Forgive me, if this essay is offensive to anyone or even too disturbing of a subject. It has been put on my heart to write about evil and demonic influences. I pray that the message does not stir up trouble in the mind of you, the readers. I pray it makes you aware of the dangers ahead, especially for us Christians.

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Tell me, does a lion wait for its prey in plain sight? Does the lion lie down in the open? No, of course not. If the lion wants to catch and kill its prey, it must do so by a surprise attack. Evil, or its father, creeps into our lives with a similar predatory tactic. Evil perhaps is a more dangerous predator than a lion. If I may be so bold to claim, evil is the greatest predator of all. We, as ignorant as we are, are sometimes not even aware of previous scars or bite marks. Perhaps humans are the greatest prey of all.

Perhaps I should give a clearer definition of what evil is to me. Evil is the vague noun to describe demonic influence or the damned faction of the spiritual warfare. When I earlier said its father, I was describing the Devil himself.So, when I say that evil wants to conceal itself for the surprise attack, I am stating all demonic powers hide themselves so they may have influence without our awareness and the devil is the greatest in his ambushes. C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, a book of spiritual warfare from the perspective of a demon, addresses how evil wants to stay hidden: “Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. Of course, this has not always been so.”

Evil desires to come in the form of many things we are comfortable or even enjoy. Again, in Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis explains evil’s reasoning in its subtly: “There are things for humans to do all day long without His minding in the least – sleeping, washing, eating, drinking, making love, playing, praying, working. Everything has to be twisted before it’s any use to us.” The more the prey thinks it is safe, the less chance the predator will miss its strike.

I am sure there are things you, the reader, may already start to think of for examples as daily practices that might be perverted easily: social media, T.V., and even eating (over indulgence). Even in the distractions, especially for us Christians, we may be susceptible to leaving Our Father. In the morning, we wake up incredibly tired and slowly get out of our comfy beds. We then race off to work or school because of the procrastination of our morning routine. During work, of course, we have no time sit still. After coming home from a long day of work and learning, we must absolutely see that show. After all, don’t we deserve a little distraction from that busy life? After our little me time, we are exhausted and need our sleep. In that whole day, where was the time with God, we Christians so desperately need? The less time we spend with The Father, the more susceptible we to demonic influence, especially in our daily practices. Our morning could turn into cursing the day before it has begun. Our work could be filled with frustration and ill temper. Our me time, when we get home, could become in need of such high standards of self-satisfaction and pleasure that we become addicted to those daily practices. Once, we are addicted to anything but God’s Word—it is a dangerous road. Thus, the alcoholic, drug addict, and porn addict are born.

But what about annual practices? What about those holidays we deem so sacred by the seal of tradition? Yes, I am referring to Halloween—and dare I say, Christmas and Easter. Do not misunderstand me. When I refer to Easter and Christmas holiday, I am not belittling the importance of Jesus’ birth or resurrection. I am condemning the practices of gift giving and Easter egg hunting for the sake of materialism—not generosity. These two holidays in themselves are not evil;it is what we humans do to pervert them that make them evil—yes, evil.

You know as well as I do, we get lost in that busyness of the holidays and the effect is often stress. Tell me, fellow Christians, who is it that wants us to be anxious and full of stress? So, answer me this question, can the devil truly use holiday rushes, such as Christmas and Easter to trouble our lives?

Now why have I not addressed Halloween? I have my own personal opinions on this holiday, but again, I want you, the reader, to think of the day, October 31^st, and explain why we, as the Western Culture, celebrate it to such extents? Tell me, could the devil possibly use the day of Halloween to influence to such drastic evils? Be careful.

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,...Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters