Psalm 68:30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.
Psalm 109:16-17 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
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Psalm 90:12-17 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
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Sensing the mood of the living air,
The winds in their circling feel Him near.
The moon sheds her silver beams abroad
Marking the path of the Son of God.
The stars cease their singing and are still,
Waiting the knowledge of His will.
The track of the sun is broad and bright,
And paved with gold for the Lord's delight.
Only the suffering earth is blind,
Nor peace, nor a blessed hope can find.
When our wondrous Lord comes back again
What will He find in the hearts of men --
Faith, or the same old greed and sin,
And Pharisees, and a crowded inn?
Martha Snell Nicholson
Luke 18:8 ...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
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I didn't intend to write anything specifically about Halloween this year, but there are things I've seen and heard that make me heavy hearted. Too many Christians still don't get the fact that it is not a godly thing to be involved in. The world has worked overtime to make it attractive and cute for those who don't like the more sinister parts of it, and yet, today the evil side is much more "in your face" than it was when I was a kid. The cute and cozy facade is deceptive and enticing to people whose convictions and standards are negotiable based on whether they like something too much to give it up for the Lord.
I saw a short video on Instagram by a young mother who was basically saying, "Why can't we just tell our kids that Halloween is evil and of Satan and we don't have an alternative to it? We just don't do it."
Why indeed?
My own family gave up Halloween fairly early, and my dad generally had no use for "alternatives to Halloween" that were popular at that time. Now, the so-called alternatives aren't even that "alternate." Some of the things that churches do are essentially just sanitizing occult and heathen practices so that they are less offensive. Whether it's a trunk or treat party, a harvest festival with pumpkin carving and bobbing for apples, or a "Reformation Day" party with costumes and the usual suspect games, many of the activities aren't essentially different from the practices that came from ancient witchcraft and the superstitions of All Hallow's Eve. They're basically just dressed up and rebranded for Christian consumption.
In addition to this, I learned recently that Halloween is also considered the LGBTQ+ "christmas." I'm not keen on linking to sources on this one, but if you don't believe it, I recommend that you do a little research for yourself. Try Googling "Halloween main LGBTQ holiday of the year". Yeah. It seems pretty clear that the homosexual and lesbian population of this country has been instrumental in increasing the popularity and social acceptability of Halloween. That they embrace it as their alternative to Christmas ought to give you pause if you desire to honor Jesus Christ with your life.
Christians who don't care what other's think of their actions and choices regarding these things need to consider carefully the scriptures about separating from evil, darkness, and the wickedness of this world.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
What others see you doing and supporting is important. Appearances are things that other people see. And we aren't even supposed to be involved with things that appear evil - even if our motives aren't evil. In other words, it doesn't matter how you feel about it or whether or not you care for other people's opinions. It does matter if your testimony as a Christian is marred by associating with something that clearly declares itself to be a celebration of wickedness and darkness. Halloween is more than just an appearance. It is the genuine article - evil itself.
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
If Halloween and its witchy trappings are so important to you - if you love them so much - that you refuse to give them up for God, that verse basically says that the love of the Father is not in you. That's strong language, and it should scare you a bit if you are one of those Christians.
Ephesians 5:11-12 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.
No fellowship. That means you don't participate at all. Even a little. It also means that Halloween and all the sinister and dark things around it, are unfruitful. And, instead of inventing "alternatives" and sanitized substitutes, it's time for Bible loving Christians to stand up and reprove these works of darkness.
A shame even to speak of those things. At the same time, we should avoid becoming preoccupied with telling every morbid and hideous details we can dredge up. Just sayin'...
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Do you actually need that explained?
1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
All that dark, devilish stuff is not of God. If you walk in fellowship with Him you can't have fellowship with those evil things. It's either/or. Either you walk in the light with God and not in darkness, or you walk in darkness and you are a liar and are not obedient to the truth. Those are harsh words, but they are not my invention. They are the clear words of God Almighty. If you have an issue with it, take it up with Him.
Because at the end of the day, when you try to say that the darkness and evil that is the holiday of Halloween is ok for you to participate in, you aren't justifying your choices. You are, instead, telling us more about your heart than you probably wanted us to know. But, more than that, God DOES know your heart. He also KNOWS His word. He isn't fooled by your excuses and justifications.
1 Samuel 16:7 ...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
What is the real alternative to participating in the works of darkness?
Titus 2:11-15 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
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Why We Do not Celebrate Halloween
Halloween and Other Things of Pagan Origin
What Would the Ephesian Believers Think of Halloween, Twilight, and Harry Potter In Christian Homes?
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
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The Hidden Line - Have You Counted the Cost?
First published here in September of 2013. Edited Oct. 2023.
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Hebrews 3:7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Last Sunday night we heard a very useful and challenging sermon on the subject of not allowing our hearts to become hardened to the Spirit of God. In the course of the message the pastor talked about the invisible line that we can cross when we persistently resist the reproving of the Holy Spirit and harden our hearts against Him. There is a point at which the Spirit ceases to speak or call and we cannot know when and where that point may be.
Saved people can cross a line when they refuse to deal with sin in their lives that the Lord wants them to deal with, or when they refuse to do things that He wants them to do. If we harden our hearts over and over and refuse to deal with something the Lord at some point may finally steps back and let us go our own way. The results of this are never good.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [Emphasis added.]
Galatians 6:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Those who are not Christians can cross the hidden line where God’s Spirit no longer draws them. This may happen when they repeatedly reject the call to salvation in Jesus Christ. There have been many people no doubt who went on and on time after time rejecting the call to life through Christ until they no longer heard it at all. Sadly, they don't necessarily feel any evidence of their loss or impending doom, nor do they realize that they have chosen eternal death over eternal life. This is a very fearful thing!
Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
This brother’s message reminded me of this poem and also of an old song. I wanted to post them here today.
The Hidden Line
[The Destiny of Man]
There is a time, we know not when,
A point we know not where,
That marks the destiny of men
To glory or despair.
There is a line by us unseen,
That crosses every path;
The hidden boundary between
God’s patience and his wrath.
To pass that limit is to die,
To die as if by stealth;
It does not quench the beaming eye
Or pale the glow of health.
The conscience may be still at ease,
The spirit lithe and gay;
That which pleases still may please,
And care be thrust away.
But on that forehead God has set,
Indelibly a mark,
Unseen by men, for men as yet
Are blind and in the dark.
And yet the doomed man’s path below
May bloom as Eden bloomed;
He did not, does not, will not know,
Or feel that he is doomed.
He knows, he feels that all is well,
And every fear is calmed;
He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell,
Not only doomed, but damned.
Oh, where is this mysterious bourn
By which our path is crossed;
Beyond which God himself hath sworn,
That he who goes is lost.
How far may we go on in sin?
How long will God forbear?
Where does hope end, and where begin
The confines of despair?
An answer from the skies is sent,
"Ye that from God depart,
While it is called to-day, repent,
And harden not your heart."
Dr. J. Addison Alexander
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Chorus from an old song – (Have You Counted the Cost?)
Have you counted the cost,
If your soul should be lost,
Though you gain the whole world for your own?
Come to Jesus today,
He will show you the way,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
Hebrews 3:7 …To day if ye will hear his voice,
The choice is yours.
