As some Jamaicans prepare to join with the dark world to celebrate Halloween, one youth advocate has issued a stern warning to school children to reject ‘demonic, perverse, and morally twisted ideas, given the realities of spiritual warfare.
Founder of the Love March Movement, Dr Daniel Thomas made the appeal during this year’s Passion and Purity Co-Ed High School Conference, held at the Cedar Grove Academy in Portmore. The event was conducted under the theme “Fully Jesus. Lit!” and featured topics such as Christian identity, along with sexual and spiritual purity.
“In Jamaica, you are in a culturally demonised system. This is a hostile spiritual environment… The enemy seeks to colonise you with practices and ideas to kill the glory of God on your existence so that you will not realise your potential in God,” he charged.
“He will say to you, ‘What about, you know, obeah? [It] is just culture.’ Oh, ‘Halloween is just fun. Concerning sex and sexuality, anybody can do anything; it’s ok, it’s their bodies.’ Concerning the baby in the womb, he will say, ‘No, it’s just a clump of cells,’” the youth minister noted.
Increasingly, schools and other popular venues are hosting Halloween parties with intriguing themes, meant to captivate the interest and participation of young people. Supermarkets and clothing stores have been hoping to cash in by stocking up on apparel and decorations to meet demands for Halloween-themed items and outfits.
Christian intercessors and prayer warriors have, however, launched round-the-clock prayer vigils to resist, repel, and rebuke any attempt to normalise the North American pagan festival, which is generally recognised in October.
Dr Thomas feels youths need to be praying as well to counter the demonic forces in Jamaica.
“Where are the kings and the queens?” he asked. “God is calling. God is calling a people to rise; to be dedicated in fasting and prayer; to not be colonised by the evil one; to seek his face,” he urged.
Passion and Purity is a registered non-profit organisation and charity, geared towards the training and development of youth and children especially. It teaches them to embrace Godly principles, values, and integrity. The ministry was started by Pastor Andrew and Donnette Norman. Despite being hospitalised, Pastor Donnette delivered a powerful message to the group.
“When you are fully Jesus, you are fully lit, you will be led to seek Him for the purpose for which he wants you to live. He wants you to be free. I’m calling some of you because you’re bound for suicidal, homosexual, and reckless lives. You don’t have no purpose. God wants many more sons like Jesus walking in the earth filled with the power of the Holy Spirit,” she said.
Bishop Paul Morris, one of the other speakers during the conference, encouraged the young Believers to root their decisions and mentality in God. He said it was important for them to know why they do what they do.
“That’s backed up by Romans chapter 8, verse 28: For we know all things worketh together to the good of them that love the Lord to those who are the called according to purpose. So you know why. You may not fully understand what’s happening now, but hold on to that ‘why’. Why is it happening to me? Because I love God. If it’s not because you love God, you have a big problem,” he told the attendees.
During a panel discussion, which was another feature of the event, Bishop Morris exhorted the youths to endure patiently.