The Bony Finger of Halloween

As a mother of four young children I dread the month of October.

Life becomes incredibly inconvenient because I cannot even make routine shopping trips without being confronted with “holiday cheer.” I’m not referring to the beautiful scenes of fall or the already visible Christmas decorations.

It’s the bony finger of Halloween which seems to point at me as I round every aisle.

Our culture celebrates fear. We have made it cute. We even have entire stores devoted to a holiday that thrives on fear. This is by no means an exposé on the merits or demerits of participating in Halloween activities; rather, it is a seasonal opportunity to shed light on one of the devil’s oldest tactics.

What we have minimized is actually one of the sharpest arrows in his quiver.

I have experienced the profound effect that fear can have on a life. By tracing my history as a young person and even into adulthood, God graciously has revealed the stranglehold that fear had on my heart. Insecurity, guilt and irrational fears prevented me from fully embracing the identity that I have been given in Christ. Satan used fear to bring me to points of mental anguish over issues from which the Gospel unburdens me.

Do you struggle with fear? Before answering too quickly, think about your life. Are you different in public than in private? Are there issues you would rather avoid discussing with your spouse? What are you willing to do in order to feel loved or accepted? What motivates these behaviors? An honest assessment of your heart may reveal that the enemy has pierced you with a subtle yet devastating arrow. It is one of his most potent forms of hostility toward humanity.

The good news is that we have a more powerful tool for defeating his advances. We have the Gospel.

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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Amy Hebert is a wife, mom and writer. She and her husband Andrew have four children and live in Hobbs, N.M., where Andrew serves as the lead pastor of Taylor Memorial Baptist Church.