celebrating halloween

²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons. You cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and partakers of the table of demons.

¹¹And so, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, refute them.

¹¹Most beloved, do not be willing to imitate what is evil; instead imitate what is good. Whoever does good is of God. Whoever does evil has not seen God.

¹⁴Do not choose to bear the yoke with unbelievers. For how can justice be a participant with iniquity? Or how can the fellowship of light be a participant with darkness? ¹⁵And how can Christ join together with Belial? Or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful? ¹⁶And what consensus does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, just as God says: “I will dwell with them, and I will walk among them. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷Because of this, you must depart from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean. ¹⁸Then I will accept you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

²And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.

⁶Let no one seduce you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God was sent upon the sons of unbelief. ⁷Therefore, do not choose to become participants with them. ⁸For you were darkness, in times past, but now you are light, in the Lord. So then, walk as sons of the light. ⁹For the fruit of the light is in all goodness and justice and truth, ¹⁰affirming what is well-pleasing to God. ¹¹And so, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, refute them.

³¹Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you may do, do everything for the glory of God.

⁹Let love be without falseness: hating evil, clinging to what is good,

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places.

¹²The night has passed, and the day draws near. Therefore, let us cast aside the works of darkness, and be clothed with the armor of light.

²¹Do not allow evil to prevail, instead prevail over evil by means of goodness.

²¹But test all things. Hold on to whatever is good. ²²Abstain from every kind of evil.

¹Now the Spirit has clearly said that, in the end times, some persons will depart from the faith, paying attention to spirits of error and the doctrines of devils,

⁹When you will have entered into the land which the Lord your God will give to you, be careful that you are not willing to imitate the abominations of those nations. ¹⁰Do not let there be found among you one who would purify his son or daughter by leading them through fire, nor one who consults seers, nor one who observes dreams or omens. Do not let there be found among you one who practices the occult, ¹¹nor one who uses spells, nor one who consults demonic spirits, nor a diviner, nor one who seeks the truth from the dead. ¹²For the Lord abominates all these things. And, because of these wicked ways, he will destroy them at your arrival. ¹³You shall be perfect and without blemish with the Lord your God. ¹⁴These nations, whose land you shall possess, they listen to soothsayers and diviners. But you have been otherwise instructed by the Lord your God.

⁶The proverb is: A youth is close to his way; even when he is old, he will not withdraw from it.

²³But the hour is coming, and it is now, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeks such persons who may worship him. ²⁴God is Spirit. And so, those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of virtue, and of love, and of self-restraint.

⁸Concerning the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is chaste, whatever is just, whatever is holy, whatever is worthy to be loved, whatever is of good repute, if there is any virtue, if there is any praiseworthy discipline: meditate on these.

⁷Therefore, be subject to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁴You adulterers! Do you not know that the friendship of this world is hostile to God? Therefore, whoever has chosen to be a friend of this world has been made into an enemy of God.

⁸Be sober and vigilant. For your adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion, traveling around and seeking those whom he might devour.