LET'S DIG | Pierre & Danilee Aristil
We're here to help you grow a deeper relationship with God, others and yourself.
Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… and... your neighbor as yourself.”
- Matthew 22:37-39
Life gets better when our relationships do.
Every Sunday at 2pm PST / 5pm EST we release a new conversation.
Jump in, subscribe and #LETSDIG!
LET'S DIG | Pierre & Danilee Aristil
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween? Navigating Faith and Festivities
Have you ever questioned whether participating in Halloween aligns with your Christian values? Join us as we reflect on our personal journeys and consider how our spiritual growth has reshaped our understanding of this widely celebrated holiday. From childhood memories of trick-or-treating to making informed decisions for our own families, we explore how our perceptions have evolved. This episode unpacks how Halloween's origins and its present-day practices might intersect with or diverge from a life of faith.
As Christians, how do we navigate cultural events like Halloween without compromising our beliefs? Drawing inspiration from Ephesians 5, we discuss the potential for Halloween to serve as an opportunity for outreach and community engagement. Balancing personal conviction with evangelism, we dissect the concept of legalism and emphasize the importance of aligning our actions with God's will. With a focus on producing spiritual fruit, we share insights into how discerning participation in Halloween can be both intentional and impactful.
Reflecting on biblical passages from James, Romans, and Corinthians, we challenge ourselves and our listeners to scrutinize the intentions behind our actions. Whether it means abstaining from the festivities altogether or finding faith-aligned alternatives, the key is to ensure our choices resonate with our mission to be a light in the world. By sharing our journey away from traditional Halloween activities, we invite you to engage with us, share your experiences, and together, prioritize decisions that lead others to Christ. Join our "let's dig crew" for thoughtful discussion and spiritual growth as we navigate these important topics.
Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE
THE NEW LIFE COLLECTION IS HERE:
Shop Here 👉 https://letsdigthepodcast.myshopify.com/
____________________________________
STAY TUNED FOR ALL EPISODES HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxNumgVDs3mAeIfVhq64qAQ?sub_confirmation=1
Use this link for all the ways to keep in touch:
http://linktr.ee/letsdigthepodcast
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:
Pierre: https://www.instagram.com/pierrearistil/
Danilee: https://www.instagram.com/danileearistil/
If this episode resonated with you please be sure to leave a comment, subscribe, like or share it. Thank you for joining as we dig!
____________________________________
Would you like to be a blessing:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/letsdig
What's up, let's Dig crew. Thank you for jumping into this conversation. What up, it's gonna be a good one, we're a good one. I know it's a hot topic right now, and so you're gonna wanna stay tuned to hear what we have to say in regards to Christians celebrating Halloween.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I grew up celebrating it, even though I was born in church, and we need to talk about right now with our kids. We got a 10-year-old, we got a four-year-old. What does that look like? What have we done? Are we currently doing it? And I know some people want to know right now, should Christians celebrate Halloween? You guys already know, first of all, why we're here, right Should?
Speaker 2:we tell them why we're here. Tell them why we're here. You guys know why we're here. We are here on TikTok, on Instagram, on Facebook, all of them, all the places. We are here to help you grow a deeper relationship with God, others and yourself. So we about to dig Ready. All right, let's dig. All right, let's dig. Oh, I was ready.
Speaker 1:Oh, I was ready. Okay, go ahead start.
Speaker 2:Start it off Go ahead say your thing.
Speaker 1:Okay, do you remember when Jordan was two? When Jordan was two, Do you remember his costume?
Speaker 2:He was like Superman Batman.
Speaker 1:That's Spider-Man, you sure? I think he was all Spider-Man.
Speaker 2:No, he was Superman. Was he Superman? Oh, because I gelled his hair down.
Speaker 1:You're right, he is because he couldn't find. He wanted to be Catboy from PJ Masks. They couldn't find it Anyways. So, jordan, when he was two he's 10 now but when he was two we had just moved back down to Florida and we went out and we went trick-or-treating in a neighborhood and it was so cute. He was the cutest little two-year-old. He would like run up to every door and he would scream his two words that meant thank you, but they didn't sound anything like it and like I'd always have to say like oh, that's him saying thank you and he had so much fun, anything like it. And like I'd always have to say like oh, that's him saying thank you and he had so much fun. I remember it was such a good memory. I loved that memory. But fast forward. A few years later he was like five or six. We were out here in California we did the same thing and that was like Flash or Spider-Man, I think, and I remember walking in those neighborhoods and thinking I hate this.
Speaker 1:I don't want to ever do this again. People were so different. Costumes were literally like disturbing as we're walking down the sidewalks. I remember seeing some that creeped me out so bad and I'm a full-blown, like grown woman, a mother like a wife, and your costume is like disturbing my spirit. Literally is what it was. It was so gross and I remember thinking after that like I don't want to ever do this ever again.
Speaker 2:You know, it's funny because I grew up in church my whole entire life and there'd be some years where we would, you know, partake in Halloween or some might say, celebrate. And now that I look back I think, like man, like, was that right, was that wrong, was it innocent, was it intentional? There was so much to it Right, and it was me and four other siblings, and so there were some years like our parents could even keep track of us. You know, we would sneak out and then we wouldn't even have costumes, right, we would just make some bootleg stuff or we just have our regular clothes and we're like man, neighbors are giving out candy, we're going to get candy, and we weren't really like celebrating it, like saying happy Halloween, saying stuff like that. We just heard that free candy, free candy. It was literally just free candy.
Speaker 1:So we would sneak out the house, take our pillowcases To put the candy in. Let's go, baby. Wow, yeah, take our-. That's old school, yeah.
Speaker 2:We will take our pillowcases and we will just be like drink a treat and just whatever. And they're like what are you, buddy? I'm like, I'm me.
Speaker 1:I'm me. Wow, how old were you when that happened?
Speaker 2:I mean, bro, like like 11 that's funny 12, you know, like we were just, that's just what we did, right, but it wasn't because, like we're like, yay, halloween, and most time we'd be at church or doing church things, it was more because of neighbors are giving out candy for free yeah it was like it's the national free candy day less when I gotta go.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So it was like that's just what we did, and all throughout our teenage years and even throughout our adult years, it was just like, yeah, whatever. There's some years I was like, nah, man, I'm done, not part of. Just like, what does it look like to celebrate or acknowledge or partake in Halloween? I know there are a lot of Christians that are out there that think like it's nothing, it's fun, it's light, like we don't really celebrate it, we're just our kids like to dress up and we like to have fun. Right, like I used to say that. So I'm not throwing judgment, like I used to say that, right, so I'm not throwing judgment on christians who currently say that. I just know for us it's evolved the closer we've gotten to god. Yeah, there are certain things of this world that I just don't even want to partake and I just don't even want to be part of I mean we first got married, we'd have people over to and you would always choose horror films, all the time, but that wasn't halloween.
Speaker 1:That wasn't halloween, that's just what you like to watch. I hated it always and forever, but I would tough it out for you yeah but just what you said to like. The closer we get to god, the less we want of that stuff. It has been years since we've watched one of those movies? Yeah, because I realize nothing about it that we want.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because Halloween celebrates, honors and praises fear. And darkness and darkness, right and death, and for us as believers who are filled with love, the Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear.
Speaker 1:The Bible also says we are the light of the world.
Speaker 2:So this is a holiday that's like okay, one day in the year we're going to actually celebrate evil laughs and spookiness and try to cause fear and actually conjure up nightmares, and I'm just like I didn't really think nothing of it coming up.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know, it was just like, no, you know like we would have church events and we call it hallelujah nights For sure Hallelujah nights.
Speaker 2:Hallelujah nights, you know, or or churches do a thing called trunk or treat. You know what I mean and it's like a safe, fun environment for you know people to do alternative things like that and like you know, we've done it, things like that. And I'm going to say right now, like I don't disagree with them. So if there's a church that's like, hey, we don't want our believers to even be tempted and our church family to be tempted to actually partake in darkness, we're going to come to church on that night and we're going to give out candy.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:We're going to give out candy. Absolutely we're going to give out candy.
Speaker 1:We're going to and like look man, one of the churches used to work at did a huge fall festival and we got people saved and got people saved that night. It was like a whole festival, like rides, everything it was, but there were altar calls at that thing.
Speaker 2:It was used as an evangelistic tool for the community, for believers to invite their non-believing friends to say, hey, come to my church. Instead, we're doing something, and a lot of times the candies and stuff like that. It wasn't really for the church people, it was for the non-believers, that's like well we go trick or treating.
Speaker 2:So the alternative, the alternative, it wasn't really for just believers. It was a tool that believers were using to bait in non-believers to come and fellowship with Christian people and at the end, we would always make sure that, if you do not know Jesus, the light of this world accept them into your life. Right now, which I love, that I'm not against it. Now, here's what I am against it. Now here's what I am against.
Speaker 1:When Christians, churches, celebrate partake in Halloween acknowledge Halloween and you can't even tell this was a church thing.
Speaker 2:That's scary, you can't even tell that y'all's Christians, I've, you know, we've, we've done it. So we don't go trick or treating. Just going to put it out right now we do not go trick or treating. Um, it hasn't always been that way. There were some years in the past we have, you know. There were some years in the past where like, yeah, let's, let's do it, let's take the kids Right. I think the last time we did it what it could have been in Pasadena before we had Brooklyn five years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, five or six, yeah, yeah, yeah, um, and I looked back. I was like it was kind of innocent, but there are moments I just felt out of place. That was the time where I felt the darkness. I felt what I was being a part of and it did not feel light, it did not feel peaceful, it did not feel like where I'm supposed to be as a follower Not necessarily where I'm not supposed to be, but just did not like the feeling. I didn't have peace in my spirit about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do think too that there are a lot of Christians out there that try to hide behind the thought or mask it with the thought of oh, we're doing it to just be a light in the world, or we're doing it to push back or dispel darkness, or we're doing it just to evangelize.
Speaker 1:And what are you doing? You're drinking. You're wearing clothes that are not appropriate. You're acting a different kind of way. You are indulging in scary horror, like violence. What about? That is getting people to say nah.
Speaker 2:Like oh, we're being a light in the darkness. Well, here's my question to you have you done it any other time throughout the year?
Speaker 1:For sure.
Speaker 2:Have you done it any other time throughout the year? Why is this the one time that you're like, yeah, we're just going to go out there and just be a light?
Speaker 1:Now for those that are genuinely we're just going to go out to the club and be a light. That's what I'm going to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I mean, here's what I think. I think if somebody is genuinely out there and they're like yo, I'm actually going to engage with my neighbors, engage with my cultures. It's the one time of year where my neighbors actually come out and they're going to come and knock on my doors and I'm going to be intentional and I'm actually going to engage them. I'm going to open up my door and let's say they want candy. I have some candy. I'm also throw a Bible in there.
Speaker 2:Like invitation to church, or if someone's like they're going to throw an invite to church. So if somebody who's a Christian says, hey, we do engage in Halloween for the purpose of saving souls and there is fruit that comes out of it, Right, Then we talking, yo, we're going to pull it right now because here's here in Ephesians five, right, so Ephesians five, this is um Paul talking and he says this um pulled up. So actually Ephesians six. Yeah, oh, is it six or five?
Speaker 1:Sorry guys, I ain't had my stuff ready.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's five. He says don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Right, and it says Ephesians 5, chapter 5, verse 7. Don't participate in all the things these people do, for once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light, for this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead, expose them. So here's what I'm saying. If there's a Christian that's like actually, on Halloween, we intentionally engage our neighbors or we intentionally partake in some of the things that they're doing with the purpose of actually seeing fruit, he says right here. He says carefully determine what pleases the Lord. So if you're out there and you're pleasing the Lord and you're actually out walking the streets evangelizing the people Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I think that's so dope.
Speaker 2:That's completely different. But I think there's a lot of legalistic Christians out there because of their convictions, right, Because of how weak they may feel. Romans 14, Paul talks about it and so they project onto other people and say you shouldn't do it because I don't do it. Well, we're all called to walk it differently. We all have different abilities.
Speaker 2:The only time I would tell someone don't do it. If Paul says, if it's going to cause other believers to stumble. So here he says, carefully determined what pleases the Lord. He says take no part in the worthless deeds. So if there's no fruit, if there's no value, if it looks like darkness, like what you're doing and you're not doing anything instead, but he says expose it. So if you're out there exposing darkness, jesus went to sinners houses and showed up to their parties, but he was on a mission and he was on assignment. So, christians, if you're out there and you're not on a mission, you're not on assignment, you're not trying to expose darkness, there's no fruit, there's no value to what you're doing, you are not pleasing the Lord.
Speaker 1:Now to those people who are out there and to want to witness to those people and be a light in darkness. I love that, but you said something the term legalism and I had heard someone describe legalism like this, like this Legalism is when we speak on behalf of God in areas he has not spoken and judge people on these false principles. So if I'm out and I'm witnessing to people at a club, there are certain things I can tell them that are biblically based, of saying, hey, this is not what God has for you, hey, this life is not like this.
Speaker 1:This is not what you, what God's called for you or designed for you, but there are some things from Christians, brothers and sisters, that we can come at other people and be like God said don't take your kids trick-or-treating. He actually doesn't say that. He doesn't say that. Now, every person's convictions can be their own and can be different.
Speaker 2:Go ahead.
Speaker 1:Find that scripture because, there are some families that feel very strongly that they are not to take part in any of that, because that's what God's called their family too, and that is fine. And there are seasons where we have come to that conclusion as well, like there are seasons where we took our kids trick-or-treating. There are seasons where we have come to that conclusion as well, like there are seasons where we took our kids trick-or-treating. There are seasons where we're like nope, we're not doing that anymore. Go ahead, read that scripture.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to actually read James, because I've been in places where I've actually been in clubs using my gift that's so true.
Speaker 2:And I was also being a light. I was exposing darkness, meaning some of my bandmates were living in sin and I'd sit there and expose them, I would enlighten them. And so James, chapter four, he says this. He says, remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it, meaning for those that are out there that you know you're doing wrong. You know you're doing wrong and what you're doing is not right. That's a sin. So it's not a one size fits all.
Speaker 2:If a Christian's out there on a mission and I'm actually going to engage the culture, I'm actually going to engage my neighbors. There's one time throughout the year where people actually come knocking on my door. You mean I don't have to go out there like a Jehovah Witness. You mean you pulling up on me, knocking on my door, the door, I'll open door and I'll engage. I said, nope, sorry, we're christians, we don't celebrate halloween. No, I'm gonna engage you right with the purpose of redeeming you, getting you saved. Now, halloween it's. It's, it's crooked, it's demonic. It celebrates darkness, it celebrates death. There are people out there that are actually celebrating it with the original intention of the ancient celtic beliefs. Yep, it's literally.
Speaker 1:It's literally because of the blurriness between life and death and calling on spirits and they're actually believe that at this date the spirit realm is the closest, so that they have the most proximity to the spirits, to demonic, that this is the time where it's the most close, which I don't even know if that's biblical because, like, there are spirits throughout the earth.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think they come closer on a certain day.
Speaker 2:It's it's it's. Some believe that it's a day where the the the line between death and the living it's blurred and actually it's almost like something that it's a open realm, or like an open portal where you can actually access those that were dead and others believe, let the dead be others believe it's actually a day where that the dead actually tries to come into the living, and so they mask themselves and hide themselves and cover them.
Speaker 2:There's so many, it's evolved so much. Even Christian Christianity, right, has partaken into this. And where that whole thing with the um all hollow Eves and the day of the dead, or some call it um, all saints day, yep, all saints day, right, all saints day, right, but it's all celebrating death, right, but it's all celebrating death, right, it's all celebrating death. And here's the thing about Christians. I'm going to say this right now to everybody who's a Christian Christians who celebrate Halloween repeat this statement and say oh, I'm a Christian, I celebrate Halloween. You say that. Do you ever hear Satanists say, oh, I'm a Satanist but I celebrate Good Friday? Oh, I'm a Satanist but I celebrate Good Friday? No, no, they don't. Why are Christians the only ones compromising their faith? Think about it. If Satanists celebrate death, why don't they celebrate Good Friday or celebrate life? Yeah, but I'm saying Good.
Speaker 1:Friday, because it was the day that Jesus died. Right, I know.
Speaker 2:The only death we should be celebrating is the death of Jesus Christ, because he actually conquered death, right, conquered it and resurrected. But I just have a hard time with Christians who are out there and people can't tell that there's a difference. So I will say this that there's been seasons of our lives where we did partake in Halloween with an intention. Or there's been seasons of our lives where we're like you know what? Nope, no purpose, not With an intention. Or there's been seasons of our lives where we're like you know what? Nope, no purpose, not going to touch it, not going to be. This is one of those seasons that we've gone closer to God, yeah, where it's like, yeah, don't want to be part of it, we're not going to do it, not going to engage. I do not say happy Halloween, right. I Obviously want to know the million dollar question. We do not celebrate Halloween. Now some people, some people might ask questions like well, what do you mean? Do your kids not wear costumes? My kids wear costumes all year long.
Speaker 1:Year round, and I will be buying them on clearance after Halloween.
Speaker 2:They wear costumes all year long. Jordan would sleep in Spider-Man's. He would go back and forth from Black Panther to the original Spider-Man.
Speaker 1:Spider-Man to Universe Brooklyn's all into princesses, yeah flash.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm like we had to throw them away because, captain america, bro, we would go back and forth. Brooklyn was into princess. Sometimes you come out right here looking like a ghetto princess don't call her a ghetto princess.
Speaker 1:I'm like why you look like that but wait, so I do. I do have to to approach this topic a little bit, because there is some information that talks about how if you put your kids in a costume, then it gives them a different identity, they take on a different identity.
Speaker 2:Interesting.
Speaker 1:And that opens them up to demonic forces. So I'd like to say no, it doesn't. And here's why. First of all, you cannot change your identity or your DNA. Just like a man cannot become a woman, he cannot change his DNA. He can dress like a woman if he wants to. It doesn't make him a woman. When you take his blood, when you check his teeth, his DNA will still be male. So it's the same thing for my kid. My kid, you know what? He literally slept in flash, lived in flash. He ain't flash.
Speaker 2:He ain't flash and he knows he's not flash. He's not flash. And you know what? Let me make it clear too there are some people that actually have a desire to take on the character of whatever they're trying to put on. Some of it is innocent and it's childish, like this, like our kids. They're just kids. She thinks she's a princess. She thinks she's a princess and she'll be like she'll. She'll have her little tinkerbell thing or a little wand. And she said kyle is a boo like some. And someone said oh, that's witchcraft oh that's magic.
Speaker 2:There are those that are intentionally writing out spells and they're seeing if this thing works, let's get a spell book Right. Come on, look at your stores, look at your thrift stores, look at your Walmart.
Speaker 1:Look at Target Five below. Yeah, I was covered.
Speaker 2:There are people that are intentionally going out there and trying to mimic mimic because they want to see if this magic stuff work and they're partaking in it and they're opening themselves to demonic realm. When my four-year-old just puts on a princess thing and she's like Daddy freeze Because she's trying to be Elsa, right, oh, that's demonic. She's four.
Speaker 1:But to be clear, when she does that like that's just it. But in our house we do not play when it comes to demonic movies. We do not play when it comes to witches, when she sees witches on YouTube of like the little, we don't play that.
Speaker 1:She says oh, mommy, at the daycare they have witches. Yep, we don't play that, we plead the blood of Jesus. We do not like we are sound spiritual parents that teach about the spiritual world to our kids. And so, therefore, when she's playing, freeze daddy, she knows that's pretend, but the only ghost that our kids and so, therefore, when she's playing freeze daddy, she knows that's pretend, but the only ghost that our kids talk about is when they put the sheet over their head and they literally call themselves the Holy ghost, like that's the only ghost in this house. And we teach them that. We're actively teaching them. Hey, this is real. Hey, there are witches. They don't have green skin, they don't have ugly noses and they don't have big square triangle I said square black hats yeah they are real.
Speaker 1:You won't recognize them like that. But we do not play about those things.
Speaker 2:Just earlier, um or earlier the other day, like in the morning, we were walking down the sidewalk and brook, brooklyn, saw a house that had all this Halloween decoration. She's like Daddy, look bad. She's like bad, bad, bad, and I was like that's right, baby. I was like we don't play with that stuff, we don't talk about death, we don't try to scare people, we don't celebrate fear.
Speaker 1:Listen, I just have a hard time comprehending and also not judging people. Time comprehending and also not judging people, because I judge y'all that think it's cool and entertaining to hang cut off body parts from your house. Like I told you about the house I saw the other day as at a wedding on Saturday and I told you it bothered me so badly. There was a house down by the ocean and it had one. It had a string of a decapitated head hanging upside down, but around it were.
Speaker 1:Well, it makes me nauseous to say yeah we're baby dolls hanging all over the thing, upside down by the foot, like you creeps, like you're literally thriving off of the fear and the concept that what you stole children and kidnapped them like, how are we supposed to think that this is normal?
Speaker 2:it's not normal it's not normal.
Speaker 1:What's?
Speaker 2:happening in this world right now is too many christians are compromising, too many christians are justifying everything and too many christians are not in conviction. We've had conviction before where we're like we went trick or treating. We're like this does not feel right. And because it doesn't feel right, we're now like I just read in James, chapter four we're now held accountable that if we're doing something that is wrong and we know it's wrong, that's a sin, especially when you know Romans 14 was talking about is causing someone else to stumble.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, and to be truthful, the Bible also says that in the last days, right will be wrong and wrong will be right. And so to think, and the concept of having dead body parts hanging from our house and I say that because there's one a block down from us that that's literally the only decorations they have is that like that is wrong, but in this scene and in this time of year, it looks like it's super cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I guess the goal of this conversation is, like people that are listening. I want them to know like if you're a Christian, we're we're not judging you, we're not condemning you. We're actually challenging you to think and process about, think about what you're doing with your freedom, and pray about it.
Speaker 2:Think about what you're doing with your freedom, that you're like, hey, we're free to do this Because Paul also talks about in Romans 14,. He says if somebody feels like it's better to live for God and die for God, or someone feels like it's better to eat meat for God and someone else feels like it's not good to eat meat, paul is saying that they're both right with God. They're both right with God. So if you know in your heart that you're out there and you're not being a light in darkness, you're just partaking in, you have conformed to the way of this world. Like conformed to it, meaning you've taken on the nature of the world. Right, because we are called to be in the world and Jesus did say to go out into the world. So there's a mission, there's an assignment. So if you're not on mission, if you're not on assignment, what are you doing out there in these streets? Partaking in Halloween, saying happy Halloween? Oh, we're just having innocent fun. I want to challenge you to really ask yourself why are you out there and what are you doing?
Speaker 2:I was reading earlier in Rome or first Corinthians, chapter eight, and he's saying he said be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscious to stumble For. If others see you with your superior knowledge and he's using quotes right here eating in the temple of an idol, won't they encourage to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol too as well? Basically saying, christians, if you have other people that's following your lead, if you have other people that are looking up to you and you carry yourself like you know what you're doing like, what are you doing? Doing certain things that others who are weaker in faith, that just got saved, that don't know. For example, people are out there and you want your kids to get saved, or you want your spouses to get saved. Our son the other day came home. He said my friends asked me how come you guys don't celebrate Halloween and he told me he said because my parents are holy. Thank you.
Speaker 1:I told him that. I said babe Jordan said we're holy. I said we need to give him a little bit better verbiage, but that's why we don't take the tree. I was like no.
Speaker 2:I'll take that we're holy Because I want my son to only know the light. That's true, and I will be confusing him. Who's weaker in his faith If he sees mom and dad partaking into darkness and celebrating crazy things of this world? So it's saying it's going to cause him to stumble, it's going to cause him to think can he not do it too as well? So it says so because of that.
Speaker 2:He says he said for us, who've for, he said for whom Christ died, we will be destroyed. Right, he's saying that because those weaker believing, those weaker believers stumbled because of the people that let them, you know, into darkness. And right here he says and when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So here's what I'm saying right now. I'm not telling you if you're a Christian, go and try it, because we went and tried. Not saying that. I'm telling you that we have felt conviction and we're like we're holding it to a higher standard, that we are no longer partaking unless there is an assignment and a mission and we are trying to engage and win someone over to Christ. But there needs to be fruit, there needs to be actual fruit and you can see that we are light in darkness, because light shouldn't have to work hard to expel darkness right light just needs to be itself.
Speaker 2:Stand there right. And then at the end he says so, if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live, for I do not want to cause another believer to stumble. And then later on, in chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, he says so, my dear friends, flee from worship of idols. You are reasonable people. And right here he says decide for yourself. If what I'm saying is true, decide.
Speaker 2:So he's talking about you know your body's talking about celebrating. He's talking about eating meats that you didn't know was offered up to idols. And if you're in a marketplace and he's saying if you're just eating meat, just eat meat. If you're buying it, you just buy it. But if someone tells you that, yo, we this meat right here, it was offered up to. And so why am I bringing that up? Because if you go to Target and you see a bracelet, you see a necklace, and you have it. It's nice, it's a cute bracelet, go ahead and get it. If you find out that the bracelet was actually, you know, sitting in a bag of a witch and they put spells on it and they called all types of demonic, you take it off, you throw that thing away. You denounce whatever. You renounce whatever you need to renounce right now in the mighty name of Jesus. Out right now in the mighty name of Jesus. But he said you just pray over it.
Speaker 1:So the difference is, let's like, slow it down a little bit. The difference is what do you know? If you know that something is demonic or darkness, don't take part in it. If you know that something is sin, you are held accountable for what you know, your knowledge, and now it's sin. If you do not know, you are not held accountable for it. But by hearing this conversation, we hope that this is informing you. Hey, here's some flashlights, flashwords in front of you saying hey, we're warning you that these are things that do lead to darkness.
Speaker 1:These are things that we should not take part in. Does the Bible say verbatimly don't go trick or treating? No, but this is what God has impressed on us. So, going back to that legalism, it's not that we are putting this mandate and telling you that this is what the Bible says, no, but we are giving you scripture to help you come to the knowledge and knowing what God has called us to do and how he's called us to live our life out.
Speaker 1:So if there is someone who didn't know these roots of Halloween or maybe they are new to the faith when I was doing research for this episode, I loved, babe, watching these people write in the comments on different videos saying I used to take part in Halloween for years and the closer I got to God, the less I wanted it. I celebrated Halloween for years and it was the hardest thing for me to give up. My family knew I always threw the best Halloween parties and when I let it go they didn't understand. But I didn't want part in that darkness anymore. So watch, reading these people's testimonies of how they came to the knowledge of knowing where their darkness and light is was so cool to hear. So I just wanted to slow it down a little bit of saying like okay, if you didn't know, now you know we gave you scripture.
Speaker 1:We gave you things to look up, read, watch this episode again, listen to this episode again, go back and find these scriptures so that you can read these for yourselves and then pray and ask God for understanding and so that you can know that this is something that you're walking out yourself in your own salvation.
Speaker 2:Another thing too, I would say, to even add to that is if you're a Christian and Halloween just excites you so much. If you're a Christian and you've been planning all month for it. If you're a Christian and you've been planning all month for it. If you're a Christian and you block out time, you block out schedules, you're just talking about it at work. You've been planning for it all week but then you're like meh about Sunday.
Speaker 2:That's coming about partaking in church. You really got to look at your heart, because that's what God looks at. God looks at the heart. All this. Look at your heart, because that's what God looks at. God looks at the heart. All this other stuff on the outside. I get it, guys. Some of us are going to look at it and say, you know what? We don't have a problem. For us. We don't have a problem getting our kids costumes, because they wear costumes all year long. For us, we get our kids candy on Halloween, not because we celebrate Halloween, because we have kids and all their friends have candy and there's candy everywhere, and I love Snickers.
Speaker 1:That's for real bro.
Speaker 2:It's as simple as that. While you're celebrating Halloween? No, I'm not. There's just candy everywhere, and my kids love candy too, and we go in on candy.
Speaker 1:And but to say, like the scripture says, man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. So in those things that we have decided as a family and that we have come to, this acceptance of saying this is where we draw the line. God sees our heart in that, and that knows that we're teaching our kids the best that we can. Now, who's to say in five years? It might change again. The older the kids get, the less we may be like no, you don't need costumes, we're not doing this anymore. This is why it may change again. The older the kids get, the less we may be like no, you don't need costumes, we're not doing this anymore. This is why it may change. It's an evolving relationship with the Lord where we find out where does he want us to sit, because it is true, the closer you get to God, the less you want of the world, and so he may call us to something different in the next two years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So the Bible doesn't specifically mention things like pagan holidays, halloween and for those that are so legalistic and you're just you're up on Wicca and your Webster and dictionaries and you're trying to find like the Bible doesn't talk specifically about Halloween, but it talks about pagan holidays and what does that look like? To not engage, engage right or or to to not imitate, to not look like the world, worthless deeds of darkness, right, right, that's what it talks about. But if you want to get very legalistic, what's thanksgiving then?
Speaker 1:bro, monday is about a moon, sunday is about the sun. It's, it's pagan, pagan gods.
Speaker 2:After those names we could sit here and poke at all of these religions out there. At the end of the day, god is going to look at your heart and your intention and why are you doing what you're doing? If your goal is like, like Paul said, is like when, in Rome, right To do all things, I'm all things for all people. So if it's a mission to get somebody saved is to shine light, you decided to throw your own party on that night because you wanted to invite your neighbors. You said you know what? Yeah, we'll have candy, but we're not going to be doing nothing spooky, there's nothing fear, there's no darkness, and you actually have a purpose of actually getting people saved. As a Christian to Christian I would say go ahead and do it, but at the end of the day, my challenge right now is to the Christians out there that have been desensitized and they have been misled and they have been deceived.
Speaker 2:And the enemy is thinking, making them think that it's harmless and it's not going to hurt you. You go ahead and watch that scary movie. It's going to spook you and you're going to have dreams at night, but you have no idea. Wonder why? Why? Why that's happening.
Speaker 1:It's a lie from the enemy. It's his biggest point to desensitize us to all the things that the enemy actually uses against believers every single day.
Speaker 2:And so that's why I'm saying like to all the Christians out there I really want to ask yourself, I want to challenge you to ask yourself this right here this is first John, chapter two. He's saying he said do not love this world, nor the things it offers you. So what he's saying is do not love it.
Speaker 1:Right. You have to be in it because you're part of the world, you're in the world, but do not love it.
Speaker 2:So that's why I'm reading this super slow. He says do not love this world or the things that it offers, all right. So if you're a Christian and you just love oh, we love Halloween, we always, oh, okay, right, because we can't love God and love the world at the same time, right. And Jesus said if you love me, you'll obey my commandments. And then he says for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you. So if you're a Christian and you love Halloween, go back and read that he says, for the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see and pride in our achievements and possessions right. And then it says these are not from the father, but are from this world. And this? It says these are not from the father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. So I want to challenge all my Christians out there If you are partaking in Halloween, why Ask yourself, why Does it please the Father?
Speaker 2:Are you on an assignment? Are you engaging them? Do you have a purpose to where you're doing it, or are you just mindlessly thinking that is innocent. That's exactly what Satan wants you to believe. It's demonic and I would strongly go against any Christian who has been celebrating Halloween. And if you're trying to figure out, should I celebrate Halloween as a Christian? You want to know the million dollar answer no, you shouldn't. Now, if you are a Christian and you have a purpose and you're onto something, if you're a family like us, we're, and you're on onto something, if you're a family like us, we're not celebrating. We don't say happy Halloween, we don't say trick or treat. Oh, what are we doing on Halloween night? Nothing, if if we're at church and church is doing something, we're gonna go to church.
Speaker 2:But for the people that are nitpicking at churches, that are like, is it? This is that I just want to know does this, this, feel like light? Are we having a good time in the Lord?
Speaker 1:Are we saying are?
Speaker 2:we saying amen, brothers, love you, god, bless you, jesus. Are we saying all those things Because? And are we inviting non-believers to come? Because it's an opportunity for this to be alternative for non-believers to get saved? But ultimately, you decide for yourself what you believe, what you believe to be true non-believers to get saved, but ultimately, you decide for yourself what you believe to be true. You seek the Holy Spirit. Let him lead you, let him guide you, let him convict you. But that's all I got to say today about Halloween man.
Speaker 1:All right y'all. So that's a convo. It's a deep one. It's a hot topic right now. Obviously, halloween is coming up, but honestly, now, obviously Halloween is coming up, but honestly, we wanted to really bring you scriptures and to just be honest and real about how our journey has been and that it didn't always start out this way. We did go trick or treating with our first kid and we did have fun and it was great memories, but then we knew that there was more and we were called to more, and that's what we did was once we knew, once we had the knowledge, we knew we had to make a change, because that's what we're held accountable for.
Speaker 1:So just want to encourage y'all to really dig deep, really think about what decisions you're making for you or your family, or who you're around, your friends, what you're doing on October 31st. What are you going to do with that night? Are you going to go to church? Are you going to do something that is on a mission to go out and lead people to Christ and be a light in darkness? And if so, we gave you those guidelines of what that looks like. It has to bear fruit. It is not an excuse to go out and go to the club y'all and wear a costume. So we love y'all If you are loving this content. The new followers that are here, new subscribers thank you for being here. We call y'all the let's dig crew because we are digging, and so we want you to comment like subscribe and we'll see y'all next time. Let's do this.
