What does it mean to open the door to evil — and what do demonic possession, exorcism, and spiritual healing look like in the modern era?
These are just some of the questions Mike Signorelli, pastor of V1 Church in New York City, recently answered during an interview with CBN’s Faithwire, diving into his deliverance efforts, responding to critics’ questions, and exploring the ins and outs of spiritual healing.
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In a world in which Hollywood movies and TV shows too often feature bloodied scenes and spinning heads, among other apparent signs of spiritual affliction, Signorelli says we have a more accurate source to which we can turn to understand the perils of the demonic: the Bible.
Based on what’s seen in Scripture, he explained the nature of demons, noting these “disembodied personalities” are witnessed in both the Old and New Testaments.
“They are personalities without a body that desperately want a body,” he said. “They even refer to our body in the New Testament as a house. It says that they get removed and then they come back to their home — and so they think of us as their home. … They want to dwell in our physical body.”
And this battle over good and evil isn’t merely one contained to the Scriptures, as he said he and other deliverance ministers routinely deal with these issues while ministering to their flocks in the modern era.
“[Some] people are under the influence of demons,” Signorelli said. “People have opened up doorways and portals and gateways to the demonic in their life, and it’s a real phenomenon.”
He added, “It’s impossible to believe in God and not believe in the devil. It’s impossible to believe in angels and not believe in demons.”
Watch Signorelli discuss demons, exorcism, and healing:
The preacher clarified what it means to “open up doors” to the demonic, detailing the rise of New Age practices, increased obsessions with Horoscopes, a bigger push for psychics and mediums, and a resurgence of palm readings, crystals, and other such practices.
“Many people listening have used Ouija boards, and those are the obvious things,” Signorelli said, underscoring the dangers of such practices. “But, also, I think that there’s many people listening right now who are addicted to pornography and they’ve crucified the flesh a million times, and they’ve read their Bible every single day, and they pray every day, and they don’t understand, ‘Why do I not seem to be able to get victory over this?'”
The pastor quickly noted it’s “not always a demon” preventing such triumphs, though he said people are sometimes enticed by evils and find themselves being solicited into sin, including through drug use and other activities.
“Do you always have a demon as a result of addiction?” Signorelli rhetorically asked. “No, but I do believe if you continually and perpetually leave the door open, then just like if I left the door open of my own house, something’s eventually going to come in.”
Listen to Signorelli break it all down here.
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