5 Ways to Redeem Halloween
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5 Ways to Redeem Halloween
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It’s that time again.
The dreaded Halloween.
When households across America are held up for treats, lest they get “tricked.”
Even worse, it is the season when death is celebrated. Horror is normalized. Murder is entertainment.
This creates a spiritual atmosphere that literally grants demonic spirits permission to afflict.
Post a prayer for your state!
It was not so in the beginning.
The world was not created for satan and his hordes, and his reign is temporary.
All things — including time, days, hours — belong to the Lord.
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters (Ps. 24:1-2)
The Lord designated humans as His representatives to rule and reign on earth.
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:28).”
But we corrupted the world when we sinned.
Then to Adam the Lord said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life (Gen. 3:17).’
Sin gave satan a foothold.
The Lord instructed Cain on this very point, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it (Gen.4:6-7).”
But Cain persisted in sinful anger, which led him to commit the first murder.
Violence has escalated ever since.
Remember Lamech? He told his wives:
Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold (Gen. 4:23b-24).
Opting out of the death culture is difficult.
But, as believers, it is not impossible.
The Lord created time.
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day (Gen. 1:5).
Like all things He has created, He can redeem it — even Halloween.
After all, He redeemed us from death, did He not?
As His representatives on earth, it is our privilege to enforce the Lord’s victory over death — and over the emphasis on death that October 31 currently has.
In Christ, mankind has regained heavenly authority — to spread the gospel — and to extend God’s governance over the earth.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:18-20).
For more information about the authority delegated to us from Jesus, check out this article published in 2023.
5 Ways to Redeem Halloween
So, how do we assert Jesus’ redemption over Halloween? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Hallelujah Service.
Our church has been hosting a service on the evening of October 31 that we joyfully call our Hallelujah service. We share a short Word and sing, sing, sing in praise and in worship.
For He is enthroned in the praises of His People….and where He is, the enemy must stand down.
Many churches offer streaming options or host their services on video services such as Rumble or YouTube.
Other fellowships are offering revival services for October 31. Here’s one being hosted in Wales to commemorate the 1904 Welsh revival (www.refinersrevival.com).
Be sure to account for any time differences between you and the event venue.
2. Study and Celebrate the Biblical Feasts.
No one can throw a party like the Lord. For real joy, immerse yourself in the Lord’s celebrations.
These feasts are His, so studying them helps us understand what He values in celebration. While they are discussed in other Scriptures, Leviticus 23 outlines all seven of His feasts in chronological order.
The Hebrew words for feasts mean appointed times. One way to think about these feasts is as appointments with the Lord — a way to meet with Him and reflect on how Jesus fulfilled these feasts and overcame death.
The 2026 calendar includes
- The Feast of Passover/Pesach
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread/Matzot
- The Day of First Fruits/Shavuot
- The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost
- The Day of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah
- The Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur
- The Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot
3. Pray Over the Fright Sites.
My husband, Rich (also an IFA contributing writer and prayer leader), and I are big believers in prayer walking — especially in troubled areas and over sinful displays.
Living in the heart of Times Square in New York City, we get a lot of practice.
We also live in a building filled with actors and Broadway workers because the theatre district is right here. When we first moved to this building, the amazing stagecraft of Broadway set builders and decorators was in full, gruesome display in our lobby during this season.
But we prayed and we sent our management suggestions about the decor.
For the last four or five years, we have seen pumpkins and fall grasses instead of the symbols of death and dying.
We also pray over storefronts and homes that display hideous displays and have avoided patronizing stores that continue to use these decorations.
4. Decorate with Life.
Why should death be our decoration? What if we advertised life with the same gusto as others do death?
Perhaps the Lord will lead you to display Christian symbols of life on your lawn, balcony, house, office, or school.
Here are a few ideas:
- The Cross and the Crown
- The Lion and the Lamb
- The Fish or Ichthys
- A Dove
- The Alpha and the Omega
5. Host a Worship Party.
If your church is not having a Hallelujah service, you can join one online or even host your own celebration, using your collection of worship music.
Rich and I occasionally host worship nights and enjoy opening our apartment up for the blessing of intimate worship fellowship.
Lord, please show us how You want us to co-labor to redeem October 31. We want to change our culture from death to life! In Jesus’ Name.
How are you praying for and redeeming Halloween?
New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor, a contributing writer, and a prayer leader for IFA. With her husband, Rich, who is also a contributing writer and prayer leader for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for close to 20 major magazines and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. www.RichDrama.com. Photo Credit: Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash.
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Our church hosts what we call:
LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, and we invite the community to come to experience Jesus through a variety of booths that are set up around Biblical themes. Then we give a Gospel presentation and invite people to receive Jesus. One of the Biblical-themed booths is a prayer booth where people can receive personal prayer for situations in their lives.
The Harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. Oct. 31 is not the devils day it is a day to look beyond the costumes and and reach out to this generation for Christ. This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Holy Spirit has led my husband and I and a group of prayer Warriors for the past 10 years to play worship music outside our home, set up tables with inspirational book and bibles for all ages, give out tracks, serve hots dogs most importantly ask families & teenagers would you like prayer. The Holy Spirit has moved in miraculous ways the lines of people with open hearts wanting prayer is unbelievable. Every year the Harvest continues to grow glory to God thanking the Lord of the Harvest for the salvations, healings and deliverance. I don’t ever want to forget where God brought me from I was once disguised I was once lost but now I am found glory to God. We must remember Jesus loves the little children. What would Jesus do on Oct. 31. We as believers must continue with the Great Commission as written in Isaiah 61
Revival starts with one heart at a time.
Glory and honor to our King.
The Harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. Oct. 31 is not the devils day it is a day to look beyond the costumes and and reach out to this generation for Christ. This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. The Holy Spirit has led my husband and I and a group of prayer Warriors for the past 10 years to play worship music outside our home, set up tables with inspirational book and bibles for all ages, give out tracks, serve hots dogs most importantly ask families & teenagers would you like prayer. The Holy Spirit has moved in miraculous ways the lines of people with open hearts wanting prayer is unbelievable. Every year the Harvest continues to grow glory to God thanking the Lord of the Harvest for the salvations, healings and deliverance. I don’t ever want to forget where God brought me from I was once disguised I was once lost but now I am found glory to God. We must remember Jesus loves the little children. What would Jesus do on Oct. 31. We as believers must continue with the Great Commission as written in Isaiah 61
Revival starts with one heart at a time.
Glory and honor to our King.
I was raised in an abusive home with a dad who was a true Nazi. If you study Nazis, you’ll know they were heavily involved in the occult and witchcraft. My dad practiced witchcraft on my brother and me and tried to kill us with his curses and attacks. I shared this link with friends tonight about Halloween and especially a friend who is not saved, raised Catholic and who loves Halloween as her second most favorite holiday after Christmas. https://mycharisma.com/spiritled-living/former-satan-worshipper-i-m-shocked-christians-celebrate-halloween/
Hi Kristin! I am so sorry to hear about your childhood. Christian author F. Scott Peck writes about the hardship of emotionally surviving an abusive, evil childhood in his book “People of the Lie,” saying:
“To come to terms with evil in one’s parentage is perhaps the most difficult and painful psychological task a human being can be called on to face.”
But I am so very proud of you for being an overcomer, and coming to Christ Jesus! Praise Jesus! That is WONDERFUL news! God bless you for your courage and strength! I hope your brother has prevailed also. And I enjoyed the link you posted to John Ramirez’ testimony. I have some of his books and have heard his interviews on Christian television, and his is a good, cautionary tale.
I will keep you and your brother in my prayers, today. Have a very blessed day!
You will probably take down my comment. I like passing out candy to cute litte kids dressed as princesses and boys dressed like prirates. I’m a good Christian woman with a deep bond to the Holy Spirit and to the gift of my faith.
I can maintain that and still enjoy a fun, secular holiday that brings me and my neighbors together having fun with the kids. It’s especially happy to see both fathers and mothers together walking with their young ones. Even the teens seem to be especially civillized on this evening, taking only one candy and waiting for younger brothers and sisters to catch up. If your fears have kept you from particiipating and enjoying this very special neighborhood night out, that’s your choice. But I encourage anyone who’s still is in a neighborhood that celebrates costumes and kids and free candy! to join in. You might even find a bit of God present here with all the family joy and neighborhood friendliness.
I do not like Halloween because of all the death symbols and skeletons. We still pass out candy AND tracts that kids can understand.
We live in a neighborhood with prob 120 kids. My husbands calls it “sowing seeds”
We have no Halleluiah parties or worship groups. That would be so cool. All we got here is trunk and treat and those just don’t seem like an alternative that is separate from Halloween.
And your comment did not get taken down so yay! It actually helped me a lot to navigate this season better. So thank you for that.
I encourage you to read this article and i pray you have a change of heart.
https://mycharisma.com/spiritled-living/former-satan-worshipper-i-m-shocked-christians-celebrate-halloween/
My husband was born on 10-31-47. He doesn’t call attention to the fact but some people make the connection and say, “Oh, you’re a Halloween baby!” He tells them his mother called him “the treat.” He grew up thinking when he and his 3 brothers walked around the neighborhood collecting candy, it was all because of his birthday.
There used to be Halloween-redeeming tracts we could give out with candy. We’re in an apartment building now and no one comes to our door but I still think it is a great opportunity!
One, thing even a step further is to not acknowledge that day at all. Consider it just like any other day and go about business as usual. Have nothing to do with that day at all – DON’T TRY TO CHRISTIANESE THAT DAY. LOOK ONLINE AT JOHN RAMIREZ’ halloween testimony, exposing the truth about it from his former days in the occult.
Thank you, db, you appear to be the only Christian here who UNDERSTANDS THE HOLINESS and the HEART of GOD that those who want the “fun of touching and playing” with the occult do NOT UNDERSTAND that there is NOTHING REDEEMABLE to it in HIS EYES. YES–bullseye! “Don’t try to “Christianese it”. As an Issachar Watchmen, Holy Spirit taught me to do a DEEP STUDY of GOD’s APPOINTED TIMES….and no, Halloween is not amongst it. The selection of DATES for APPOINTED TIMES is VERY SOVEREIGN and HOLY to GOD. HE ORDERS TIME and is ZEALOUS about “what” is done and “when”!
YHWH said, “DO NOT WORSHIP ME like the nations!” (Deut. 12:4) Paul wrote that we MUST NOT have the darkened minds of the Gentiles (before we were Christians) (Ephesians 4:17-19–please read it). We are IN COVENANT UNDER THE BETTER BLOOD (Heb. 12:24, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezk. 36, Isaiah 59, Romans 9-11, Eph. 2:15). LET your heart, soul, mind and action be HOLY — don’t “think” you can claim to be HIS and PLACE HIM IN PRE-EMINENCE (Rev. 2:4) and NOT have your actions reveal the TRUTH (Is. 29:13, Jer. 3:10, Elk. 22:27, Matt. 15:8, MARK 7:6-7, Ps. 78:36-37) He “ain’t playing games!”
“COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!” COME OUT means to be ENTIRELY separate and to NOT engage. No candies. No costumes. No cutesy church names for it. Not trying to “redeem what is NOT from GOD”. YHWH is the HEAD and NOT the tail. YESHUA did NOT go to the CROSS and ENDURE HORRIFIC TORTURE for you to “touch and enjoy or try to redeem an occult holiday.” RUN to THE LIGHT and do not engage in the darkness! A pig with lipstick on it–is still a pig. It’s NOT a beauty queen.
PLEASE CHOOSE HOLINESS on 10/31/2025. Please, please, please! “BE HOLY for I AM HOLY!” is in BOTH the OT and the NT. “I AM YHWH I CHANGE NOT! (Mal. 3:6) I was I the shower last week and the Holy Spirit said, “do you know WHY Satan chose 10/31 for Halloween? (I have been in prayer REPENTING by proxy for Americans OPENING THE DOOR TO DEMONIC ATTACKS by celebrating Halloween and churches doing “Trunk or Treat” cause they think God can’t figure out they still want to think with “darkened minds” and not walk in obedience to HIS HOLY WORD. I said, “WHY?” He said because it is AGAINST MY COMMANDMENTS–Biblical Numerology of “10” (see Exodus 20 and John 14:15) and it is AGAINST MY NEW COVENANT -Biblical Numerology which is “31”–ALL THROUGH SCRIPTURE (Jeremiah 31:31-34). YHWH did NOT choose this date. AT. ALL. What a mic drop!!!
Why not spend the night in deep prayer for the HARVEST of SOULS, in Israel first and then in ALL THE NATIONS and on BEHALF of ALL the Native Tribal Indigenous People Groups (who truly need our love and prayers!), cry out for the LOST, for OUR DECEIVED CHILDREN, for those who are TRAFFICKED–they have NO ONE TO HELP THEM ESCAPE, CRY OUT for a moment of CLARITY, LIGHT, TRUTH for everyone who has uttered curses or horrific slogans against Israel in America–who have CURSED themselves via Gen. 12:3, Numbers 24:9–so they can REPENT before HE RETURNS! BE THE LIGHT in the DARKNESS–by NOT engaging with 10/31.
Please do not engage AT ALL this year–listen to GOD’s WORD ABOVE ALL ELSE…and COME OUT of any holiday on a date which is NOT SCRIPTURAL! Understand the TIMES….there is NO MORE TIME TO SUGAR COAT EVERYTHING and MAKE IT PALATABLE. TRUTH MUST BE SPOKEN that LIVES MAY BE SAVED. REMEMBER…there are ONLY 5 WISE VIRGINS. There will be 5 who “thought” they knew the Bridegroom, “thought “they had oil, and “thought” that they would be “acceptable in doing whatever they wanted to do via “the oil of the vendors” and how they wanted to do it and “that the door would be opened…according to their wishes.” YHWH IS SOVEREIGN OVER TIME.
What did YESHUA say He will say in Matthew 25 ( in 2025??) “But HE answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I DO NOT KNOW YOU’. This is verse 12–because “12” is for GODLY ORDER and GODLY GOVERNANCE…and those 5 foolish virgins had not believed HIS WORD (they trusted their own thoughts and their own emotions) and had NOT OBEYED or PREPARED…so the DOOR will be CLOSED (Ezekiel 33).
REPENT the Bridegroom is returning sooner than people think!
Agree, db and Michelle!
This past month Holy Spirit has been speaking SO STRONGLY AGAINST HALLOWEEN and all the unaddressed sins and scandals in the church!
Isaiah 28 and Psalm 99–
HE IS HOLY!😇🙏
The FINAL CLEANSING- the “KATHARISMOS” according to the Holy Spirit–HE SAID IT THREE TIMES to MAKE A POINT (Greek–from a rhema word about Ephesians 4:12) the cleansing preparing, equipping and making READY and RADIANT of THE BRIDE of CHRIST as He comes to judge those who have NOT repented for “judgment begins in the House of the Lord”(just like in Ezk. 8 and Ezk.9:4-6) and in the epistle of Peter….
is soon to take place.
He needs His Church CLEAN, HUMBLE, REPENTANT and to “reflect HIS HOLINESS” and to be a SAFE PLACE for the Final Harvest! (Not a place which lacks discernment and cannot discern between right or wrong, holy or profane.)
Join me in praying for the Harvest on 10/31 once the sun goes down…ABBA will HEAR ALL THOSE who REMAIN on THE WALL with repentant hearts!🥰
I packed ziplock bags with free tracts I printed from https://www.flandersfamily.info/web/2017/10/21/no-fear-free-printable-halloween-tracts/
I included a small Gospel of Mark for teens/kids, thelifebook.com
And information about my church. I got another lady to help me pack enough bags for everyone in the church to take some to distribute. The kids are literally coming to your door, so don’t pass up the opportunity to get God’s word into their homes.
Sue, I just printed off some of those “Halloween Tracts”! flandersfamilyhome.info is a great little website! It only took me a short while to get “16 tracts” ready for distribution! I am telling my ladies Bible Study group about the website tomorrow when we meet! It’s wonderful to REDEEM this day & take it back for the cause of Christ! A prayer: “Father, your Word says ‘I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that you may live. Deuteronomy 30:19’. We decree & declare that we choose the abundant life we have access to by abiding in Christ! In Jesus powerful name I pray this. Amen.”
I buy full-size candy bars and put “Jesus Loves You” stickers (that I get from Amazon) on them. The kids pay attention to the “big” candy bars that they get in their haul, so I feel it’s worth the extra money to get those. (Hubby usually picks them up at CostCo for the savings.) I’ve also made “Jesus Loves You” stickers on my home computer with mailing labels in the past, to decorate the candy bars we hand out.
Thank you. Please don’t forget All Saints Day. Why not have an All Saints Day Even celebration. There are so many who have gone before us who are looking down from that great cloud of witnesses. Father God, may we celebrate those You celebrate.
I encourage you to read this article and I pray you have a change of heart about All Saints Day.
https://mycharisma.com/spiritled-living/former-satan-worshipper-i-m-shocked-christians-celebrate-halloween/
My wife and I love Christmas and we do not celebrate Halloween at all. Rather than let this week’s event go by without addressing it, we set up several of our Christmas decorations in opposition to Halloween. We set up a life-size outdoor lighted Nativity set with baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph under a golden arch. We have a lighted angel releasing a dove to the sky. We have several lighted Christmas trees as well. Our neighbors know immediately that we celebrate Jesus and his redeeming love and life, not the death associated with Halloween. We look forward to discussions with our neighbors about the early set up of Christmas decorations so that we can provide knowledge of the darkness associated with celebrating Hallowen.
I love this!
Great idea, if I can get my Christmas stuff out in time I’ll try to do that!!
We need to remind ourselves that Martin Luther chose Oct 31 on 1531 to tact up his 95 theses. Originally, Halloween was for the purpose of ridding negative spirits for the next day, Nov 01, All Saints Day. Halloween was devised by righteous people, but it has been taken hostage by unbelievers who consider it to be their high “holy” day. This should move the hearts of the Lord’s people to pray harder and testify more profoundly.
So true!
Love all the ideas for redeeming Halloween Joyce!!! Thanks for sharing them with everyone! Many blessings to you and Rich.
And to you, Angela. Thank you for your important article this week, too!
October 31 is also Reformation Day. Celebrate that.
Reformation Day is a Protestant Christian religious holiday celebrated on 31 October in remembrance of the onset of the Reformation. According to Philip Melanchthon, 31 October 1517 was the day Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Electorate of Saxony, in the Holy Roman Empire.
Yes and Amen!
Joyce, while I appreciate your suggestions, I don’t consider these ways to “redeem” something that is not redeemable. What is satanic cannot be redeemed, it must be rejected and renounced. Your suggestions are simply ways to oppose, and it should be opposed – never given opportunity to appear as “innocent”.
Mary Beth, this is an important point. Thank you for clarifying that we cannot redeem the event but the day…and as I know we are all aware, it is the Lord who actually redeems time. Thank you for your careful correction. Iron sharpens iron!
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Lord, the church in general is looking more and more like the world. Having a party or fall festival is fine, but only if the gospel is the clear message during the “fun.” Speak to the leaders of these “parties” that they will glorify Jesus instead. Rescue us, Lord. Let us be salt and light in this dark world. Amen.
Amen and Amen!
I like your suggestions! We have never celebrated Halloween. We didn’t allow our children to do “trick or treating” our approach had been to keep the lights off and just hunker down, until it was past. The increase over the past 10 years in halloween Decorations, lights etc has just been sadly amazing. We also never did ” the easter bunny”, or “santaclaus” Sad to us, our adult children have not kept the world away and have fallen into Halloween dress-up and candy collection for our grandchildren. They have kept away from celebrating death and horror directly. We have had some “happy JESUS” parties over the years.
Love your Happy Jesus parties! We have Birthday Cake for Jesus every Christmas and so many children have been surprised to learn the real meaning of the day, but the birthday cake creates an impression.
I’m sure your Happy Jesus parties have meant a lot to your grandchildren and have kept the witness. Bless you for your love for the Lord and for them!
Yes Mr Alexander we did the same with our kids, and they totally went crazy celebrating Halloween now that they are young adults.
So restricting our kids just caused them to celebrate it all the more and now with our grandkids. So not sure if we did the right thing. We did what we thought was right at the time, so I have peace abt that.