Lies we believe from horror stories
Ask anyone how he or she would react if they saw a demon, and the usual reply would be one of dread and fear. Such reactions are heavily influenced by horror movies and ghost stories. Sadly, we have fallen for too many lies about evil spirits. The true story from the Bible is completely different.
(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 恐怖故事中的谎言 | 繁體中文 > 恐怖故事中的謊言)
Demons are terrified of believers
Everywhere Jesus went, evil spirits were terrified of Him. Demons fell down before Jesus whenever they saw Him.
Mark 3:11 ESV And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
Evil spirits are also terrified of this same power that Jesus has entrusted to us in His name. This authority to command demons is not limited to those who follow Jesus, but also those who don’t (Mark 9:38-41). It is simply a fact that Jesus’ name is so powerful that it doesn’t depend on how much or little faith we have.
Mark 9:38-41 ESV John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
Demons recognise the same Spirit of Jesus in His believers. Demons know we can call upon the Authority that rules over all heaven and earth at any time in Jesus’ name. This is why they are desperate to perpetuate falsehoods and lies about their abilities. Demons fear Jesus’ followers who have His Spirit in them.
Romans 8:11 ESV If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Matthew 28:18 ESV And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Fear of demons is a form of unbelief
Fear is not from God, particularly the fear of evil spirits or demons.
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
As children of the Most High God, we must not bow down to demons through fear and unbelief. Otherwise, we grieve the Holy Spirit and separate ourselves from our Heavenly Father, the Ultimate Lord and Judge of demons.
Psalm 78:35 ESV They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
Ephesians 4:30 ESV And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
If we fear demons, we announce to the spiritual realm that we don’t believe that Jesus, the Son of God, has defeated Satan for our sake. This is why the Bible says that we will face the same eternal destruction as “murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars“. We profane God’s name when we are cowardly and faithless before evil spirits that Jesus has defeated.
Revelation 21:8 ESV But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Testify of God’s power, not demonic powers
Demons spread lies about their ability to control and destroy. Horror movies make them look powerful and hard to overcome. Through time, Satan has created false signs and wonders to capture people’s hearts through fear or fascination.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 ESV The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
We must be careful not to fall for demonic deceptions and “glorify” demonic powers by reading, watching and talking about horror stories. We profane God’s holy name by flirting with Satan’s web of lies. Many people are unaware what they are really doing when they bring themselves, temples of the Holy Spirit, into cinemas that sensationalise horror, shock, gore, death, murder, fear or demons that masquerade as people that are dead (ghosts). Let us use our bodies as living sacrifices that testify of Jesus Christ alone.
1 Timothy 4:1 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
Common deceptions and lies
People tend to have a general curiosity or dread about the spiritual realm. Many believe that what they read about or watch in horror movies represent the truth, especially when they are based on “true life accounts”. Some are even drawn to seek out spirits.
Let us first be aware that all paranormal hauntings and sightings are demonic and staged by Satan to tickle our curiosity, seduce us with the unknown, and then plant fear and terror into our hearts. As a result of subjecting our eyes and ears to such ungodly temptations and titillations, we fall for demonic seductions that corrupt our minds.
Matthew 6:22-23ESV “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Lie #1: Spirits are “out there” and not “here”
Amongst Satan’s many lies is that demons and spirits tend to exist in haunted homes, graveyards, and cursed places. The reality is that demons move around and survey whatever goes on. Unlike human beings, they are not limited to certain places.
Job 1:6-7 ESV Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
Lie #2: Don’t bother them and they won’t bother you
Another popular lie is that “as long as you don’t bother spirits, they won’t bother you.” We are told that as long as we don’t actively seek out spirits, we are safe. This gives millions a false sense of security and leaves them vulnerable to spiritual pilferage.
The Bible describes Satan as a lion. Lions don’t attack the strong. They are incredibly good at hiding and extremely patient. They stick close to their prey and will quietly wait for an opportunity to pounce when their targets are weak and not paying attention. The enemy targets our minds and thoughts. When we become disoriented in our thinking or isolate ourselves from God, we become easy prey for a hidden enemy that waits to steal our joy, hope and peace.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Lie #3: Demons are hard to defeat
Ghost stories and horror movies often depict spirits as incredibly difficult to overcome. This is another lie. God’s Word reminds us that He who is in us is far greater than Satan. When we submit our thoughts to God’s truths, the enemy has no choice but to flee and leave us. We are the ones who must terrify demons.
1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
James 4:7 ESV Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Lie #4: Sometimes, it’s good to associate with spirits
Some stories depict spirits as being able to provide us with power or being in need of our help. Any spirit that is not of God is demonic and our enemy. When we lean towards demonic powers, we bring satanic darkness into our souls. We must not fall into the devil’s traps.
John 8:12 ESV Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
2 Timothy 2:26 ESV and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Lie #5: You need special training or tools to cast out demons
When we think we need special training or tools, we reduce Jesus to a spiritual trainer, not our God who has all authority. This sort of thinking amounts to blasphemy. All we need to cast demons away is the authority of Jesus’ name. The reality is that every time we command a demon to leave us in Jesus name, it will have to bow down to us as Philippians 2:9-10 points out.
Luke 10:17 NLT When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”
Philippians 2:9-10 ESV Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Time to laugh at Satan’s absurd lies
All believers have God’s angels guarding us, His Holy Spirit in us, and God holding us in His hand. Let us see this truth for ourselves, rather than entertain images provided by Satan to distract us. With so much of God’s glory and presence around us, Satan’s scare tactics seem quite desperate and laughable by comparison. It is time to turn away from such deceptions.
Psalm 91:9-12 ESV Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place — the Most High, who is my refuge — no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Where we have watched, been fascinated or terrorised by ghost stories or horror movies in the past, let us now repent before God. He will graciously pardon us for our previous ignorance and submission to Satan. Some people have also reported having bad dreams or an ungodly fear of demons after watching horror movies. In such instances, we need to command any spirit of fear from the things we have read or watched to leave us in Jesus’ name. Such fears are not from God.
In addition, we ought to stay alert to future deceptions. Let us protect our minds by screening what we watch, read or listen to. Take every opportunity to study God’s Word and understand our spiritual authority so that we do not fall for laughable lies.
Jesus already disarmed demons 2,000 years ago through His death and resurrection. Through this powerful act, He made us co-victors forever, not victims. Let us honour Jesus’ victory by living in joy, hope, and peace with God’s truths firmly planted in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 2:11 ESV so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Colossians 2:15 ESV He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Testimony of breaking free from mental bondages from watching horror movies
Here is a testimony from Elaine Wong, who suffered from dark thoughts for years, until she fasted and humbly sought God for His spiritual revelation and freedom.
“There was a period of my life I watched many horror movies on my own, as a way to escape from the real world. I felt very trapped in real life and thought my life was rigid and boring. So, I decided to get some excitement from the imaginary worlds you see in movies. I was especially drawn to movies about death, gore, and murder. I didn’t realise that by doing so, I opened myself to a spirit of death. During that period, I started to suffer from suicidal thoughts.
Two years ago, I repented for watching ghost movies and experienced peace as the Holy Spirit cleansed me. Although the suicidal thoughts were gone, I still had many negative thoughts and bad imaginations about upcoming events, like everything was going to go wrong.
A few friends encouraged me to fast and seek God. So, I fasted and asked God why I had been feeling so sad and negative all the time. The Holy Spirit reminded me of the name of a movie, “Final Destination,” that I had watched. The movie personified the spirit of death and how it would bring curses to people who escaped death until they eventually ended up dying. At first, I didn’t respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. But then I heard the name again.
So, I said sorry to God for opening myself to the lies from the spirit of death by watching Final Destination and I immediately felt lighter. My mind stopped trying to convince myself that the imaginary bad events were going to happen. It’s like I stopped fighting with my own thoughts.
I didn’t realise the impact of watching horror movies. I am so glad that the Holy Spirit guided me.”
Testimony of the impact of watching horror movies on an unborn child
The following is a testimony of someone who felt led by the Holy Spirit to cut ties with the horror shows her mother had watched while carrying her in the womb. Here is her personal account.
“I often get insomnia when there is a link to the occult tie in my life. After repenting for my own occult involvement as well as my family’s, I experienced peaceful, deep sleep throughout the night.
I also repented for watching or reading any materials related to horror or violence. Recently, when I watched the first few episodes of a popular Korean drama that centered on death and murder, I had a terrible nightmare and it convinced me I should no longer expose my mind and spirit to such things.
Not long ago, I started to watch something else which turned out to be related to murder, and immediately stopped and repented. After that, I still suffered mild insomnia three nights in a row. I also felt a fear that did not go away even after repenting, which was strange because I am sure of my victory in Christ.
When the Holy Spirit led a friend to suggest that the root of the fear could have started when I was in my mother’s womb as she was traumatised from watching some horror or ghost movies, I was skeptical at first. But in faith, I confessed and repented for what my mother might have watched when I was in her womb. I found a list of horror movies released the year my mother was pregnant with me and prayed through the list. That night, I woke up very briefly once, felt no fear, and went right back to sleep until daybreak.
God so desires my freedom and purity that He uses even insomnia to warn me to seek revelation. The fear didn’t go away after my own repentance because my mother’s decisions gave it a foothold, and it affected me because I was in her womb. But praise God for continued revelations.”
Also, please see Fear, an ungodly use of imagination
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