I was recently talking to a friend who is walking through some deep waters in his marriage and family. As we were unpacking some of the issues he is facing and I was recommending some resources for him, we became mutually aware of a disturbing reality.

He has been a believer for many years and has been a part of “gospel-preaching” churches—some that even add the word “full” to their gospel. He has heard multiple sermons on tithing, on the importance of bringing your family to church, getting involved in “ministry”, supporting the vision of the pastor. But he has never been exposed to any substantive, biblical teaching on the role of the father as a shepherd and pastor to his own family.

As the lights went on, my friend became angry, as he realized that many of the things he had been taught in church had not been for the purpose of empowering him to fulfill the primary role God had given him. Instead, he was being systematically programmed to orient his life and his family’s life to support and to become dependent on a religious institution and to subcontract his God-given responsibility to professional clergy.

Two types of people will one day be held accountable for this travesty: first, the pastors who encouraged it for the sake of increasing their egos and ensuring the security of their careers; and second, the lazy and cowardly fathers and husbands who farmed out their responsibilities.

This pre-Halloween article about the dangers of celebrating the holiday somehow evaded my notice until Monday. Here are a few key takeaways, if you don’t read the article:

• Most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.

• Halloween is a counterfeit holy day that is dedicated to celebrating the demonic trinity.

• During Halloween, time-released curses are loosed.

The author’s information about Halloween has apparently been gleaned from her pre-conversion experience and her more recent interaction with witches, warlocks and and other occult practitioners. My question is this: Can you trust a witch?

For example, what if a witch (former or otherwise) says, “Our coven gathers at Walgreens the week before Halloween and cast spells on the bins of candy”? This may be true, but is it true also that the candy is then cursed? If you believe this, aren’t you buying into the false worldview of the witch—a non-biblical deception that suggests inanimate objects can possess spiritual power, both evil and good?

Or if a warlock professes that he believes in the demonic trinity, does that mean that such a “trinity” exists? Furthermore, are “time-released” curses something we should really be worried about? Remember, just because occult practitioners believe these things are real does not make them real.

This is not to say that there are not supernatural realities that engage the real world—I’ve seen them manifest themselves. However, our theology of the supernatural should come from scripture alone, not those who are in bondage to the occult.

Note: Lest you think I am unfairly criticizing the author of this article, I have met and interviewed her for articles, and I’ve never met someone more simultaneously sincere and reckless in her misuse of scripture. If you’re interested, read my article from 2004 titled “Deliverance Malpractice,” in which I interview her.

Yesterday’s sermon on spiritual warfare got me thinking about some of the myths about the devil that I’ve heard over the years.

The devil can hear you. I’ve often heard people recount conversations they’ve had with the devil—and I’m usually a bit suspicious of these claims. Although Satan is a powerful fallen angel, he is not omniscient or omnipresent. As a created being, he is limited by time and space just like you and I are. Satan may dispatch agents to observe your actions and words and report back to him, but attempting to speak to him, command him, personally debate with him, etc. is a fruitless enterprise.

Satan wants you miserable. From Satan’s perspective, unhappy, troubled, impoverished people have this unsavory habit of seeking God for solace. The devil’s priority is simultaneously your temporary comfort and your eternal torment. Consider this instruction from C.S. Lewis’s demon, Screwtape, to his protege: “Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of really being at home on Earth, which is just what we want.”

You have authority over Satan. While it is enjoyable to imagine us smashing the devil, it is not something that is in our capacity or authority. Scripture provides no precedent for direct battle with Satan beyond resisting him by submitting to God (James 4:7). Jesus rebuked the disciples for gloating about their success in expelling demons (Luke 10:20). Paul notes that Satan will be crushed under our feet—but that it is God who will do the crushing (Romans 16:20).

Are there other myths about the devil that you’ve encountered?