"That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick." - Matthew 8:16
It's Halloween season--the only time of year that many of us might watch a scary movie. For most Christians, the horror movie genre is likely to be ignored or dismissed as evil or sinful and with no redeeming qualities. However, occasionally there are books or films that remind us that we live amidst a cosmic spiritual drama involving good and evil, light and darkness, sin and redemption. These reminders can be helpful when we get lost in our day-to-day troubles and to-do lists. For the Bible has much to say about the supernatural forces that we cannot observe. Many sections of Revelation, Daniel, Judges, and the Gospels (to name a few) would fit right in with the horror movie genre. So, what can we learn here?
There's more to this world than just material things. We have minds, souls, rationality, memories, and morality. But we also live in a world of real, but unseen, forces of good and evil as described in Ephesians 6:12. If we're not careful, we can grow accustomed to living as if these forces do not exist. If you're so focused on the here and now that you can't remember the last time you prayed or the last time you helped someone in need, perhaps a wakeup call would help.
If you need a jolt out of a mundane complacency, spend some time looking at the spiritual war threading through the Gospel accounts. Or consider more modern depictions of the spiritual battle from the best of what the scary movie (or book) genre has to offer. It could serve as a healthy reminder that mundane things often take root in life, leaving us blinded to the more important matters all around us. And hopefully it will be an encouragement to guard and protect your heart and to fight for the hearts of those you love. After all, we're all soldiers in a very real spiritual battle. So, let us "not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs." (2 Cor. 2:11)
Brian Causey, Teleios Board Member