We must stop tolerating the spirit of Jezebel. What is the spirit of Jezebel? We can see the personality of this spirit by looking at the woman Jezebel in the book of 1 and 2 Kings. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab. Ahab was the king of Israel during the time of Elijah.
Jezebel Was In Charge
Although Jezebel was never in charge, she was the person who was in charge of Ahab. It is clear Jezebel is the one running the show, not Ahab. We see examples of this in 1 Kings 18:13 where it is stated that Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD. In 1 Kings 18:19 Elijah asks for 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, “who eat at Jezebel’s table.” It is clear here that Jezebel is in charge of all things religious.
Who Is The True God???
This is the time when God showed the people of Israel who is the true God and who is not. The famous showdown between Yahweh and Baal occurred at Mount Carmel. I’m sure you know the story. Whichever god answered the prayers of his prophet(s) with fire was the true god. The other was the imposter and had no power. The prophets of Baal went first, and try as they may, fire never rained down from heaven. When it was Elijah’s turn, he first covered his sacrifice with water. Then he asked Yahweh to rain fire down. At Elijah’s request Yahweh sent fire down from heaven. The fire consumed the sacrifice and “licked up all the water.” At the end of the day all 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah were killed. This is just a summary. You can read the whole exciting story in 1 Kings 18:20-40.
The Spirit Of Jezebel Loves Religion
Having so many of her prophets killed infuriated Jezebel. She just lost some of her power. This is a huge sign of the spirit of Jezebel. This spirit loves control. It loves controlling religion but is happy controlling anyone and everyone. The spirit of Jezebel loves religion because in religion people are easily controlled.
God Loves Relationship
God isn’t a fan of religion. He much prefers relationship. In relationship people do things because they want to and they have been changed. The motivation becomes love. When God touches your heart, you can’t help but do things differently. I have spoken a ton about how I used to be extremely insecure. After God touched me and showed me who he sees, I can no longer live in perpetual insecurity. I don’t pretend to be bold because the rules say so. I am bold because God told me I am. Likewise I go to church every week because I love to spend time with God and learn from others. I love to hear what God is teaching the teachers and ask God how I apply that to my own life. I don’t go to church because I have to, and I don’t think something bad will happen if I choose to stay home. Religion says I have to go to church. Relationship says I get to go to church.
You can see why the spirit of Jezebel loves religion. It can guilt you into doing anything it wants you to do by proclaiming, “You must do this to show you love God.” Yes, the spirit of Jezebel isn’t afraid of throwing God under the bus. In fact it loves to make God look mean, controlling, and vindictive. We must stop tolerating the control and religious spirit of Jezebel.
The Spirit Of Jezebel Is Seductive
The spirit of Jezebel will do anything to remain in control. We see this at the end of the person of Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30-37. The person Jezebel knew her time was ending. She wasn’t willing to give up her power and would fight for it the best she could until the bitter end. It says in 2 Kings 9:30, “When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window.” 2 Kings 9:30 (ESV)
She put on makeup and dressed up to seduce Jehu. Seduction is a powerful tool women have and some use it as a means of controlling others. We know Jezebel loved control so it shouldn’t surprise us to see her using her body as a way of controlling men.
How Does The Jezebel Spirit Look In Real Life
The spirit of Jezebel will also use seduction to control humans. While I’m sure there are many ways this can look, I can only tell what I have observed. This spirit will seduce men into doing anything to gain more power, wealth, and notoriety. If a man who is under the control of the Jezebel spirit can gain more power by lying, stealing, cheating, or doing just about anything else, he will do it. Because this spirit is controlling him, he will do things he never thought he was capable of just to get the feeling of power and control. We see this in business and even sometimes in pastors. Of course God can’t continue to bless the ministry of a man like this, and he sure doesn’t want his kids behaving like that. Eventually God will expose the wickedness of this man, and he will have the choice to submit to God or walk away from God.
In women this spirit will often be the wife of the man in control, just like the person of Jezebel. They are content to run the show behind the scenes, all the while looking like a helpful and loving wife. They may say they are submitting to their husband’s role as man of the house, but in reality the husband is in complete submission to his wife. She has the final say in all aspects of his life, both personal and professional. She has final say of where he works, who his friends are, which family members he is allowed to spend time with, and any other aspect of his life she deems him incapable of controlling himself.
My Personal Experience
I have met many women who live their lives this way. In fact Brett and I once had a dear friend whose wife decided we were “unsafe” to be friends with any longer. He was forced to call and tell us he no longer wanted us to be friends. Though this woman didn’t have power over a big church, country, or even company, she did have complete control of her husband. She made all the decisions of where they would go, who they would spend time with, and how every aspect of their home was managed. He had zero say in anything. Neither of them were truly happy. They need to stop tolerating the spirit of Jezebel.
What Do We Do Now
How do we stand up against the spirit of Jezebel? What does it look like to stop tolerating this spirit of control? Jesus tells us to stop tolerating this spirit in Revelation 2:20, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” Revelation 2:20 (ESV)
Although spoken in the negative sense, “you tolerate that woman Jezebel,” his words give us the prescription for defeating the spirit: stop tolerating it. Stop tolerating evil and control. Jesus means business when his people sit by and allow this spirit to wreak havoc over his people.
Steps To Stop Tolerating The Spirit Of Jezebel
First we need to recognize when we see people being controlled by this spirit. Know what tactics this spirit employs, as just discussed!
Second, we need to remember to love the person. It is God’s love that draws us to him. Whatever we do or say, we do it in love. Pray hard before doing or saying anything. We want these people to be free from the control of the Jezebel spirit. We must remember they are in bondage, and as a result will put others in bondage with them.
Third, we must pray for these people’s freedom. Ask God to give you the opportunity to pray in person for this person’s freedom. The influence of the spirit must be stopped, which means repentance is in order. It requires a heart change and “eyes to see.” The person must renounce all illegitimate control, vindictiveness, unforgiveness and bitterness, and submit to the Holy Spirit. The best way is to pray for this person, preferably with church leaders or strong Spirit-filled people, and command this spirit to leave them and never come back.
Finally, we must stand for truth. We must not allow these people to have control over us. We can’t afford to stand by quietly any longer. Being bold and proclaiming the truth of God to them is essential, even when they fight back. We must stand firm and not be swayed by their tactics of control. Putting on the armor of God before being around these people is essential. Supernatural protection is needed to stand against the schemes of the Jezebel spirit. Remember we fight not against people but against the evil spirits of this world. (Ephesians 6:11).
You Can Do It
Be strong my friend. Standing up against the spirit of Jezebel can be intimidating. Recall how Elijah was terrified of Jezebel’s threat to kill him after the showdown at Mount Carmel. (See 1 Kings 19). Don’t ever forget you have the Holy Spirit inside you. He gives you boldness and the words to stand up against this evil spirit. After all, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4b (ESV). It’s time to be free of the spirit of Jezebel, and it’s time to set others free from this evil spirit.
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