there are some things we have become so desensitized to that we don’t even stop to ask what we are opening the door to. i think this is especially important to talk about as halloween approaches. because somewhere along the way, we started treating the spiritual realm like a joke. like it’s entertainment. demons are costumes, ghosts are decorations, witchcraft is a trend, horror is just a genre, and anything supernatural is harmless as long as we’re only watching it on a screen. we laugh about it. we dress up as it. we pay money to walk through it. we listen to music that glorifies it. we watch movies that normalize it. we invite it into our homes through what we consume, and then wonder why our minds feel increasingly confused, heavy, fearful, or desensitized. but the spiritual realm is REAL!
ephesians 6:12 says, “for we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” there is an unseen world around us that scripture repeatedly tells us to take seriously. there are things happening beyond what our natural eyes can see. there is a kingdom of darkness, and there is a kingdom of light. there is an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy, and there is a Jesus who came that we might have life abundantly. so why would we treat the things of darkness as harmless entertainment? and before someone says, “it’s just halloween,” i think we have to ask a deeper question: what exactly are we entertaining?
because this isn’t about being afraid of everything. this isn’t about walking around paranoid that every scary movie is going to invite a demon into your house. this isn’t about believing that every strange feeling is spiritual warfare. discernment is not paranoia. discernment is knowing what deserves access to you. there is a difference between accidentally encountering something dark and intentionally positioning yourself in an environment that celebrates, glorifies, or engages with darkness. and i think that’s where we have to become honest, because we can open doors without realizing we’re opening them. we can open doors through what we watch, through what we listen to, through what we repeatedly think about, through what we laugh at, through what we normalize, through what we participate in, through the environments we willingly place ourselves in, through curiosity, through compromise, through entertainment, and through things we once would have been convicted about but eventually became desensitized to because we kept exposing ourselves to them.
the enemy doesn’t always need to make something look terrifying. sometimes he just needs to make it look normal. that’s the deception. if he can get you to stop recognizing something as darkness, you will eventually stop resisting it. isaiah 5:20 warns, “woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” that verse should make us pause, because one of the enemy’s greatest strategies is confusion. he wants to blur the lines until we can’t tell what we’re looking at anymore. he wants holiness to feel extreme and darkness to feel normal. he wants conviction to feel unnecessary and compromise to feel harmless. and sometimes we are so busy asking, “is this technically a sin?” that we never ask, “is this helping me become more like Jesus?” those are two very different questions.
1 corinthians 6:12 says, “you say, ‘i am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you.” just because something is permissible doesn’t mean it is profitable. just because something isn’t explicitly named in a list of sins doesn’t mean it is something we should willingly feed our spirit with. because what we feed grows. we understand this physically. if you constantly feed your body junk, eventually your body reflects what you’ve been consuming. if you consistently train your body, it becomes stronger. spiritually, we aren’t any different. galatians 6:8 says, “whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” what we feed grows. what we continually expose ourselves to begins to shape us, whether we realize it or not. we cannot constantly sow into the flesh and expect to walk strongly in the Spirit. we cannot continually consume things that glorify darkness, violence, lust, witchcraft, death, fear, or demonic activity and then act surprised when our minds become desensitized to the very things God has called us to discern.
there is a reason scripture tells us to “walk by the Spirit” (galatians 5:16). there is a reason we are told to set our minds on things above (colossians 3:2). there is a reason philippians 4:8 tells us to dwell on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. what we allow into our minds matters. what we repeatedly entertain matters. what we laugh at, celebrate, watch, listen to, and normalize matters. and this is where i think we have to be honest with ourselves. sometimes we are asking God to give us discernment while intentionally putting ourselves in environments that require us to ignore it. we say we want to hear God’s voice clearly, but we continually fill our minds with things that make it harder to recognize what is holy and what is not. we ask God to protect our peace while voluntarily consuming things designed to provoke fear, anxiety, darkness, or fascination with the demonic. we cannot be careless about what we open ourselves up to and then wonder why we feel spiritually unsettled. discernment is not always about proving that something is evil beyond a shadow of a doubt. sometimes discernment is simply recognizing, “i don’t have peace about this, so i’m not going there.”
and please understand, this isn’t about living afraid of everything. as believers, we are not called to be paranoid. we are called to be discerning. there is a difference. we don’t have to walk around terrified of demons hiding behind every corner because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 john 4:4). but because we know there is an enemy, we should also understand that we don’t need to volunteer ourselves for unnecessary exposure. wisdom says you don’t have to touch the fire to prove that it burns. you don’t have to enter every environment just because you are confident that you can leave it. you don’t have to watch everything just because you know it’s fictional. you don’t have to participate in everything everyone else is participating in just because culture has declared it harmless. sometimes the wisest spiritual decision you can make is simply not to go. not because you’re better than anyone. not because you’re trying to judge anyone. not because you’re scared. but because you know what God has called you to protect.
proverbs 4:23 says, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” notice that scripture doesn’t tell us to casually monitor our hearts. it tells us to guard them. that means we have a responsibility to pay attention to what we allow access to our minds, our hearts, our homes, our conversations, our entertainment, and our environments. every door doesn’t need to be opened just because someone hands you a key. and this is where i think we have to understand something deeper: your house is not just the physical place you live. your house is also your heart. your house is your mind. your house is the atmosphere you cultivate. your house is what you have been entrusted to steward.
joshua 24:15 says, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” that is more than a verse we put on a wall. that is a declaration. that is a decision. that is a boundary. as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. if i am going to declare that my house belongs to God, then i have to be intentional about what i allow through the doors. i get to decide what atmosphere i cultivate. i get to decide what conversations are entertained. i get to decide what entertainment enters my home. i get to decide what influences my mind and my heart. i get to decide what i will and will not tolerate in the space God has entrusted to me. because if my house belongs to God, then everything that enters it should be something i am willing to bring before Him.
and that applies to our physical homes, but it also applies to the house within us. because what enters our physical house can influence its atmosphere, and what enters our hearts can influence the atmosphere of our lives. we cannot say, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” while intentionally filling that house with things that continually grieve our spirit, disturb our peace, feed our flesh, or glorify what God has called us to reject. we have to become protective of what God has entrusted to us. not possessive. not fearful. protective.
sometimes protecting your peace means creating a boundary. sometimes it means saying no. sometimes it means leaving a conversation. sometimes it means turning something off. sometimes it means not going somewhere. sometimes it means creating distance from a relationship that continually pulls you away from Jesus. sometimes it means recognizing that not everyone gets access to you, not every conversation belongs in your house, not every relationship belongs in your inner circle, not every form of entertainment belongs on your screen, and not every atmosphere is one you are called to sit in. boundaries are not always rejection. sometimes boundaries are stewardship. sometimes saying “no” is obedience. sometimes closing a door is exactly what protecting your peace looks like.
we talk about wanting the peace of God, but protecting your peace requires you to pay attention to what you allow around you. you cannot continually allow things into your life that disturb your peace and then ask God why you don’t have any. sometimes God isn’t asking you to pray harder about something. sometimes He is asking you to close the door. close the door to the conversation that continually leaves you anxious. close the door to the relationship that continually pulls you away from Jesus. close the door to the entertainment that leaves your spirit unsettled. close the door to environments where you constantly have to compromise your convictions. close the door to things that feed fear, confusion, lust, anger, darkness, or anything else that is producing fruit contrary to the Spirit.
you don’t have to let everything into your house.
and you don’t have to feel guilty for protecting what God has entrusted to you. there is a difference between being fearful and being watchful. there is a difference between isolation and discernment. there is a difference between judging people and deciding what you will personally allow access to your life. Jesus never called us to be careless. He called us to be wise. if something continually disrupts the peace of God in your house, you don’t have to keep giving it access simply because culture says it’s normal.
the enemy doesn’t always need you to completely reject God. sometimes all he needs is distraction, confusion, desensitization, compromise. a little opening here. a little curiosity there. a little entertainment that doesn’t seem like a big deal. a little exposure that slowly becomes normal. and before you know it, something that once would have bothered your spirit doesn’t bother you anymore. that’s dangerous. because the goal isn’t always to make you run straight into darkness. sometimes the goal is simply to make you comfortable standing near it. we have to stop treating spiritual things like they are a joke. ephesians 5:11 says, “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” scripture doesn’t tell us to experiment with darkness. it doesn’t tell us to get as close to it as possible without technically participating. it tells us to have nothing to do with it.
deuteronomy 18:10-12 specifically warns God’s people against practices involving divination, sorcery, witchcraft, mediums, spiritism, and consulting the dead. why would God give such strong warnings if the spiritual realm were nothing more than harmless entertainment? we have to stop assuming that because something is packaged as entertainment, it is spiritually neutral. everything we consume may not be spiritually neutral. everything we participate in may not be spiritually neutral. and everything that is culturally acceptable is not automatically biblically acceptable. this is why discernment matters. because the enemy wants to get us so confused and knocked off our rockers that we don’t even know what we’re standing on anymore. he wants to blur the lines between holy and unholy, truth and deception, light and darkness. he wants us so entertained that we stop paying attention, so distracted that we stop praying, so desensitized that we stop discerning. but Jesus called us to be sober and watchful.
1 peter 5:8 says, “be sober-minded; be watchful. your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” watchful. that means paying attention. that means being intentional. that means asking questions. that means sometimes turning something off. sometimes leaving a place. sometimes saying no. sometimes being willing to look different. and sometimes trusting the Holy Spirit when you can’t fully explain why something doesn’t sit right with you. you don’t have to prove that something is dangerous before deciding that you don’t want it in your life. if you have to keep convincing yourself, “it’s probably fine,” maybe that’s your sign to step back. if you already feel uneasy about an environment, you don’t have to force yourself to go just because your friends are going. if something continually pulls your mind toward darkness instead of drawing you toward Christ, why keep feeding it?
because what we feed grows. feed the flesh, and the flesh grows. feed fear, and fear grows. feed lust, and lust grows. feed anger, and anger grows. feed curiosity about darkness, and curiosity grows. but feed your spirit, and your spirit grows. feed yourself the Word, and truth grows. feed yourself prayer, and intimacy with God grows. feed yourself worship, and your awareness of His presence grows. feed yourself things that are pure, and purity becomes more valuable to you.
we don’t overcome darkness by becoming obsessed with darkness. we overcome darkness by walking in the light. john 8:12 says, “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” so as halloween approaches, maybe the question isn’t simply, “is this allowed?” maybe the better question is, “is this helping me walk in the light?” does this draw me closer to Jesus or make darkness more entertaining to me? does this strengthen my spirit or feed my flesh? does this produce peace or confusion? does this honor God? would i be comfortable inviting Jesus into this environment with me? and if the answer makes you uncomfortable, listen to that. you don’t have to put yourself in places you’re unsure about. you don’t have to participate just because everyone else is. you don’t have to compromise your convictions to avoid making someone else uncomfortable.
your relationship with God is worth protecting. your mind is worth protecting. your heart is worth protecting. your home is worth protecting. your spiritual sensitivity is worth protecting. your peace is worth protecting. because there are doors that are much easier to open than they are to close. and maybe the most mature thing you can do isn’t to prove that you can stand in a dark place without being affected by it. maybe it’s recognizing that you don’t belong there in the first place.
we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. we are called to be light. we are called to be set apart. we are called to walk in wisdom. we are called to test everything and hold fast to what is good (1 thessalonians 5:21). so be mindful of what you’re allowing your senses to take in. be mindful of what you’re watching. be mindful of what you’re listening to. be mindful of where you’re going. be mindful of what you’re laughing at. be mindful of what you’re becoming comfortable with. because what you repeatedly expose yourself to can eventually become what you tolerate, and what you tolerate can eventually become what you entertain, and what you entertain can eventually become what you participate in.
so guard the door. guard your heart. guard your mind. guard your home. protect your peace. create the boundaries you need to create. don’t allow everything into your house simply because everyone else has decided it’s normal. you don’t have to apologize for protecting what God has entrusted to you. you don’t have to explain every boundary. you don’t have to prove why you said no. you don’t have to let something into your house that continually pulls you out of the peace God gave you.
because as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
my house belongs to God. my heart belongs to God. my mind belongs to God. my peace belongs to God. and therefore, i have a responsibility to steward those things well.
i would rather be misunderstood by people than disobedient to God. i would rather have an empty room than a full house filled with things that steal the presence and peace of God. i would rather have boundaries that make people uncomfortable than a lack of boundaries that leaves my spirit constantly unsettled. because protecting your peace is not weakness. guarding your heart is not being dramatic. saying no is not being extreme. sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is simply close the door.
we were created to shift atmospheres, not just survive them.
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