I actually had something else prepared for today’s blog post. However, as I was on my walk this morning, I felt the Lord prompting me to write this. Bear with me as I am really just writing what has been in my heart over the past month.

Do you find October a difficult month to get through spiritually? I do. Every year I dread when the calendar turns from September to October. I know it’s going to be a dark month. It seems like I am just waiting and longing for this month to be over so we can get to November when the atmosphere feels better. 

Jesus is Lord of October

Over the past few years the Lord has been talking to me about the month of October. I’ve come to realize God is the creator of this month just like he is the creator of November, and the other 11 months. We, as his children, have a great opportunity to bring the light of God into this dark month. After all Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭(ESV).‬‬ If we are the light of the world, we are also the light in this month we call October. 

I believe God desires to do amazing things in the month of October. If we will simply come into agreement with those things we can turn this month into a month of life and light instead of a month of death and darkness. What are those things? Well, for one I believe October has the propensity to become a month of newness and freedom for people. I believe God desires to bring people out of darkness and into his light. How do we partner with the Holy Spirit to accomplish this? I’ve found a few ways to discreetly do this. 

Worship Night

One way I’ve tried to be the light in this month that evil seems to be everywhere is to have a night of worship on October 31st. Why not praise the Lord for all he has done and all he will do when those that serve evil are also worshiping their god? We celebrate life. We celebrate freedom. We ask the Lord to show up and do whatever he wants in our lives and those living around us. As followers of Jesus, we don’t have to allow the darkness to bring us down. 

Pray

Another thing I do is pray for my neighbors. In one way, it becomes extremely easy to discover those neighbors who celebrate death, and evil. They display it in their front yard! I pray for them to see the light and come out of the darkness into the light. I pray that the chains that bind them to be destroyed, and that they will live a life of freedom in Christ. I pray for God’s peace to fill those homes, and the fear and anxiety they may feel to be conquered in their lives.

I pray for God’s blessing as stated in Acts 3:26 (ESV), “God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” We can pray God blesses the people who choose to serve evil by turning them away from their wickedness. How amazing is that?!

Is it Really a Big Deal

You may say, “But Halloween is just a fun day to dress up and get candy.” I would beg to differ with you. Is dressing up a bad thing? No. When my kids were little they loved to dress up and pretend. I believe this is a great thing for kids to do. Anything that makes them use their imagination is a good thing in my book. Eating candy is also not inherently evil. We love to get the occasional candybar and enjoy the treat. We don’t have to reserve one day for these activities. 

Why then do I believe it’s not right for Christians to celebrate Halloween? I would say just look around you. What are you celebrating? ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) tells us, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” Is Halloween a day that celebrates light and life or darkness and death? Well, every single Halloween decoration I’ve ever seen is promoting darkness and death. There isn’t such a thing as a beautiful Halloween decoration. They are all painted in blacks and grays, and depicting death in one way or another. 

When my kids were little and it was October, we would walk around the neighborhood. At the time we lived in Phoenix, Arizona and October was the month when it finally cooled down enough to go for walks. We would inevitably come across a house with decorations on it. Sometimes they were fall decorations like scarecrows smiling or harvest type decorations. Other times they would be the typical skeleton and Halloween decorations. They would ask me if this decoration was a fall decoration or a Halloween decoration. I would ask them this question, “Is it a happy decoration or a scary one?” After they answered, I would reiterate to them that we only celebrate life and happiness, not death and scary things. Mind you, my kids were four and under at this time. I had to make it simple and use words that they could understand. 

It’s Still the Same

However, this principle doesn’t change just because we grow up. Jesus doesn’t celebrate death and evil. He celebrates life and holiness. As his followers, we are supposed to be his reflection to a world that doesn’t know any better. How are people who are not yet saved to know that there is better for them if we are doing all the same things as them? If we have decorations that depict death and evil in October, we are showing them that we are just like them. We value what they value.

There is no need for a savior because life doesn’t change when you get saved. On the contrary, we are supposed to live a life that shows a lost world that there is a God who can and will set them free from the bondage of death. Isn’t living a life that reflects Jesus what we are called to do as his followers? Aren’t we told to be that light on the hill? 

So take heart. If you feel like I do in the month of October, and just want it to be over, there is hope. We can be that light and change the month of October to be a month known for life and freedom, instead of death and bondage. We can do this through the power given to us by the Holy Spirit. The thing is we have to act. We have to be different and live differently. We can’t just live like the world and then wonder why they can’t see their need for Jesus to save them. We are actually given a great opportunity to shed God’s light into a dark world in the month of October. We simply have to pray, seek opportunities, and act. I pray October 31st becomes a day known for life and freedom!