Man experiences freedom after videotaped exorcism

Peace eluded Bret Payton for so many years. He thought that he was damaged beyond repair -- that is until his life took an unexpected turn.

"I can remember as a kid watching the TV and being so angry at TV families - "The Cosby Show" and all that," Payton said. "I thought, 'That's not how families are. That's a lie.'"

When we first met Payton last year he was, by his own admission, a desperate man.

Reporter Carey Pena (from last year's interview): You literally felt that you had demons inside of you?

Payton: Yeah, but I thought they would just go.

But he never could get rid of those evil feelings.

Pena: Were you ever worried that the rage was going to turn you into a horrible person?

Payton: Of course. I can't be a child molester. I can't abuse children. I can't do that. So what I had to do was find something, some way to get rid of this. I don't want to carry it anymore. It hurts.

3TV cameras were present when Payton experienced what he believes was an exorcism. And we've been following his story ever since.

And

"I didn't care about my life," he said. "I didn't care how I looked. I have over 50 stupid tattoos on me. (The tattoos) represent the destructive life I used to lead."

But Payton says everything changed after he had an exorcism.

"Come here, stand where everybody can see you," said televangelist Bob Larson during the exorcism. "We love you, Bret."

Our cameras witnessed the exorcism at the Spiritual Freedom Church in Scottsdale in November of last year. Larson called Payton in front of the congregation to do some soul searching.

Payton (at the November exorcism): My stepmother.

Larson: What about your stepmother?

Payton: She tortured me and my brother.

An emotional moment for Payton, and then, "Get up and face me. Get up," Larson demanded.

Payton says he believes the devil was then called out of his body.

Larson: Say we lift the curse of hatred and abuse of torture and torment.

It's a shocking tape to watch. It goes on for 11 minutes until Payton collapses and falls to the floor.

Once the exorcism was over, Payton says he felt a sense of relief.

"You see beauty instead of ugliness," he said.

Read the whole story. One of the dangers of stories like this is that people hope for some magic, instant solution to the problems in their lives, to suddenly and permanently be released from the sin that besets them. Sometimes perhaps it does really happen like that. But most of the time, we grow by cleaving to the Truth, by resisting evil. And we're promised that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us.