We tell each other, “Don’t settle.”
We mean, “Don’t settle for less than what you want and deserve.”
Stand firm on what’s important to you.
Hold out for your truest desires.
Wait for God’s best for you.
It seems a lot of us have developed a stubbornness on that front that is necessary to keep from bending. However, we’ve learned not to settle or bend on ‘our own’ values – what’s important ‘to us.” What’s sad is that we’ve given ourselves permission in many cases to “settle” in regards to God’s’ values – what’s important to God.
Maybe we’re still serving Him, but settling for less than wholeheartedly. We may be comfortable, but God isn’t. We may be satisfied in standing firmly on what we deem valuable and by drawing our own lines in the sand…all the while neglecting the line God drew in the sand a long time ago, and neglecting what’s VERY important to HIM!
I keep recalling this account in Numbers 25:
“While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.
For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.
The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.’
So Moses said to the judges of Israel, ‘Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.’
Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,
and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
‘Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.'”
(Numbers 25:1-11)
Verse 3 says, “So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.”
Who do we want to be like in this account? The “majority” of Israel? Or Phinehas, full of righteous zeal? Which one would be “settling”?
The Israelites were joining themselves to a pagan people, pagan women, and a pagan god – “playing the harlot with the daughters of Moab,” subjecting themselves to God’s wrath and to death.
Israel’s greatest downfalls throughout history have always been 1) not tearing down the high places, and 2) joining themselves to foreign (pagan) women. These things opened the doors for corruption and consistently led to their destruction (with a remnant surviving).
We, even God’s own people, are leaving up high places, flirting with the evil one who is NOT our beloved bridegroom, and joining ourselves to a pagan God and a pagan people. We’re in covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet we celebrate the highest holy day of a pagan god – our beloved’s nemesis!
Think of what it means to ‘join yourself’ to your husband. By even remotely partaking in pagan practices, we’re ‘joining ourselves’ to the evil one and becoming ‘one flesh’ with the enemy. Even if we’re not surrounding a fire where human ‘blood sacrifices’ are being made (which happens in the highest capacity on Halloween), the entire holiday is, itself, a pagan ritual.
The founder of the church of satan himself said, “I’m glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year.” (Anton Lavey)
Multiple testimonies from ex-occultists state that by dressing up in costume or painting yourself for Halloween, you’re giving spirits the legal right to change your identity.
By participating in Halloween, we are participating in a satanic ritual, and thereby opening a spiritual door for demonic spirits to enter our lives. God protects us when we are walking in faithfulness to our marriage covenant with Him, but when we play the harlot with foreign gods, we’re basically handing the demonic forces a key to our lives.
Do we want to dress our kids up in immorality and open doors for demonic powers to access their lives? Even in sweet, little costumes we’re participating in a satanic ritual…so what about when we dress them up as witches and other entities linked directly to the occult, the very people who perform demonic blood rituals and human sacrifices OF CHILDREN?! How can we, as God’s people and the bride of Messiah, glorify the very evil that defies our God, also glorifying demonic torment and death?
Please consider the doors you’re opening into your children’s lives by participating in the practices of Halloween.
When the prophet Elijah went up against the prophets of baal, this is what He said to Israel:
“Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him a word.” (1 Kings 18:21)
I say this truly out of love and care for people and their families. Flirting with the principalities of darkness only opens doors for demonic presence and influence in your home.
“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)
I pray peace, light, and God’s love over you!
Blessings,
~Brianna
Find more from Brianna on her Instagram and be sure to check out her new book!
