The Exorcist's Bestiary

Don Nori founded the well-known publishing company Destiny Image in 1984, primarily releasing books about the Holy Spirit and the spiritual life. Before he knew anything about me, he gave me a powerful prophetic word that integrated itself deep into my story. His spiritual gifting proved itself to me in that moment.

I couldn’t quite pinpoint the agitation I felt the first time Trump was elected in 2016. My stomach was in knots, and the world felt grey and heavy. I sat on the couch early in the morning in stunned silence for what felt like an hour. Later that day, I scrolled through Facebook and found a video of Don clarifying what I was feeling.

“As I sit here on this election afternoon… I can’t help but feel a rumbling in my spirit—a very strong, strong rumbling in my spirit. There is something happening right now in this country that we do not understand. There is a battle for the very soul—for the very purpose—of God’s will in this land. And as I speak, some will say ‘but it is this side.’ Some will say, ‘but it is that side.’ But I am telling you, the battle is for the soul of the nation… The soul of this country is at stake and it’s neither democrat or republican—it is spiritual… It is because the spirit of division has divided believer against believer… I’m telling you, this is deeper and stronger than anything I’ve ever sensed. It’s not political—it’s spiritual… Brothers and sisters must unite under the banner of Christ, not under the banner of one political party or the next. A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Something spiritual. That was the best way to describe what I felt that morning. If only Don were still alive to see how his words from eight years ago ring true today.

I didn’t get to bed until about 2am last night. By then, it was clear that Trump would win the election, and I didn’t know what to do with that information. I woke up this morning from an unusually hateful dream that I sensed could have been influenced by a demon. I know that sounds weird, but we exorcists are used to seeing demons communicate their thoughts in dreams. So when a dream feels really outside of my subconscious, I tend to take note that I might be under attack.

When I drove out for lunch later, I passed a house with 6 different kinds of Trump yard signs, and I was hit with a hateful vision that was completely foreign to my realm of thinking. I recognized its intrusion. Something was trying to get my attention from outside of me, but it was doing a horrible job. Whatever spirit was attacking my mind was not trying to ease its way into wrapping me up in a lie—it was just going in full force, making itself far too obvious. I rebuked it’s hateful thoughts and moved on.

But it reared its head again later. I picked the kids up from school and then got home and blew up about the silliest thing. I could not believe how immature I had acted. I apologized to the kids, told them my behavior was not okay, and then went away to pray. As I prayed, my mind was drawn back to Don’s words all those years ago. Something spiritual was happening in the atmosphere again. After this, I asked the kids to meet me on the couch.

“I know you guys don’t know much about politics, but Trump has been elected president again. The last time he was in charge, he was a bit of a bully and not very nice to people, which really upset me. I’ve been really bothered by that today, and apparently, I’ve let my pain turn me into a bully, too. I was not kind to you guys earlier, and I’m sorry for how I acted. I will try to do better.”

The kids agreed to forgive me, and I’m now on the lookout for the next temptation. I highly suggest you do the same as I have seen some incredibly hateful and angry posts from congregants and pastors today. It is okay to be upset about the election. It is okay to be hurting. It is okay to critique a political situation and to ask the church to examine their hearts. Indeed, I sense the Spirit has encouraged me to speak on such issues, which is part of the reason I can be so annoying about politics. But if we harbor hate in our hearts while we engage the prophetic, our gifting will be hijacked by demons along the way. If we ostracize our friends, enemies, or frenemies, we cannot create space at our tables to love them.