Month: October 2021

It’s a Trick, Not A Treat!

The History and Mysteries of Halloween

Halloween is actually a short variation for All Hallows Evening.  All Hallows Evening began in Europe. It was originally a day for pagan festivals that marked the beginning of harvest. At the festival the Celts would celebrate pagan spiritual personalities like witches, ghouls, warlocks, trolls, goblins and demon spirits.

 The Celts also believed that this was also a day when the worlds of the living and the dead came together. The power of the underworld is said to have been released into the world on this night. They believed that demon spirits would come out the night of the harvest celebration to cause trouble and even damage their crops. They would leave sweet treats out in the fields for the spirits hoping this would keep the spirits from destroying their crops.

 They would light candles and carve out fiendish looking lanterns in large vegetables and place them around their houses in order to scare off “bad” spirits from their homes. They would dress up in costumes often using the hides of animals that were killed in sacrifices to Celtic idols. They believed that the costumes would fool or trick the evil spirits. 

The Celts were eventually conquered by the Romans. Pope Gregory III later named November 1 All Saints Day. All Hallows Eve being October 31 became the evening preceding All Saints Day, thereby connecting the two holidays. 

All Saints Day according to Roman Catholic tradition is the day to celebrate the dead that have been “sainted” over the centuries by the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Gregory III and the Roman Catholic Church actually merged the two celebrations, making sure that All Saints Day was the more important of the two.

Have You Heard About Halloween?

  1. Halloween was known as “Mischief Night”, the supreme night of demonic jubilation.
  1. The most popular Halloween images are witches, black cats, and Jack O’ Lanterns.
  1. A Jack O’ Lantern is the ancient symbol a damned soul.
  1. 36.1 million children ages 5-13 go door-to-door trick or treating.
  1. 73.4 % of Americans will hand out candy to trick or treaters..
  1. 34% of Americans will buy or wear a costume.
  1. 17% will visit a haunted house.
  1. Americans spend $60 per household on Halloween, which is over 5 billion dollars.
  1. Christmas is the only holiday that brings in more money than Halloween.

The Rock Is Higher

The House of Prayer Everywhere

October 6th, 2021 / Evening Devotion

Bishop Sean Teal, Visionary © Reserved 2021

God will deliver and defend through the power of prayer. Our deliverance began with a prayer. Every deliverance begins with a prayer. Jesus hangs on The Cross and with blistered and quivering lips blotted by His own blood prays, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

The Psalmist, a man of genuine prayer, feels overwhelmed.  You can be a person of prayer and still feel overtaken by a season. Overwhelmed is the feeling of fainting. It is the picture of being weakened by warfare. It is a word picture that comes from the life of a sailor and the ship on a sea. Anytime strong and angry waves crashed upon the ship and then began to go over the helm of the ship, the ship, the captain and crew would now be considered “over helmed”. “Over helmed” is what you sense when it seems that your circumstances are breaking through into your safe place. Overwhelmed is how you feel when you feel under the pressure of something you can’t control. It is that gnawing feeling that something has the potential to wipe you out. It is having a clear and present danger that is relentless and unyielding. It is to feel that your best is not good enough for the moment or the threat. 

How will we he defended? The Psalmist knows of only one refuge. He has but one true option for his situation. He needs to be led out. He needs an exodus. He needs to be taken to a place of ultimate safety and security. He needs to be preserved. He needs a covering. He needs well-being.

He prays to be led “to the rock that is higher than I”. The “I” is the ego. It is our self identity. It is how we see ourselves. It is purely self-perception. This is what the Psalmist wants to overcome. He wants to have a trust in God that is higher than the trust he would ever have in himself, his gifts, good works, talents or abilities.

The “Rock that is higher” is a place that can only be obtained by the purpose and power of God. The ‘Higher Rock” is such an elevated palace that it takes God to put you there. “Lead me to the rock too high for me to climb by myself, and place me there” is one of the translations I studied.

This is how we fight our battles. We pray. We ascend. We strive for a higher consciousness, awareness and boldness in prayer and The Word.

Your Weapons Will Win!

The House of Prayer Everywhere

October 5th, 2021 / Evening Devotion

Bishop Sean Teal, Visionary © Reserved 2021

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (vss. 4-5). 

While growing up in California (USA) I used to watch a weekly television series called, “Batman”. Batman was a “superhero”. He and his sidekick, “Robin” were the “dynamic duo”. Batman and Robin were crusaders conquering criminals and crime in the imaginary metropolis of “Gotham”. Each week they had a different “criminal mastermind” or “evil genius” to face and fight. What made them “super” was their knowledge,  precision and the wise use of their weapons, tools and technologies. They were mere humans. They had the edge on all their enemies because they had constant access to their “utility belts.” In these belts everything they needed to break them through and give them a victory over the enemy was with them, on them. 

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments (NLT). We are reminded that we have all the weapons we need to win against the next attack of the enemy. We can knock down thoughts that destroy our faith. We can destroy ideas and opinions that are not from the Word of God. Whatever will assail us we have what it takes to overcome it. Whatever harasses and hinders us will lose the battle because our weapons are ever effective. We can’t lose with the weapons we use! Our spiritual arsenal is “mighty through God”. God’s power is always available for the believer’s victory. ###

The House of Prayer Everywhere

October 4th, 2021 / Evening Devotion

Bishop Sean Teal, Visionary © Reserved 2021

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isaiah 54 is a prophecy about fertility. The enemy of God’s people wants to burden them with barrenness. He wants to cut them off from their source and supply. He wants them to live in lack, desperate and afraid. One of the ancient tactics of warfare was to besiege a city. They would surround the city and wait it out. 

During the wait they would design artillery and other mechanics of warfare in order to penetrate the city’s fortifications. The people in the city could literally watch the enemy form weapons against them. This is the prophetic picture Isaiah inscribes. 

Weapons are being formed, but they would never find success against God’s people, God’s protected. The LORD has established a covenant of victory with His people. His people can sing even in a season of drought because of their covenant (vs.1). His people can plan for expansion and growth because of their covenant (vs. 2). His people would never be ashamed of their God because of their covenant (vs, 4). His people would be returned and restored because of their covenant (vss. 5-12). His people would have children and descendants that would know and serve their God because of their covenant (vs. 13). His people would experience hardship but they would always prevail because of their covenant (vss. 14-16). We always win!