O Christians do not celebrate Halloween

Thus says the LORD:“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. (Jeremiah 10:2)

O Christians do not celebrate Halloween. Because Halloween is a celebration of witchcraft and demons which is inconsistent with the Gospel and the Holy Bible. It doesn’t matter how much secular it seems you should just concerned yourself about how sinful is this celebration and how much you should distance yourself from this occult event. Take a moment to consider that when you focus on celebrating Halloween you are just doing a modernized version of non Christian or Pagan traditions.

Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31, and Halloween 2022 will occur on Monday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. You might hear of Halloween therefor a Samhain or even as Feralia or Pomona (both ancient Roman festivals).

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 18:10-13)

O Christians do not try to be friends with the Lord while trying to follow demons in any way. Just focus on doing what pleases the Lord God and it’ll go well with you. Despite the good counsels of the Holy Scriptures if someone who still wants to kowtow to demons its their own fault, do not blame God for this!

“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:21)

“But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

Just because someone thinks they can speak in favor of following Pagan traditions while claiming to love the Gospel that doesn’t make their claims is valid.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Just because a so called Christian leader says that Halloween or Samhain or Feralia or Pomona can be followed without being in sin, doesn’t mean what that one says is truly right. Refrain from this sinful practice and be true to Jesus Christ!

Lessons from the parable of the dishonest steward

Let’s read about the parable of the dishonest steward which was mentioned by Jesus in Luke 16:1-13:

¹ [Jesus] also said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward who was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property.

² He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.”

³ Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed.

⁴ Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.”

⁵ ‘Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?”

⁶ “One hundred measures of oil,” he said. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down and quickly write fifty.”

⁷ To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat,” he said. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.”

⁸ ‘The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.’

⁹ ‘And so I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great.

¹¹ If then you are not trustworthy with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches?

¹² And if you are not trustworthy with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?

¹³ ‘No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.’

Jesus was well aware of the sinful behaviors of the people, especially towards the use of money. He knew that some sinners are sly enough to avoid a nasty outcome due to being caught in their sins. However he wanted to highlight that even if a sinner seemingly escapes punishment while on earth, there’s no such escape in the afterlife. No wonder Jesus used this parable to rebuke the love of money which leads to sin and which in turn leads to punishment in hell forever. This is also a calling by Jesus to give up all greed towards money and give up all dishonesty even those that might seem small sins.

Here are a few lessons we can learn from this parable:

1. You are accountable for whatever has been entrusted to you, so do not misuse things for you will need to given account for it. For example, this can be money, resources, privileges etc.
2. Even while on earth its possible for sinners to be asked by the earthly authorities to give an account for their sins and face the due consequences.
3. The eternal consequences of your sin will take you to hell unless you repent in the name of Jesus.
4. The children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light. Therefore a child of light must learn to interact in a wise and holy way with another child of light instead of avoiding each other for the sake of it.
5. Even if sinners are able to get favorable outcomes in their dealings with fellow sinners, they will only end up increasing their punishment and fellow friends to accompany them in hell.
6. Money that is gotten by dishonest means will eventually fail you.
7. Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great.
8. If then you are not trustworthy with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches?
9. And if you are not trustworthy with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?
10. No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money

The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous but does not listen to sinners

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
and have their fill of their own devices.(Proverbs 1:28-31)

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. (Proverbs 15:8)

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will. (John 9:31)

Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it. (Job 35:13)

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.(Psalm 145:19-20)

The righteous hates falsehood!

The difference between the righteous and the wicked is what they like and what they do.

The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. (Proverbs 13:5)

The righteous will always hate falsehood and wicked will love falsehood. The righteous will do what is good and act as per will of God and live honorably. While the wicked will act disgracefully and shamefully. Don’t be surprised therefore to see both the wicked and the righteous having different judgments at Judgement day.

Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. (Psalm 96:13)

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

The fortified bronze wall that the Lord has made

Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” (Jeremiah 15:19-21)

There are times when the Lord God calls his people to be steadfast in his decrees without having to face others. But then there are certain times in which the believer in Christ is faced with those who oppose the decrees of God. If you are one such believer who’s facing such opposition, then this write up is for you.

The Prophet Jeremiah who served the Lord of Hosts as long as he lived, dwelt in a land that was rebellious to God. For they forsook the Lord and burned incense to false gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. Rejecting the Living God still remains a sin to this day, make no mistake about this. And the Lord God knows how to deal with those who are unwilling to repent of their sins, in case the grave sin of worshiping false gods.

Here’s what the Lord God spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah:

For behold, am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah.  And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” (Jeremiah 1:15-19)

A few lessons to learn here:

• The Lord will declare his judgement against those who forsake Him.
• Worshiping false gods is a grave sin and must be rejected at all costs.
• Your heritage and descent is no excuse for sinning.
• Don’t get dismayed by sinners, lest the Lord dismay you in front of sinners.
• When the Lord God makes you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, trust God, for he plans to deliver you from this evil generation.

Being a fortified bronze wall in the New Testament context is the the same as what told to the Prophet Jeremiah, but now is even about staying true to your calling in Jesus Christ when evil doers entice you sin. The Holy Spirit will teach you what to speak in that time!

Let’s read the following Words of Jesus our Lord:

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:8-12)

Christ be with you!

 

Avoid Spiritual Pride

O you who love Jesus Christ, avoid spiritual pride in all its entirety for this does not please the Lord your God. And what is this spiritual pride; it when you look at all your good works and try to claim the credit for yourself and instead of giving the credit only to the Lord God who made it possible for you to great things in his Holy Name.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

O believer in Christ Jesus, remember that whatever good works you do, its only for the glory of the Living God who prepared all this beforehand. So when you do works of mercy and goodness and generosity you bear testimony to Grace of God. Do not get carried away by the praises of the people whom you help nor the praises of those who see you helping others, thinking in your heart that it was all you all along. Humble yourself greatly and say in such case that its the Lord your God who has blessed you with the ability to all this and so let all praise go to God alone.

Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

 

 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful. (1 Corinthians 13:1-4)

Keep in mind O you who love Jesus Christ, no matter how much you advance in the gifts of the Holy Spirit or even in the way of good works, never do it out of selfish motives but do it for the love of God. Take to heart that; what started with the love of God must continue to with the love of God and anything else which deviates from the love of God is sin which is not pleasing to the Lord God. Hence, keep away from spiritual pride and dwell in the presence of the Lord!

Verses to reflect upon:

• Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. (Proverbs 16:18)
• Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)
• Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:5-8,10)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds

 

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— ² I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, ⁶ being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:1-6)

O dear believers in Christ, please take heed as you walk for the Lord God. Remember that while you’re in the flesh, that our ways are not of the flesh but of the spirit. So do your warfare against the darkness and falsehood according to the Spirit of God rather than your fresh. 

Make the Lord God your strength rather than depend on your flesh for victories. For the darkness of the world cannot prevail against the Lord Almighty. If you make God your strength you won’t fail in the fight against evil.

When fighting evil know this; the fight is about destroying strongholds and arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. For each disobedience will be punished in the afterlife and no one will escape Judgement Day except for those who repent and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You might be faced with hardships on account of your faith in Jesus, but do no despair. God will reward those who stand by his Word in time of hardships and temptation. Be willing to face the hardness of life with good preparation, because the Lord Jesus himself told us us to build on solid ground instead of of the sand in (Matthew 7:24-27)

Walk with Jesus Christ in your thoughts, words and deed as your meditate on the Word of God and keep winning your victories against the powers of darkness!

Verses for reflection:

• By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left (2 Corinthians 6:7)
• The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12)
• Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:3)
• Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; (2 Corinthians 3:5)
  
  
  

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)


The grace of God has made available salvation for all people of all nations if they repent and believe in the Gospel. If were open to God’s grace, it’ll train us. This training is good, because we need to accept what is holy and reject the evil, in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Being self-controlled is a sign of wisdom when you life a that is both godly and upright. Be of good hope dear believer in Jesus Christ for the glory of God will appear when Jesus returns.

Never forget the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us. Because of this we redeemed from our sinful nature and are being sanctified. So that we by our faith live a life that gives glory to God by our good deeds, which the Lord God has called us to do.

Are you prudent enough to avoid danger?

Are you always falling in danger? Or is someone you know always falling in trouble? Then this write up is surely for you.

The Bible says:-

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. (Proverbs 22:3)

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. (Proverbs 27:12, KJV)

The the key words are ‘see danger’ and ‘foreseeth the evil’ (or ‘foreseeing the evil’ in modern English).

Let’s also understand the meaning of the word prudent.

Prudent – careful and avoiding risks: as per dictionary.cambridge.org

It’s a good thing to be prudent. Because by being careful you avoid risks.

If you know a certain exercise has harmed people, you can always avoid it or ask your physical trainer for an alternative.

Before you put your money for investment into a financial institution or corporation, its better to check the viability of long term positive returns. Otherwise you’d end up lamenting about your losses.

If you’re going to have surgery for yourself or friends and family, its always good to research and have a second opinion from another doctor, if that is the best thing to do. You don’t want to end up even more sick post surgery due to an ill informed decision.

Don’t get fooled by what you see on the TV or online about taking risks head on. You need to understand the risk and know why you need to take it or you can skip a worthless risk. It will save you a lot of time and effort.

It is not enough to see or foresee danger but also you must act accordingly on this. Most importantly follow the words of Jesus Christ as given below in Matthew 7:24-27:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

May you be truly prudent and avoid danger!

Parable of the Treasure hidden in a field

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.(Matthew 13:44)

The kingdom of heaven is a very great treasure. It’s greater than all the kingdoms and empires of the world. This is because God is seated on the throne of the kingdom and his kingdom is everlasting. Many kingdom have risen and fallen but God’s kingdom has and will remain eternal. There’s love, joy, peace and holiness in the Lord’s kingdom.

Happy are those who seek the kingdom of heaven above all earthly riches. For these know that the riches of the earth cannot exceed that of the kingdom of heaven in which no one lacks at the throne of God. What great a kingdom that Jesus Christ the Son of God had made us the children of God, can anyone else even compare? How great is the Lord God that he created the birds of air, the beasts of the field and the living things of the world by his Word?

Chase not after the vain things of the world which will hold no value in the afterlife. Any riches that lead to you sinning more to obtain such riches should be rejected as they will only increase your punishment in hell. Therefore treasure the kingdom of God more than anything else, so that you act worthily in sight of the God of hosts.