Jonathan Pokluda pastors Harris Creek Baptist Church in Wako, Texas. In an interview with the Christian Post, Pokluda discussed his encounter with the demonic at a high end country golf club in Utah.

What is so intriguing about this incident is that it occurred publicly. 

Pokluda had just gotten off the golf course and was praying for a man in the club house who was struggling with prayer. 

“He starts coughing and then the coughing goes to growling, and then his arm flies up above his head, and then back, and then around his back, and he hunches over, and he just starts convulsing and making these noises,” Pokluda said. 

“This is a guy that just got off the golf course; he’s got his title, his visor on and his polo tucked into his khaki shorts with his golf cleats. I didn’t expect that at all,” Pokluda added.

Even though he is a pastor, Pokluda was taken back by the encounter.

“In full transparency, I was scared and praying. It gets bigger and louder, and then it calms down. He calms down and says, ‘In Jesus’ name, amen.’ He just looks at me, like, ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that.’ I was like, ‘Man, that makes two of us.’”

Pokluda added that this type of thing was not talked about in the church he grew up in. But the incident led him to write a book, “Your Story has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy,” which he describes as ‘layman’s guide to spiritual warfare.’

“I think a lot of Christians hide behind what we can’t know,” Pokluda noted. “When I turn to the Scriptures, and it says more about spiritual warfare than marriage, it seems like there’s a lot we can know. There’s a lot that the Scripture says about spiritual warfare.”

Similar to what happened with Pokluda, many of Jesus’ encounters with the demonic were public. This includes delivering a man from an evil spirit who was sitting in the congregation during a synagogue service in Capernaum (Luke 4:31-44). 

In this instance, the demon exposed itself as Jesus was teaching. Even though Jesus never specifically addressed it, the demon cried out, “Leave us alone! What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 

But Christ’s authority (Luke 4:32) clearly threatened the demonic forcing it to reveal itself.

Bible talks extensively about the demonic realm.  The Apostle Peter warned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,” (1 Peter 5:8).

Certainly, Peter had first hand knowledge of this having gone through a personal demonic attack.

The disciples had just been arguing over who was the greatest of Christ’s disciples, when Jesus warned Peter.

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat,” (Luke 22:31 NKJV).

Curiously, the word ‘you’ is in the plural resulting in some versions, like the New English Translation (NET), translating it this way, “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all to sift you like wheat.” The NET includes all the disciples in the warning adding in a footnote, “This pronoun is plural in the Greek text, so it refers to all the disciples of which Peter is the representative.” Even the NASV acknowledges this plural writing “you men.”

Though Peter was the focal point of this demonic attack, all the disciples scattered at Christ’s arrest (Mark 14;50). In the end, Peter would deny Christ after being confronted by a small servant girl.

Many Christians are in denial about the demonic realm, influenced in part by our secular culture. However, as Pokluda found out, it is very real.