A few weeks from now, hundreds of firecrackers will once again light the skies as we celebrate the coming New Year. Most people at the present time use firecrackers for fun, but there are those who still believe that firecrackers can actually drive away evil spirits.
People in China were the first to use firecrackers in celebration of the New Year. In ancient times, they believed a beast called Nian attacked villages and menaced the people at the start of a new year. The Chinese used firecrackers to drive the beast away, and from then on, it has become common to use firecrackers on the eve of a new year.
The Bible teaches that evil spirits do exist, just as God and His angels do. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (NLT)
However, the Bible warns us against using our human ways to fight evil because evil spirits are not of this world. They are powerful; our strength will fail in the face of evil. Our minds and spirits will be vulnerable to attack because demons know our weaknesses (I John 2:16).
If evil spirits exist, then they can only be defeated by the supernatural God. And we can be empowered by God if we allow His spirit to dwell in us. The apostle John says in I John 4:4, “…You are from God and have overcome them (the spirit of antichrist), for He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world.” (ESV)
We can have God’s spirit within us by filling our minds with truths from His word. We must replace old beliefs with truth. Studying the Bible leads us to knowing God and His power over spirits. Instead of blindly following tradition, we can learn about God’s promise of protection which has been proven throughout time. With this truth, we can have the faith to call on God and ask Him to guard us against evil spirits.
