Since the posts this week have been dedicated to evil and whatnot, and since it’s Friday the 13th, [I'm not superstitious, so the title is merely a crass attempt to generate traffic.] I ask you this: What are you praying for your kids? I am tempted to pray that God keeps them safe, protected from all evil. In fact, Matthew 6:13, part of the Lord’s Prayer, seems to encourage me in this.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Or does it? Actually, I think it could be better translated, “Deliver us from the Evil One.” (I’m not sure why my beloved NASB dropped the ball on this one, and the Non-Inspired Version got it right.) If my reading is correct, it reflects Jesus’ own prayer for us in John 17:15, which uses the same Greek phrase. (The NASB gets it right this time, go figure.):

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”

So, I pray that Satan will keep his hands of my kids—just like Jesus prayed for us. But I also pray that, as they grow up “in the world”, God will empower them to confront evil on a personal and global scale.

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.