I am old enough to remember the movie “The Exorcist.” I was raised in a religious family, and topics like Demon possession were talked about, sometimes.

I still remember my university friends, who were not religious in any way I knew, watching that movie, and they talked about it for weeks. I remember the shocked looks on some faces.

People were really afraid.

I never watched the movie, and I don’t like this topic; but I am sure that we should all be concerned.

Now, talk about “spiritual” things is often found in the secular media.

Remember Malaysia Flight 370? That plane disappeared mysteriously, somewhere, with everyone on board. Some people see a spiritual side to this strange event:

• READ: #BBCtrending: Malaysia’s ‘Bomoh’ and the superstitious search for MH370

What do we do with the spiritual side of life? What do we mean when we say that we are spiritual?

Some experts are concerned: If you are interested, social experts sometimes study topics like Spiritism, Exorcism, and Demonology. There are many examples on the Internet:

Probably every religion believes in spirits and demons: We all know the story of Aladdin and his lamp. The genie in the lamp was a Jinn, a spirit being in the Muslim religion.

• READ: Jinn: Wikipedia

We also have records of demon activity in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments; so in the religions of Judaism and Christianity. Some religions are mostly reverence for or fear of many spirits.

God is a spirit: If we believe in any part of the spirit world, we should be honest about our whole belief. A man named Jesus told us, “God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4: 24)

What other spiritual truth should we know?

Our ignorance is dangerous for us: My university friends did not care about spiritual things, in most conversations with me. They wanted to finish their educations and build prosperous lives, in our material world.

When they watched the movie “The Exorcist” they became stressed and obsessed. They did not know how to react to this new information, and I still believe they were playing with dangerous things, with no knowledge.

Modern people like to describe themselves as “spiritual”: We all know the expression “I’m not religious, I’m spiritual.” We need to know what we are saying.

We all have personal experiences: As I am writing this, I asked someone near me if they ever had an experience that they believe was spiritual. The answer, just now, was “Oh yeah,” I didn’t ask for details, but you also probably have some personal history that fits the description of “spiritual.” I think we all have an “Oh yeah” moment.

I remember that time in the car wash.

Years ago, I had a close friend who was very destructive. Their lifestyle included drugs, alcohol, and sexual things that I could not agree with. Many of us were worried about our friend. I remember spraying my car, in a car wash, and I was stressed. I couldn’t see any useful thing that I could do for my friend or me, and I felt sick about that.

That’s when I heard the voice.

From one side of the building, I heard someone say loudly “This must end!” I looked around, but no one was there. That was strange because I don’t hear voices. I’m not that kind of person.

I forgot about the voice, and weeks later I traveled for work. On a Sunday, I went to a church near my hotel in a city far from home. The pastor was concerned, for some reason, and invited me for lunch, with him and his wife.

He asked me what was happening in my life, and I told him about my friend. He advised me several times, to keep away from any behavior that I did not agree with. He told me to keep myself out of the fire.

I followed his advice, and my friend continued on their road. The end did come, and it was dramatic, including serious legal problems for my friend. I kept my distance, and my friend moved away. Now, an Internet search of their name brings up nothing new, and I believe my old friend is now dead.

I can’t explain that voice, and I don’t know why that pastor was so concerned, but there seems to be something spiritual, in the story. Invisible powers seemed to be active.

What is your story? Was there a strange invisible force, that seemed to work in your life?

I hope we can all find spiritual truth.

Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. (Ephesians 6: 10 to 12)