Holy Ghost Hunter

Holy Ghost Hunter
By: Julie A. Eastin

Stories and legends can be heard about this Spirit that indwells within the believers all over the world, but I wanted to see if for myself.  I learned of a gathering on Saturday nights in a dimly light sanctuary where the presence of the Spirit has been reported. I went to see if the legends were true.

I found the building easy enough, parked my truck and gathered my gear.  As I neared the doors of the building I could hear something that sounded like singing, my heart began to beat faster, the hunt was on!  I entered the building.  It was empty and smelled of coffee and fruit smoothies, a smell not commonly associated with the Spirit but my gut told me I was on to something.  With no one around, I decided to follow the sound of the music. Surely there I would find a possible answer to these claims of the Spirit.

The sound of singing became louder as I moved closer to the door, that I hoped would lead to the sanctuary were the Spirit had been reported.  I reached into my bag and felt for my Book, it was there safe, ready to be used.  I grabbed the door handle, a chill passed over me, my heart raced as I pulled open the door.  There inside was something I had not expected, something so awesome every person should experience it.  In there amongst the softened lights and flickering candles were believers, hands raised in worship.
It was true…

The legends, the stories, they could not be denied. The Spirit was there and a peace I cannot describe in words was to be felt!   Of course there will be those who will say that this was all in my mind, those who will know first hand the experience I had, and those who will continue the hunt for the Holy Spirit.

In today’s world the paranormal is glamorized and it is cool to go on a “ghost” hunt.  But these types of things often lead us in to very bad situations and as Halloween approaches many will find themselves following the lead of the popular T.V show “Ghost Hunters”.  But what does the Bible say about the paranormal or a haunting and is there such a thing as ghosts?

It is very common to hear people speak of haunting or paranormal experiences and the Bible too talks and warns of these types of happenings:

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.   It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:14–15 NIV)

Although my opening story speaks of “hunting” a spirit in all reality the only ghost we should be seeking is the Holy Spirit.  Some may try to dispute this by talking about instances in which “ghosts” act in a “positive” way or talk of psychics that are there to help.  It is so important to remember that the goal of demons is to deceive and to take us as far away from our relationship with Christ as possible and may be the explanation of “ghostly” activity today.
John 10:10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

So as Halloween approaches and the world becomes aware of the paranormal, let’s make the only ghost we hunt for be the Holy Ghost.  Seek the truth about the spirit world by communing with God and studying His Word!
From all of us at ReVo, have a safe and Holy Spirit filled holiday!

October Inspiration

Fear: October Inspiration

By: Destry Jackson

“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” Psalm 91:5-6 (NIV)

“Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”” Isaiah 35:4 (NIV)

As we approach October and Halloween, I thought that perhaps this inspiration page ought to be about fighting fear and keeping faith in God through even the worst.  In the movie Facing the Giants, there is one scene where Coach Taylor is greeted by his old coach from college, who tells him that God tells us 365 times in the Bible not to be afraid.  Each time I hear that, I think to myself, “That is one time for every day of the year.”  If God took the time to tell us in the Bible 365 times to not be afraid, then he must really want us to face our fears and not let them control us.  Everyone who really knows me knows that I am a very fearful person.  I’m not sure exactly how I came by that fear, but I know that I’ve been afraid since I was very little.  When I was a little girl, I was even afraid of my own shadow often enough.  When I was little, it was almost always either raining or cloudy in my area, and so I didn’t see a clear blue sky until I was about four years old.  When I saw that sky, I grabbed onto my mom’s arm and cried, ‘Mommy, Mommy, a tornado’s coming!’   As a little girl, I cried very loudly every time my parents left the house because I was afraid that they were going to abandon me.  I used to have panic attacks every time I didn’t know what to do.  I was even so afraid of kindergarten, that I caused myself to have an ulcer when I was five years old.  My fears were all completely ungrounded, but I let them control me.  My mom always used to tell me that I shouldn’t worry so much.  She said that when I start to worry, I should imagine that there is a big STOP button in my heart and that I should ask God to help me push that button every time I feel worried or scared.  Mom was right about that.  When I start to get worried I ask God to help me push that button, and he usually calms my fears almost immediately.  My fears have subsided greatly over the last several years.  I still am afraid quite often, but God has been working on me to make me not near as afraid.

The key to fighting fear is to not let that fear control us as people.  If we are completely afraid of everything, then we will never accomplish anything.  Fear paralyzes us and causes us not to trust in God and what we know is true.  God is with us through everything, and all things are in His hands.  So, remember, God wants us to not be afraid.  When God tells us to not be afraid, we need to trust and not fear.  I hope this lesson from my life inspires you all to not be afraid, as fear can lead to ulcers and very paralyzing situations.  God bless!!

History of Halloween

History of Halloween

By: Destry Jackson
Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, originated in the Celtic traditions of Samhain and the Roman festival Pomona.  Samhain was the Celtic celebration of their new year, marking the border between Fall and Winter, or seasons of life and death.  As the ancient Celts of Ireland, England, and northern France were quite superstitious, they also believed that the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was very thin on the night of Samhain.  This thinning of the veil allowed the spirits of the dead and evil spirits to pass into the world of the living and cause havoc.  So, the people dressed up as evil spirits and ghouls to ward off the evil spirits.  Samhain was also the time of the harvest and celebrating the bounty of the earth, so there were often bonfires as the Celts went up to the hilltops to burn the carcasses of the cows and sheep they slaughtered for food on that evening.  The Roman festival Pomona that fell on the same evening is a celebration in honor of the goddess of the harvest in Roman mythology, which is the same as Greek but with different names.

When the time of the Christian church came along, Halloween took on a different connotation as the night before All Saints Day, when Christians celebrate the lives of their family, friends, and all the saints that have passed on to Heaven.  Some of the traditions of the Celtic festival endured, such as the dressing up as evil spirits.  New superstitions also appeared, such as the belief that if a young woman sat in a darkened room and stared into a mirror on Halloween, the face of her future husband would appear in the mirror.  However, if she were destined to die before getting married, a skull would appear in the mirror instead.  This became quite a popular bit of folk tales, even appearing on greeting cards in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  There are also the traditional games that go along with Halloween, such as the bobbing for apples and throwing apple peels over your shoulder to see the first initial of your future spouse.  All these things are grounded in the ancient superstitions.

Now, the question arises, should we as Christians treat Halloween as just another fun activity, or should we look at it as an evil celebration that we should not take part in?  As a kid, my family dressed up in costumes for Halloween and went around trick-or-treating the people we knew around town.  I myself see Halloween as being a holiday that would be better spent celebrating God’s love for us, rather than seeing evil spirits running rampant on the earth.  There is an episode of Adventures in Odyssey dealing with this same question.  The people of their church in the episode came up with the idea of having a Bible party at their church on Halloween, with each person dressing up as their favorite Bible character and bringing props and food associated with the story of that character.  Perhaps our church could do the same thing?  It is an idea that we could contemplate.  Happy Halloween and God bless!!!