The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive;  and you will know that I am the LORD.'” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,’” declares the LORD. Ezekiel 37:1-14, NIV

I am not a fan of Halloween, but I am also not a protester of it. I love seeing children all dressed up in a parade or trick-or-treating at my door. I say a prayer for each child as I drop treats in their bags and buckets. I see Halloween as an opportunity to pray—a lot! I love to take things that Satan has set apart for evil and reclaim them in the name of Jesus for Kingdom purposes.

I would like to commission you today to pray every time you see a skeleton or gravestone decoration during the Halloween season. Pray for those who are still skeletons in need of God’s Spirit in them so that they may be brought from death to life everlasting. Pray as a member of God’s army, thank Him for His promises and prophecy and that He did not leave us in darkness, but rather with hope and a future. Pray every time you see a ghost decoration and thank the Holy Spirit in you for His gifts, guidance, and the godliness He grows in you.

My prayer for you is that you would reclaim and rename the things of darkness through your prayers and that Jesus would triumph over the gory for His glory.

Lord, as we see Halloween decorations that seem to glorify darkness, remind us to pray for Your kingdom to intervene and turn the spooky into spirit-filled and the gory into Your glory. Amen

Copyright Kathy Branzell.

Kathy has a heart for encouraging Christian educators and currently serves as the President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Prior to this role, she was the founder and president of Fellowship and Christian Encouragement (FACE) for Educators.