Latest / High Level Wife Podcast with Chelsey Holm / Unfruitful Works of Darkness: God Says Expose But You're Still Celebrating Them

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Unfruitful Works of Darkness: God Says Expose But You're Still Celebrating Them · High Level Wife Podcast with Chelsey Holm

• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the High Level Wife Podcast.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: This is Chelsea Holm, your hostess, and here we do marriage God's Way.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about it.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Halloween.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's coming this weekend.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, it was so funny.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: I was talking to my mom earlier today, and she was planning on coming down, but uh for the weekend, and then some some things changed, and so she might not be coming down now.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: But uh she was like, But it's Halloween, you guys are gonna be out trick-or-treating.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, I just said, Mom, we don't we don't participate in Halloween anymore.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um and uh she's like, Oh, but as a kid, you guys used to dress up, and and then you and your kids, like you guys used to dress up, and I'm like, I know, um, but we just we just don't participate in that anymore.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, last year we decided to go the path of light the night, um, and looking at it as you know, we don't fear darkness.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like Halloween is just it's all about darkness and like scaring people, like you can hardly walk through a store anymore without your kids getting scared because there is just terrifying stuff everywhere, you know, especially at like the home improvement type stores and like the home decor type stores, and uh, and I don't like that.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't want my kids to be scared, and I don't want to scare kids, right?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm not going to engage in the darkness, right?
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, do not associate with them, for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is from Ephesians chapter 5.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I start I started reading in verse 7, but really we should start in verse 3.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And last year I had some deep conviction around Halloween because I will be the first to tell you that, like, um, so like my dad and stepmom, we didn't participate in Halloween.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: We were just like turning the lights off and like hide in our house.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I never really understood why.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I always was has have been like a very creative person.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I've always loved dressing up and just like the fun behind being creative and creating costumes and and all of that.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, candy don't really care, like having kids, you know, we care about our health and we we steward our health as you know as best as we are able, while also not, you know, stealing all of the fun from our kids when it comes to candy.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: We still we still let them have some because we don't, we don't, yeah, yeah.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, that sorry, getting off topic there, but you know, so that was the hardest part for me was like it was one of those things where it's like the Lord's bringing conviction, and you're like, oh Lord, here it comes.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, okay, I asked for this, you know, and so verse six, let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so as I was being convicted of this last year, you know, I just and I was seeing the darkness and the wickedness, and I started doing some just some some diving into um you know, like, is this as believers, is this something that we should be participating in?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Just because it's a cultural thing and just because we've always done it since we were kids, does that mean it's okay?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Or have we become so desensitized to death and darkness and fear and scaring that it's just something we do and we've never stopped to question it.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where I was.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so instead of just turning the lights off and hiding, I decided to, based on this passage in Ephesians, to light the night, to take back the night that this isn't this is a day that the Lord has made.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so what I did is um I invited a friend over, and together, you know, we had a fire, we had um some like a s'm's stand sweet and savory, we had some crafts to make crosses, we we had lights everywhere, we had Christian music playing, we had uh a projector in the garage of like Bible project videos for the kids.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we invited people to pray.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: We invited people, we you know, we said we're not um we're not doing trick-or-treating, but you guys are welcome to come and sit and we will pray with you.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can hang out.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and so that's what we did.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so funny because in our town, there's like a group in the town in Illinois that we were in, and I had just posted, like, hey, you know, this has been our conviction this year.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: We're not doing trick-or-treating, but I am doing a life the night at our house.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I said, if you're if you also are being convicted this year and you want um to take back the night with us, then here's my address.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Come and pray.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, the the internet went crazy and like blew it up, and people were horrible, like the comments, horrible, so mean.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like I got called every name under the book.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: I got accused of like stealing my kids' childhoods, and like you name it.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, I got threatened, honestly.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there were some people that were like, I can't believe you put your address on here.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: That wasn't a good idea because dot dot.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and there were some more direct than that.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: But I said, you know what?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: God led me to this, he convicted me of this, and he gave me this idea to light the night.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: I will not back down and I will not be afraid because I do not have a spirit of fear, but I have a spirit of power and love and self-control.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, I will light the night.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I will post my address.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe and trust that the Lord is going to put a hedge of protection around us, and he did, and it was very well received by real people who actually decided to come out.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we met some new people, like people we had never met before.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: They were like, hey, we were looking for an alternative.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: We saw your post, and here we are, you know.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we we made some good connections that way and really just created that space for the Holy Spirit to move.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we got to pray with strangers, but not strangers, brothers and sisters in the body of Christ that we hadn't met until that night, you know, we got to pray around our fire, and you know, the kids got to play, and and it was pretty cool, you know.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: We got some weird looks, you know, from uh trick-or-treaters that, you know, we're no, we're not doing candy, but if you guys want to come and hang out and sit around the fire, and you know, we had I think we had hot chocolate too and whatever.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, um, but it was a great time.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so we just moved here.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Halloween is this weekend.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: And no, we're not gonna be doing trick-or-treaty.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, we're not gonna be hosting, like we're not gonna be having passing out candy or any of that.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna be engaging in any of that.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, we wanted to go to a pumpkin patch because one thing we I do like to do with our kids is we like to paint pumpkins, like everyone gets one and then we paint them, whatever cool design you want.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think last maybe it was last year, a couple years ago, um, Bo painted like a shark.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um Polly painted this really cool, like pink and green vine design.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, like just really pretty, like their own thing.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: It could just be whatever they wanted.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, we didn't get to a comic apatch this year.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: We were busy, like I said, we just moved here, and uh, I don't even know if we will be doing that at all.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: But um, and I'm still kind of contemplating in my head, you know, waiting for the Lord to be like, yeah, let's do that, or not.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if I'll do a light the night here, I might, I might, I might in our driveway still, but I wanted to talk about Halloween.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna dive into it because there are so many better, wiser, like have already done the legwork on why Christians, as Christians, we should not celebrate Halloween, right?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Because of, you know, and I'm just gonna focus on the darkness and the death that is celebrated, right?
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I did tell my kids, I said the only way I would ever have one of those giant skeletons if I set it up as David and Goliath, David taking down Goliath, and the only way I would ever have like some sort of scary thing falling out of my window is if it was Jezebel hitting the ground and then getting eaten by worms and dogs and all that.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that is the only way that I would ever participate in anything like that.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And it would be like a punch in the face of the darkness, but I'm not gonna do that.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: I saw one of those skeletons, they're like$300.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are we doing spending money on that?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Guys, we got we got people starving and think houses that need to be built around.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what are we doing?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, okay, no shade, no shade.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: But I want you to go to Ephesians 5 and I want you to study this passage five, verse 3 through 21.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want you to be afraid and to turn your lights off and to hide in your basement.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: I do want you to sit with the Lord in this and see if he is convicting you of the same thing.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if he is, I want you to have the hard conversations with your kids of why we're not doing this and and what we're doing instead, and and why we don't participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead we expose them.
• 11:35
  unknown: Right?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Why are we the light?
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: I literally put this on my kids t-shirts for school last year because they were supposed to wear costumes to school, and I said, No, we're not doing that.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I made t-shirts for all of them.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: They're black t-shirt t-shirts with white writing, but they also have glow in the dark writing on there.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I wrote out this passage to uh, you are light in the world, walk as children of light.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I wrote out to take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that that uh definitely, you know, sets the stage for some some interesting questions and conversations with people who see them in their t-shirts.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's good, right?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like it gives us an opening for the gospel, it's not about like holding non-believers accountable, they're non-believers, they they know not what they do, right?
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: This is about calling Christians out of culture, right?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: And and following the Lord closely to be different.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because if we look exactly like the culture around us and nothing is different, and nothing could differentiate us, then how how do we start any of those conversations, right?
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and so I don't know how the Lord's gonna lead you in this and convict you on this, but but I I challenge you to sit with this question as a believer should I participate in Halloween?
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Are there things that I am already participating in that I should not be?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Is there something else I should be proactively doing instead to glorify the name of God on this day that He created?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: So sit before the Lord with those questions and don't be like the the Pharisees, don't bel be like the religious Jews that knew too much and that got in their way of recognizing Jesus as the Christ and as their savior, the promised savior.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: So don't know too much in the sense of lay down your pride and get honest and real and raw before the Lord.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, maybe if you're like me, you're really gonna struggle with certain aspects, giving up certain aspects if that's what the Lord's calling you to do.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: But I promise you, when you are obedient to the Lord, when you crucify those things that you formerly walked in, and instead you put on the new man, you're going to experience, you're going to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in a way you maybe never have before.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you're going to have so much joy and so much peace that is unshakable.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: And for those of you who are a little spicier and bolder like I am, I challenge you to be the light in your neighborhood and do something different.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Don't just comment your like, I don't I don't like trunk or tweet either because it's still the same thing, but you know, like, but focus on light and life and sharing the gospel.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: That was something else we did.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: We had I printed off cards and laminated them of the ABCs of the gospel, you know, to be able to have that on hand, to share that.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: But I'll tell you the the best thing you can do is letting the world see you be different.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And those who are curious and seeking will ask those questions.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And you're positioned to be able to open your mouth and the Holy Spirit will speak through you.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you on the next episode.