The Exorcist instills fear, but Christ gave authority over evil

Another version of The Exorcist is coming

Different cultures have their own methods of dealing with the supernatural. This article is based on my experience and is not intended to guarantee anyone the results they will have should they encounter evil spirits.

The above images are of Sasha Calle. The first is how she looked when she portrayed Lola Rosales onThe Young and the Restless. The second is a recent photo. It's not clear if this is her new look or from her new film, The Exorcist. Either way, this is a drastic change for the actress and has stunned some of her Y&R fans.

Whether she became harder or improvised for the new flick, this is a dramatic transformation. Some would say her original look was innocent, and now Hollywood has ruined yet another actress.

Is it simple or difficult to remove demons?

On reinactments of preparation for exorcisms, the priests go through many rituals which appear exhausting. Decades ago, on Days of Our Lives, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) was possessed by Satan.

Many methods were attempted to rid her of the devil, and she wreaked much havoc along the way. Finally, Father John Black (Drake Hogestyn) simply said, "Come out in the Name of the Son (Jesus) and the devil left. Is it that simple?

When The Exorcist was released in 1973, people vomited and fainted in theaters. I recall the theme song Tubular Bells made my skin crawl, and I still don't like it today.

Different responses

I know people who have encountered evil spirits, and it left a mark on them. One man said he saw people conjuring and spirits arising when he was in jail. He does not even want to talk about it. I have read testimonies of those who were born with spiritual gifts but don't want to use them because in the past they were influenced by Satan.

The film caused me to be afraid. I thought that if the priest was defeated by evil, what chance did I have against such things? I did not realize at that time that my answers were in the Bible all along in these scriptures.

Matthew 10:1, "And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Mark 3:14-15, And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Luke 10:19.19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

As a teen, I had night terrors and sleep paralysis. I had nightmares and woke up very frightened. I learned Bible lessons and that Jesus died for my sins but I was not given instructions on handling the supernatural.

My great-grandmother did say if I encountered anything, to ask "What in the Name of the Lord do you want?" She said if it were nto from the Lord, it would disappear. I never had a confrontation, but sensed evil around that did not manifest.

What Jesus and His disciples did

When Jesus walked the earth, demon-possessed people were common. The Bible does not indicate that anyone ran from them in fear. They were avoided, and one man lived in the tombs among the dead.

Jesus was not afraid. He simply told the devils to leave, and they did. He also gave this authority to 70 of His disciples. They were excited and returned to Him, saying that the devils obeyed them in His Name. There was also a man who was ot one of the 70 disciples, but he had great faith and cast out demons in Jesus Name.

A Warning

On the flip side, the seven sons of Sceva told a demon to comeout of a man in the Name of Jesus that Apostle Paul knew. The spirit replied, "Paul, I know, Jesus, I know, but who are you?" The possessed man then attacked the boys, and they ran away naked. It's important that you are know in the spirit realm by the power of the Holy Spirit working in you because this is serious stuff.

Sonya Massey rebuked Satan in the Name of Jesus, and she was shot and killed. I can;t speak to that situation except to say that it was tragic. Still, based on scripture, those who operate in faith in Christ do have authority over unclean spirits. Using His Name withotu faith can bring harm.

Authority has been given

If many of us had been taught these scriptures from childhood, and our authority in Jesus explained The Exorcist would not have bothered us. We would have known that it was only a Hollywood production created to instill fear and sell tickets. Matthew 28:18 reveals:

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,…

Believers should walk in their God-given authority without fear.