The Walking Dead

No matter how old we are, we never forget trick-or-treating and dressing up on Halloween. On Halloween, there are candy takers and candy givers, and the lucky ones are both! I haven't dressed up for Halloween in many years, but I always enjoy checking out other people's costumes. You can always count on seeing witches, pumpkins, ghosts, superheroes, cowboys, princesses, and animals, just to name a few. Some people go all out on Halloween and make themselves look so spooky that it's hard to tell who they really are! When everyone is out and about on Halloween, it's the closest we get to the "Zombie apocalypse." You often have to do a double take to make sure you're not watching The Walking Dead! The dead appear to be alive on Halloween, but what about our spirit?

Ephesians 2:1-2 says, "You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." The Apostle Paul reminds us that when we get caught up in the ways of the world, playing the role of someone God has not called us to be, we are spiritually destitute (dead) and in need of a Savior. In our inevitable moments of spiritual destitution, Paul gives us hope in Ephesians 2:4-5 when he says, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved."

The human spirit is often mistakenly lauded as powerful and strong. A "walking dead" spirit is the realization of the need for The Holy Spirit. When we admit that we are spiritually destitute, we are crying out to God for what He can and will provide. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In Christ, our dead spirits come alive by the grace of God the Father. Jesus Christ is the original perfecter of the walking dead, and that's no spooky tale!
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-Jacob

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