The mystic world is something that’s viewed differently depending on who you’re asking. Western cultures have mostly abandoned the idea of spiritual beings as real, reducing them to a novel, often romanticized, version of themselves (look no further than Count von Count from Sesame Street or the twinkling vampires and ripped werewolves of Twilight). This desensitizes us to the monsters we see on screens as we sympathize with them and often consider them as misunderstood or charming. The alternative to this sympathy is dismissing such beings as complete myths that can’t possibly exist. Both views of the supernatural are dangerous because as Christians, we know that these monsters are in fact real, and that they are the works of evil. These views are mostly not shared in other parts of the world. While there are some romanticized versions of demons in different parts of the world, the majority of the world believes in the existence of demons and knows the danger of them; I know that I do.

Growing up in Asia, mysticism is treated differently than in the States. Stories of demons appear in certain places; demonic possessions, and hauntings are rather commonly told, with the majority of my friends having at least one personal horror story to share. Personally, I have experienced sleep paralysis a few times, and anyone with sleep paralysis can tell you that it’s not a pleasant experience. In one of my sleep paralysis episodes, I was lying in my bed, conscious of the room around me. It wasn’t my first sleep paralysis, but I still found it unsettling for my eyes to see, but my body could not move, nor could my mouth open to scream. While lying there, I saw a vision of a dark shadowy hand reaching out to grab my neck. As it approached my neck, I woke up. I was terrified when I woke up, but when I prayed to God and surrendered all my fears to Him, I felt this sense of peace that calmed me down and made it known to me that the Holy Spirit was with me.

Having told my testimony to my friends from different cultures, I noticed something interesting from their reactions. Most of my American friends quickly dismissed my story as something along the lines of “a brain phenomenon” and would try to explain the science behind sleep paralysis to me. My friends from Asian, African, and Hispanic countries would understand what happened, mostly because they have experienced something supernatural themselves. These reactions are all from Christians here at Cairn U and by no means a jab at American Christians; it just shows how different cultures react to supernatural incidents.

If you’re getting the chills from reading the story, here’s another story told by a Balinese Preacher at my church some time ago: A long time ago, when the European missionaries were spreading the gospel in Bali, Indonesia, they came across a village that was friendly to them but none of them had heard the Gospel of Christ, as Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule and labelled Christianity the enemy’s religion. But these missionaries felt that they could serve the people of the village so they set up a small house in the village and helped educate the village people. The villagers were happy as to receive a great education and help with chores from these missionaries.

The few who disapproved of the missionaries living in the village were the local shamans. They had sensed from the spirits they were using that the missionaries were of an opposing force to theirs, and they wanted to get rid of the missionaries using magic. One night, they gathered all their might in a ritual to send the strongest fire spirits to the missionaries’ house. The fire spirits made the air surrounding the house so hot that the houses surrounding the missionaries evacuated their families, and some even passed out from the heat. But none of the missionaries left the house that night. Feeling a sense of victory, the shamans left the site and celebrated their triumph.

The next day, the shamans came to check on the house, expecting to see burnt bodies lying on the floor. To their surprise, when they arrived, the missionaries were singing hymns (“Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”) and were cleaning their front yard. The shamans asked them if they felt any heat that night and one of the missionaries said that they felt nothing more than the hot tropical night. The shamans were shocked as they sent their best magic against the missionaries and lost. In accordance with their traditions, the shamans immediately bowed down in front of the superior might and asked to be taught their ways. The missionaries were confused at first but were happy that these people came to them and opened their hearts to the Gospel. After that day, the shamans who dabbled in magic became the first believers of that village, and their testimony helped convert many others in the village to believe in Christ.

This story exemplifies that no matter what, we Christians are protected by the Holy Spirit. We may try to deny the supernatural war engulfing us, but we daily fight the battles, even those we don’t know about. We may experience supernatural incidents, but the Lord our God will not let us walk alone without His spiritual protection. Happy All Hallows Eve.