People tend to have mixed feelings about Halloween.
Some see it as just a time to have fun... while others see it as a celebration of darkness.
A little history gives some worthwhile perspective on this holiday.
Centuries ago Christians began to recognize All Saints Day on November 1st as a time to celebrate the victory of all the saints of God through their union with Christ.
The day before -- October 31st -- came to be known as All Hallow's Eve... a time to mark Christ's conquest over the demonic realm.
Somewhere along the line, this time took on a spirit of mockery, involving activities such as dressing up as characters and carving pumpkins into faces.
And the point of all this was to show that because of Christ, there was no reason to fear evil.
In fact, even gargoyles were placed on ancient church buildings as a way to ridicule the enemy... because Satan is a defeated foe.
So what does this mean for us today?
No matter what your take on Halloween... we need to recover the confidence of believers of the past who did not fear evil, but acted boldly in the face of it.
We need to live according to the truth that by the Spirit Satan is crushed under our feet (Rom.16:20).
And when we resist the devil, he'll flee from us (Jas.4:7)... so we can get on with the business of fulfilling the calling God has for us in His victorious kingdom.