Last year, Halloween and everything involved with it, weighed heavily upon my spirit.
This year, I stepped away from it.
No decorations. No chocolate shaped liked vampires. No parties. My mother unpacked her boxes of skeletons and horror-themed trinkets (the ones that arent displayed year-round, anyway); my sister asked me to help her decorate for her annual Halloween bash. In years past, I have joined them. I love creating “fun” themed-spaces and watching our entire family, even those that came in from out of town specifically for this party, laugh together, and join in the games & contests.
But this time, my soul whispered, “No more, Sunday.”
Because once you’ve seen the light of Christ, once He has truly come to live within you, the shadows lose their charm.
It isn’t that I stopped loving my family — it’s that I started loving my Savior more.
Scripture says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” ~Ephesians 5:11
And by stepping back and refusing to partake, I *am* exposing them.
My family questions, “Why? What’s the harm?”, and it gives me an opening to tell them all about how we are to battle *against* the darkness, not *celebrate* it. It gives me an opening to show them, not just tell them, that it is impossible to grow closer to God without laying something down.
The closer you draw to His heart, the less room there is for what doesn’t glorify Him. What you give up for Jesus is never a loss — it’s a trade of ashes for beauty, bondage for freedom, darkness for Light.
I found an old shirt the other day while cleaning out my room — a sexy zombie girl on it.
My mother rolled her eyes and all but scoffed when I said I wouldn’t, I *couldn’t*, wear it anymore and wanted to get rid of it.
“It’s just a green girl,” my mother said. But I knew better. It wasn’t just a shirt with a “green girl” on it; nor was it *just* a shirt with a rotting zombie wearing lingerie and eating brains; though, at the surface level, that is exactly what it was.
What it truly was, however, was so much deeper than that.
It was a reminder of the very darkness that Christ pulled me out of. Some things no longer belong in the wardrobe of someone that has become clothed in His righteousness.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” ~1 John 2:15
Of course, letting go isn’t always easy.
When my family gathers for their Halloween parties (because often there are two, one thrown by my mother & my aunt, the other thrown by my sister & her husband, one week apart), my cousin Jennifer will be there — I miss her laughter, her quick wit, her saracasm and her smiles.
I miss *her*, and these parties are, for the most part, the only time she comes to town (not to mention other family members that live hours away that we also only see at these parties; aunts, uncles, other cousins, even family friends).
There’s an ache in choosing holiness when it costs commraderie with family.
Yet even in that ache, I feel the quiet presence of Christ saying, “You’re not alone. You’re doing the right thing. I am worth this.”
When my mother scoffs at me, I know Christ smiles at me. When my flesh begins to feel I’ve let my sister down, my soul reminds me that Im actually doing her a favor by setting an example, giving her the strength to hopefully one day walk away from this heathenistic holiday as well.
The world calls October a celebration of fear while claiming that you remain safe (that is a lie – you cannot keep your soul safe while dancing with the devil).
It calls it a celebration of make-believe monsters and “playful” darkness.
But fear was never meant to be our entertainment, and the darkness was never meant to be fun.
In Scripture, fear bows only to God — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Every other kind is a counterfeit, a distortion of awe meant for Him alone.
So I’ll light a candle instead of a jack-o’-lantern. I’ll pray instead of pretending. I’ll choose what’s true and holy, instead of what’s false and demonic. I’ll choose light, Ill choose Christ. Because Heaven’s light cannot mingle with the world’s darkness, and I want my life to shine for the One who conquered the grave — not imitate it.Each step closer to Christ costs something, but what you gain far outweighs what you leave behind. The world offers fleeting pleasure; Jesus offers eternal peace. The world promises freedom while simultaneously binding; But Yeshua calls you to surrender, and in doing so, He sets you free.
This October, may our hearts and our homes be filled not with ghosts and ghouls, but with grace and gratitude.
May our hearts be holy ground. And may our lives be living proof that intimacy with Christ is worth everything we let go of.
“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord… and I will receive you.” ~ 2 Corinthians 6:17
And so, even through the pain of separating myself from my family, I will gladly do it. Grateful not only that it is pleasing to Christ , but grateful that I am able to sacrifice for Him, after all He has sacrificed for me…
SundayMorningCoffeeAndChrist 
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