Well, hello everyone and welcome back. This is our Daily Devotional for Friday, October 31st, 2025, and I am delighted to be with you, especially as we finished the Sermon on the Mount yesterday together, that's Matthew chapter 5 through 7, and normally we would continue on with Matthew chapter 8. Except for this is kind of a good stopping point for right now because I'm gonna tell you next week Next week is gonna be interesting and part of the week after that. I'm actually flying to Israel on Monday Tuesday I'll be there. So starting on Wednesday our daily devotionals are gonna be Well, I'll record it Tuesday there. I don't even know what the time difference is I should probably figure that kind of thing out done a lot of traveling. So I Sometimes I'm not good with loose ends, but we'll figure it out but Lord willing when I'm here with you Wednesday this coming Wednesday I'll be coming to you from Simon the Tanner's house You know where Peter had the rooftop vision all that kind of stuff the actual place or at least what they say is the actual place So I'm gonna be doing that next week. Please be in prayer for me. Our plane leaves on Monday I got to get to New Jersey on Sunday Obviously, there are a lot of travel concerns Okay I know it's dangerous. I know there's terrorist activity. I know that people get hurt a whole bunch. I know that really, really bad things have happened in New Jersey, but that's where the flight leaves from, and I can't help it. I got to go through there. And yeah, some things can happen in Israel, too. But nevertheless, y'all, please, all joking aside, please be in prayer for that trip. So the question is, what do we do today? I don't want to just roll with Matthew chapter 8. Today being October 31st, yeah, it's Halloween. What do we do with Halloween? What are your thoughts on Halloween? I know you can't respond to me on here, but nevertheless, you can always leave a comment and I do read those. But I thought it might be best given the actual day and given, excuse me, Given the sheer amount of times that I am asked that question, what do you think about Halloween, that kind of stuff, I thought it would be a good idea to simply go to God's Word and to look at what the Bible says about things like witchcraft, the things that Halloween tends to glorify. So that's what we're going to do, and it's going to be a sword drill. So be ready to flip around in your Bible quite a bit here as we look at this subject all together, what God's Word actually says about this kind of stuff, and then I'll make some conclusions. But let's go to the Lord in prayer first, and then we'll talk about Halloween. Father, please give us wisdom right now as we go to your Word. Help us to see what it says, to be convicted by what is contained therein, and really to have hearts that are intent on following you. Help us, Father, to, as your word says, to be ready for the reason that we have for our hope, but to do so with gentleness and with kindness. So please, like Christ, let us be full of grace and truth as we come into this time together and as we discuss this topic that, with some, eh, it's no big deal. With others, it's controversial. But Father, we wanna do what you want us to do. So please, guide us by your Holy Spirit, and we pray it all in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, y'all. So what does the Bible say about Halloween? Nothing And I'm just being blunt with you because realize Halloween as we know it there's all sorts of ideas about where this came from and and different things like trick-or-treating coming from a druid practice and yeah, there's this legend about jack-o'-lantern, you know the slick jack that have you ever heard that one before where the jack-o'-lantern came from and was that there was this Irishman, of course, Jack Slick, I think was his name. And anyway, Jack Slick ran into the devil. And what did he convince the devil to do? Like turn himself into a nail and then he put him in his pocket beside a silver cross and the devil couldn't get out. And then finally let the devil out if the devil promised not to take his soul to hell. which the devil doesn't do that anyway. If you were here with us Wednesday night, you would know that because devil's not in charge of hell. God is in charge of hell. And then he ran into the devil again and the devil was there to torment him. And he convinced the devil to climb up this apple tree. Well, when the devil was up in the apple tree, he carved crosses into it. So the devil was stuck in the apple tree and he made the devil promise. He'd get the devil out, but he made the devil promise to leave him alone, never bother him again, and so he did. Well, Jack died, and of course, because of his wickedness, because of his shrewdness, he wasn't permitted into heaven, as if that's what gets you into heaven and doesn't. But nevertheless, this is Irish lore. And so God wouldn't let him into heaven. Well, Satan had promised not to take him to hell because we know Satan's good at keeping his promises anyway. So Jack was cursed to have a non bodily form that would roam the earth forever and ever. And before he was dismissed as a spirit back to earth, Satan gave him a hot coal. to be a lantern for himself and even though he didn't have a body, he ended up finding a pumpkin and he hollowed it out and he carved a face and he put that coal in the pumpkin and it served as his lantern, the jack-o'-lantern, right? Now obviously that's fanciful, it's all made up, but it does illustrate a point. While the Bible doesn't say anything specifically about Halloween itself as a holiday, the Bible has quite a bit to say about acts of darkness. The Bible has quite a bit of things to say about wizardry and witchcraft and those sorts of things. And we find it all over the place. I'm gonna start with you in Deuteronomy chapter 18. So you can go ahead and turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18 with me. And I'm gonna start reading in verse 10, just a couple of verses here. Remember what Deuteronomy is. It's kind of a restating of the law. Moses, God is breathing out his word, speaking his word through Moses. Moses is the prophet. Moses knows he hadn't gone into the promised land. So keep that in your mind whenever you hear anything from Deuteronomy. Moses knows that he's not going in, and so what he's doing is he's giving a lot of instruction to God's people on how they should go forward, on what they should do, the law is restated, all sorts of things. So really, really important stuff here. It's in Deuteronomy chapter 18, beginning in verse 10, that it says, there shall not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire. Now, time out. What's this talking about? Well, this was talking about worshiping the Baals, worshiping Molech. It's talking about child sacrifice. These were gods of fertility out of Canaan. Moses knew that they were crossing the Jordan to go into the promised land, that it was full of the Canaanites, these detestable, wicked people. And so right here in Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 10, he said, hey, nobody, nobody, let there not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire. That means sacrifice, right? or anyone that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. A necromancer is someone that seeks to communicate with the dead. So what should you do with psychics? Well, there you go. But nevertheless, verse 12, for all that do these things, are an abomination unto the Lord. And because of these abominations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you." Now y'all, that's a big comprehensive list that involves pretty much everything that you could think of that is a use of witchcraft. I'm using that term witchcraft as a broad, overarching terminology, right, to describe what it is that God is saying here, that he finds an abomination. It's everything from somebody who is a psychic, right? Who's trying to communicate with the dead. Remember fast forward from here when Saul tries to get access to Samuel and he goes to the witch at Endor, right? So witchcraft, necromancy, divination, potions, magic. He uses this term, or someone that observes time. Now this is a tricky thing because I've had this conversation with some people before where they've talked about things like, for instance, is it sinful to use the farmer's almanac? And some of these almanacs are based on the stars and that kind of stuff. Y'all, if your conscience tells you you shouldn't be doing that, don't do it. But at the same time, if you're If it's not, there's a little bit of a difference between using the times, using the stars as a source of wizardry, than there is saying, oh, I never can plant. I don't know what it is in Virginia. I know that back home, you didn't plan anything until Good Friday, right? And it was kind of a superstition thing. And y'all have heard of superstitions. There's so many of them that are out there. But clearly, anything that falls under that heading of witchcraft is seen as an abomination to the Lord. And it's not only that, we get some really practical examples of that. We know, for instance, that divination was outlawed, and yet Saul, right before his death, goes to the witch at Endor to try to bring back Samuel. And somehow, some way, she does. And we don't know how, but she does. It's a real thing. Which, by the way, this is as good a time as any to say this. There are those that hear this and are like, oh, none of that's real. It's all just fake. Why would God call something an abomination that's fake? The idea of people communicating with the dead. Oh, you can't do that. Everybody knows that's just a parlor trick and that's just this, it's just that. Y'all, indeed, there is much magic that is just illusion, right? And it's a show, but the idea of real magic, really seeking to communicate with the dead, God doesn't call fake things an abomination to him. He doesn't call them detestable. And you find examples of people doing these things, like Saul going to the witch at Endor. Another place, 2 Chronicles chapter 33. It's dealing with Manasseh. Manasseh, remember Chronicles goes through the different kings of Judah. Manasseh was the king of Judah, but he was wicked. How do we know that? Well, 2 Chronicles chapter 33, verse 6. It talks about, this is God speaking of Manasseh, right? King of Judah. It says, and he caused his children, talking about Manasseh, what he did. He caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. And he also observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards. He wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah to provoke him to anger." It's fascinating. Moses gives them this in Deuteronomy before they ever cross the Jordan to go into the Promised Land, and he gives this whole long list. Fast forward to Manasseh, king of Judah, and what's he doing? Well, if you lay 2 Chronicles 33 over the top of Deuteronomy chapter 18, you could almost say, okay, check, check, divination, wizards, familiar spirits, times, certainly making his children pass through the flames, child sacrifice. Not only, now in Deuteronomy we hear that these things are detestable to God, But here in 2 Chronicles chapter 33, we see with Manasseh that all of these things that he did is they serve to provoke the Lord to anger. In other words, he drew judgment upon himself. And by the way, it's fascinating, in the next verse, verse seven, it says, and he set a carved image, the idol which he had made in the house of God. And this gives you a tertiary thing about witchcraft and when you get into this stuff. It's never isolated. The same pragmatism that a person would employ to get into these dark things, these evil, wicked things, will lead to other forms of sin. Now, what does this have to do anything? We're considering Halloween and what the Christian response to this ought to be. And if you say, well, yeah, that's Old Testament stuff. What about the New Testament? Okay. Well, while it's stated a little bit different, take Galatians chapter five, okay, verses 19 and 20, right? So Galatians chapter five, this is what we read. It says, now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these? What Paul's doing here is warning the Galatian church of the things that they need to avoid. And he's saying the works of the flesh, are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. He's going through this big old long list of sins that are detestable to God that will corrupt you. And don't miss out on witchcraft that is there. So if you think that, oh, you know, wizards, witches, that's all Old Testament stuff. None of that makes its way into the New Testament. Certainly not while the Roman Empire is there. Y'all, come on. They're an advanced society. Then why is Paul warning them about witchcraft? It was still very, very much a thing. We know that they had oracles, for instance. We know that Greek mythology taught a lot of things, and there was some practice in real life of this stuff. So is it unique to Galatia, to the churches around the region of Galatia? We'll know. Take, for instance, what a proper response to this should be. Paul deals with this kind of stuff in Corinth, right? First Corinthians chapter 10, verse 19. What say I then? That the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. Now, the word witchcraft isn't used there, but again, it's pointing to this idea of that which is detestable to God. And therein, we find what really ought to shape our response to these things. And if this isn't enough, Ephesians chapter five, verse 11, right? And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things, which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. And I'm reading from the King James. I know that's because it's a good version, but it's because King James uses those terminologies like witchcraft that are hard and hit hard, like darkness. Whether it's what Paul said to the church in Galatia, or the church is in the Galatian region, or whether it's what he does with the Corinthian church or the Ephesian church, it's all the same thing. And that is, At the start, there are things that God finds detestable. There are things that he considers to be an abomination. There are things that he considers to be perversion that should be avoided at all costs. And the question is, what does that have to do with Halloween? Well, it depends on what you do with Halloween. There are those that say, oh, yeah, you know, trick or treat. We do a trunk or treat here. It's no big deal. No scary costumes, all that kind of stuff. It's just kids having a good time. Is it possible to do that? I think it is possible to do that. But y'all, for those that really get into this, and it's like this whole spooky season thing, and they get obsessed with the ghost and the witchcraft stuff. Our proper response is what we just read there. Ephesians chapter five, verse 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. And that's the problem with Halloween. It's a glorification, at least in what it has become. I know it's taken different forms over the centuries. There were times in the church where they used Halloween to mock evil. There were times where they tried to redeem it into All Hallows' Eve, and they focused on saints that had died, and I get that. You gotta deal with what your society is facing, though. And I would challenge you to disagree with this statement. Don't we live in this time that glorifies the mystical? I would say that we do. We live in this time that glorifies and embraces the horror, that glorifies and embraces the darkness. Now, what are we to do with that? Well, the biblical response is, have nothing to do with it. So, what do we do about Halloween? Should you throw away your costume? Should you make sure your porch light is turned off No, I'm not saying that necessarily. What I'm saying is we've got to have this combination that Jesus has where we're full of grace and truth. We've got to be ready to stand for truth, but at the same time to do so gently. My warning to you, my advice to you, my own personal feelings on this is be very careful with this Halloween stuff. And if you have the option, personally, if you have the option, I'm not gonna bind your conscience. I'm not gonna tell you what you can and can't do because this is a collection of passages that don't directly deal with Halloween. I think it's a proper application. But if you can, avoid it altogether, right? But if you're gonna do the trick or treat, whatever, y'all, but be careful when it comes to this darkness. See witchcraft for what it is. And don't be so foolish as to just dismiss this stuff away as if, oh, none of that's real. Yeah, it is. It is, and God still considers it detestable and an abomination. So if you're gonna celebrate Halloween, make sure that you're not glorifying the things that God calls detestable. Make sure that you do not give the appearance of being one that walks in darkness. As we just read in Ephesians there, we walk in the light. And it's up to you to determine how Halloween affects that. I can't do it for you, but consider what the Lord would have you do. Let's pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you for this time and we pray for your blessings on it. Again, let us be full of grace and truth. And Father, you know I'm not trying to bind anybody's conscience. That's your business, so please do, including mine. We want to do what you want us to do. So we thank you for your word that doesn't leave us wondering about things like witchcraft and wizardry, and also doesn't leave us wondering about where we should be walking, and that is in the light. So please help us to do that. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I'd like to thank you all for being a part of this time with me. Lord Willem will be here Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Tried to live stream Wednesday night, it did not work. But Lord Willem will get that fixed and we'll be live streaming Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on Facebook, then it'll be on Sermon Audio. And then, I don't know where I'll be coming to you from. I gotta get to New Jersey Sunday night. And that's probably when I'll record my devotional. Monday, I'm traveling, so it'll probably be an airport Tuesday. We'll see. We'll see what happens. But I'm excited about this time ahead. I appreciate your prayers. I am going to be preaching this coming Sunday morning. I leave Sunday afternoon, got to get to Richmond and then Newark. But thank you for your prayers and Lord willing, we'll see you soon. Take care.