The Spirit Halloween Store, Coming to a Mall Near You

I love Fall. It's my favorite season and I love everything about it, except Halloween. 

We went trick or treating when I was a kid, but Halloween was not all consuming. These days Halloween eats up autumn beauty faster than 10 kids can eat a bag of candy.

We navigate Halloween each year. We don't try to steer around it, that's impossible. We chart a course through, and lead our children the best we can.

This morning I was pondering The Spirit Halloween Store and what kind of spirit I want influencing my life and my children.

A repost from archives past....

When we dialog with our kids about "magic" our conversations are based on Deuteronomy 18 regarding witchcraft, and also the Apostle Paul talking about how under Christ everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.

We have several thoughts:

1. All power comes from God, even Satan's, since he was created by God. But, not all power is used for good, and some is truly used for evil intent. Until God rules on earth, we live in an imperfect and painful place.

2. The Bible says to stay away from the magic, sorcery, witches, wizards and the like, not to make another rule, but because God loves us and wants to protect us. He wants to be our first love and He does not want us to be involved with things that can entangle us and rob us of joy and our future.

3. If we are focused on power, apart from God and His power, we are missing the real power we could be tapped into.

4. If we want to see God do mighty works of power through us, in us, for us, and for others, we need to follow His way, even if we don't always understand. We shouldn't exchange God's power for something less. Relationship with God is amazing and freeing, not enslaving. Seeing God work in and through you and through others is the ultimate high.

5. In today's world, there is an increasing emphasis on the occult and evil power that did not exist when my husband and I were kids. Instead of a simple trick-or-treating night out, you don't know what you will see or hear. People go totally over the top. We don't want to put that in the kids' minds and then not have them be able to erase it. They have never struggled with nightmares, and we don't want them to.

6. Like the Bernstein Bear book about strangers, it is harder and harder to tell who is celebrating Halloween, magic, Harry Potter, etc... without thinking much about it, and those who truly celebrate and are involved in witchcraft. It's hard to tell a good person from a person who is rotten on the inside and might hurt them. So we steer clear of anything that could cause us future pain.

7. Lastly, the verse below from the Apostle Paul, just because we "can" doesn't mean we should. For example, we view pornography and witch craft in the same category. It enslaves those who get involved with it, or can. It can destroy people. And with that potential, it's just not worth it.

1 Corinthians 10: 23

Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

The Apostle Paul also says more strongly in 1 Corinthians 21:

"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?"

I would rather experience God's power any day. I have had moments of true darkness in my life, where the enemy of my soul was seeking to destroy me. I know how dark, dark can be. I choose rather, to stay in the light.

1 John 1:5

"This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all."

So we dialog with our kids and work out our beliefs the best we can, humbly walking before God and others. I don't want to tell others how to live. I simply would like the freedom to share my thoughts on this and for others to respect our beliefs.

I find it interesting that even in Paul Tough's book, How Children Succeed, we recognize that there is a time for children to just say no. Where is that line for you and for your children?

Thinking about, what it is, I think about. And where ever you find yourself today dear child of God, may you find the light.