Spiritual battles don’t only happen in ancient concepts from the Bible or in the distant field of missionaries. This is happening here and now in everyday life. Ask Pastor Jonathan Pokluda. He faced the manifestation of the demon at one of the most unexpected places, one of the high-end country clubs in Utah.
What began as a simple prayer moment quickly escalated into something frightening.
“He starts coughing, then a cough growls, then his arms fly over his head, then around his back, he flips over, he just starts to twitch and start making these noises,” Pokkulda recalls in an interview with The Christian Post. This was not a third world exorcism scene. This was a well-dressed man who had just left the golf course.
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“I had no expectations for that at all. (…) Full transparency, I was scared and prayed. It got bigger and bigger, then calms down. He calms down and says, “In the name of Jesus, Amen.” He looked at me and said, “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that” I was like, “Men, make us two.” ”
If that doesn’t shake up our modern view of faith, sanitized, what would we do?
In many cases, Christians ignore the reality of spiritual warfare and dismiss it as a “fringe topic.” But as Pokluda pointed out, “If the Bible speaks so much about this, we should take it seriously.” In fact, he points out that the Bible speaks of spiritual warfare rather than marriage. It should awaken us.
Enemy tactics are not as dramatic as they always own them. Often, they are subtle things. It’s modest, distraction, destruction. “The enemy doesn’t need to make us completely sin. He needs to keep us busy, distract us, consume less,” warns Pokluda. Let’s be honest. How often do you pick up the Bible just to derail with a lively phone or social media scrolling session?
But through distractions and complete attacks, Satan is chasing us. “There’s an enemy,” Pokkurda said. “He hates you. He hates your family. He hates your children before they are born.” If it doesn’t cool down on your spine, he does nothing.
The Bible repeatedly warns us that Satan is wandering like a lion roaring, looking for someone he might devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). In Ephesians VI, Paul tells us not to tackle flesh and blood, but to wear the perfect armor of God, rather than oppose the spiritual powers of rulers, authorities, and evil. This fight is not an option. It’s happening whether we accept it or not.
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So, what can we do? The same thing that Pokruda did when he faced the devil’s oppression: I pray. Stand firmly in your words. I live righteously.
“Faith is a shield. Justice protects our hearts. God’s Word is our weapon,” he reminded us. We do not fight any weapons on earth. We kneel.
Too many Christians are engrossed in life and are unaware of the mental dangers around them. But ignorance will not protect you. Spiritual war is genuine, and the only way to stand firm is to stay close to Jesus. Satan may not be afraid of us, but because Pokruda said it best. “He is afraid of Jesus.”
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James Rusher is a staff writer for Charismatic Media.
