October 31

Today is Reformation Day, the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, sparking the revolution known as the Protestant Reformation. You can read more about it at this website. If you're interested in what Luther wrote, check the widget in my sidebar which displays his theses.

Now I know that many in the United States choose to celebrate All Hallow's Eve today. Wikipedia has an interesting article about the origins and meaning of Halloween. Many see the donning of costumes, begging for candy, carving faces on pumpkins, displaying skeletons, tombstones, ghosts, and the like to be harmless fun. But is it?

As a Christian, I became convicted that I didn't want to have anything to do with this evil day, and my husband concurred.

". . . Halloween is serious business for Satanists and witches.
Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween
to observe satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches
and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer
blood sacrifices to Satan."

There was a woman in our previous church who was saved out of Wicca (witchcraft), and who testified to the truth of the above quote. You can read the entire article here.

Ultimately, what you decide is between you and God. Carefully consider these verses:

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,
but instead expose them. For it is shameful
even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
-- Ephesians 5: 11 - 12, ESV

Also many of those who were now believers came,
confessing and divulging their practices. And a number
of those who had practiced magic arts brought their
books together and burned them in the sight of all.
-- Acts 19: 18 - 19, ESV

With Joshua of the Old Testament, we say: ". . . choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." -- Joshua 24:15, ESV

Holding Faith,

Liberty

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound . . .

~ Isaiah 61:1, ESV

These words were quoted by Jesus, the Messiah, when he entered the synagogue to publicly begin his earthly ministry (see Luke 4:18.) They remind me that true freedom is found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ and the liberty that comes through living a life free from the guilt of one's sin.

On this 232nd Fourth of July, I am thankful for the liberties I have through living in the United States, and most importantly, through my relationship with Jesus!