Don't Depend on Magic Wands

October 29, 2026

Laurie tells of a Halloween night when she ran out of candy. In a pinch she started dropping quarters, into the sacks. A little girl came to the door dressed as a fairy princess, crown and wand and all. Jones put two quarters in the child’s bag and said, “I’ve run out of candy, but tomorrow you can take these coins to the store and turn them into real candy.” The girl stepped back, looked up, and said, “Lady, this isn’t a real wand.”

Halloween is full of pretend wands, pretend spells, and pretend power. The Bible is clear that the real version of those things is not a game. “Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them” (Leviticus 19:31). When Israel entered the land, they were told not to imitate the nations around them. “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). God does not treat the occult as harmless fun. He treats it as a rival claim on the heart.

Anton LaVey, who founded the Church of Satan, died on October 29, 1997. His daughter and girlfriend kept the news quiet for a week, so it would not disturb followers during their most important holiday, Halloween. LaVey had written the Satanic Bible and taught that Satan stands for indulgence instead of abstinence, and for vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. The philosophy is plain: the self comes first. That is the opposite of the gospel. Jesus said the way to life is to lose it for His sake (Matthew 16:25). The wand that promises power without a cross is not real.

Through the years I have tried to balance the fun of letting kids dress up with my concerns with dabbling in the occult. When I sense that the excesses of Halloween are present I am quick to pray for protection over those that I am with. I have great memories of my own Halloween nights, and have wanted my kids and grandkids to have the same, but I am also aware of how things might get out of hand.

Regular readers to my column know that I am a firm believer there is a cosmic battle between good and evil going on. When we dabble in the occult we can open doors we do not intend to open. When we curse others, it gives satan a pathway to cause harm. When we do things that are out of character to “have a little Halloween fun” we may find the consequences are far worse than we could have imagined, as if a power greater than ourselves, like satan, has twisted the actions into our own little hell.

Then there is the real power of God that satan must contend with. On the Sunday after the Titanic sank, a church in Belfast that had lost sixteen men on the ship heard a sermon from Mark 4. Jesus was in the boat with the disciples when a storm rose. They woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He stood, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” The wind died and there was a great calm. The pastor told his grieving people that only one vessel in history had been truly unsinkable, the little boat that held the sleeping Savior. The only hearts that can weather the storms are hearts with Jesus inside.

That is the real power of good that will one day win the cosmic battle. Not a stick that turns coins into candy, and not a philosophy that puts the self on the throne. It is the Lord who commands wind and wave, who died and rose, and who still says, “Peace, be still,” to the storms that threaten to sink us. The little girl was right. Her wand was not real. The One who calmed the sea is.

Where have you been tempted to reach for a power that is forbidden by the Lord? What would it look like this week to trust the Lord who is actually in the boat? Who needs to hear that Jesus, not a costume or a spell, is the answer to fear?

I invite you to put down the pretend wand and look to the One who speaks to the storm. He is the risen Lord. When He is in the boat, the heart is unsinkable, and His name is lifted high. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my books at Amazon.com: My Faith Journal, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional, and Star Chasers, a Christmas story about the kings that visited Jesus. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).