The Exorcist's Bestiary

Few things are more annoying than that comment someone made about you that won’t stop replaying in your head. Some of those comments are direct, some are sarcastic, and some seemed fine at the moment, but now you’re wondering what they meant by it.

Over time, I’ve gotten used to noting the foreign voices that come to mind. One time, I texted a friend for help after being haunted by a comment someone made that had been on repeat in my head for days. “I think this is maybe a spiritual attack. It won’t stop replaying in my head, and it’s really messing with me,” I told them.

My friend took a moment to pray, then texted back an image that came to mind. “Put your hands over your ears and your fingers on your temple and tell them to shut up in the name of Jesus,” they advised.

I did so, and the vicious cycle finally stopped.

When someone says something painful to us, we sometimes talk a big game about not caring, but we’re still up all night haunted by those statements. We must yield ourselves to Jesus in such moments and ask him what we should do with the noise in our heads. Is there something there he wants to convict us of, or are we just suffering an attack of a thousand paper-cuts as the scratched record doubles back over and over again? What does that voice want us to feel? What is it telling us about ourselves? Don’t ground yourself in the words of a bully.

You must always choose Jesus. If you don’t, another voice will redefine you.