The Exorcist's Bestiary

“What you’ve experienced today was real and powerful,” I’ll often tell my participants after an exorcism session full of tears and revelation. “Now as Jesus says, ‘do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you’” (Matthew 7:6).

I always get weird reactions to this statement, as I’m sure Jesus did too. “What do you mean?” they ask with a puzzled look.

“What’s happened to you today is a pearl,” I continue. “It’s treasure—it’s valuable. You’re going to leave here and want to share it with everyone. But the people you share it with will respond with skepticism. They’ll fling accusations at you. As time passes and you forget the rawness of this moment, you’ll begin to wonder if they’re right. This may cause you to discredit what the Holy Spirit has done. It may even spiral you back into the things he just healed you from. I’m not telling you to hide your story, but you must be very selective in sharing it, or it will backfire.”

I speak from experience on this topic. I’ve seen the Holy Spirit do remarkable things over the years and such moments bring me incredible joy. Unfortunately, these stories have not always created joy for my friends. This is understandable as they were not there when it happened. They did not see what I saw or felt what I felt. They did not cry my tears with me or feel a burden lift off their shoulders. What is a pearl to me is no more than a strange clam-rock to them.

And so we must learn to show discretion when sharing our inner healing stories. While Jesus felt the supernatural should be convincing (Luke 10:13-15), he also understood that it wouldn’t do the trick for everyone (Luke 16:31).

Your story is important. Protect it.