“UNDERSTANDING THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT-PART II”
Text: I Kings 19:1- 4
Elijah finds himself at the end of Jezebel’s threats.
Here is a man who successfully saw God deliver him from 850 False prophets of Baal and the Grooves. Elijah supernaturally outran chariots and now has swooned to the point of low discouragement and prayed that God would take him home.
As a Pastor, I come to share guidance & direction with you. I share things to inform you and warn you so that you will not make a decision that will hurt you. Or one that you’ll be sorry for. I want to see you prepared when your adversary comes against you.
Anyone who reads any news or knows what is going on in the world is very aware that the enemy has made a vicious onslaught against God’s church. I Peter 5:8
-The devil would love to marginalize, minimize and disenfranchise the church.
NOW- WE KNOW WHO’S SIDE IS THE WINNING SIDE; THE FINAL OUTCOME HAS ALREADY BEEN DETERMINED.
The Jezebel Spirit will attack, discourage, disconnect, and divide you away from the call of God. IT IS REAL, AND IT’S A BIG DEAL.
HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?
How does someone go from the top to the bottom in just a couple of days?
How does someone decide to walk away from the call of God within a couple of days?
I believe that living in forgiveness is a big deal when it comes to being victorious over the Jezebel Spirit.
II Corinthians 2:10-11
You cannot sow bad seed, and expect a good harvest.
We can’t mistreat people and expect God’s presence.
Sowing bad seeds, giving bad seeds will increase the chances of spiritual attacks.
To reap a blessing, you must give a blessing or sow a blessing.
We reap what we sow, we reap more than we sow, and we reap longer than we sow. The law of the harvest or the “Law of reciprocity” tells us about REAPING.
Living in honesty, forgiveness, and accountability greatly reduces the opportunity and influence of the JEZEBEL SPIRIT.
-The Jezebel Spirit loves to seat in people with deep wounds and hurts.
-Most sin emanates from an offense, a wounding, or a hurt.
LIVING OFFENSE FREE, LIVING IN FORGIVENESS CREATES A CHILDLIKE RESPONSE TO LIFE
ILLUS.: How children forgive vs. Adults. Lyla Dailey
ONE OF THE QUICKEST WAYS TO HAVE FREEDOM. Openly admit your mistake and admit your need for Christ.
James 5:16
Usually, when the problem is admitted, then God can work. The devil traffics in secrecy.
It is one thing to acknowledge that God has promised in His word. It is another thing to believe that they are for you.
God wants his people spared, protected, and prepared.
My text for last week’s message: Hosea 4:6
As truth is revealed and revelation comes forth, there is a responsibility of each person to apply it to their lives. If we reject the truth and choose not to shun evil & reject the knowledge, then God says that He will reject us, and we will no longer be a priest to Him. WHY? Because we have forgotten His law.
WHEN NEW REVELATION comes forth, there is a responsibility with the knowledge that God gives.
1. WHAT IS THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT? I Kings 19:1-4
Many a minister has thrown in the towel because of this Spirit.
Many a Christian has been discouraged to the point of quitting their ministry because of this Spirit.
We must discern when a person’s actions are caused because of a spirit or the person.
*Not everyone has malice or malevolence in their soul.
*Not every strong personality is a Jezebel, either.
*Not every kind, tender speaking, a kind-hearted person has your best interest.
ILLUS.: BLESS YOUR HEART. This is not a term of endearment.
We must be merciful with the person but merciless with the spirit that operates behind them.
Contrary to popular belief, the jezebel spirit can occupy a man or a woman.
Yes, men can have a jezebel spirit.
WHY THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT?
- Satan has increased his warfare against the body of Christ, particularly in these days, because he feels threatened.
- ILLUS.: In the last 3 years, there has been great compromise regarding worship, Christian fellowship, and commitment to discipleship.
It will fight to take away that anointing that you have felt in your life.
Over the years, Men & Women of God have seemingly lost their anointing,
This is why we need to understand and apply God’s word and knowledge correctly to our spiritual life.
A. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE OUR GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY.
The Jezebel spirit is the only one weapon that Satan uses, and I believe that it is an especially powerful weapon against the church.
He is often successful in this area because we are not aware of His DECEIT in this area.
- The Jezebel spirit will come against Church leaders, church workers, preachers, and teachers.
- This Spirit will use church leaders, church workers, preachers, and teachers.
-The Jezebel spirit has but one goal:
To destroy men and women of God and to destroy the ministry.
The Jezebel Spirit will use people who have been hurt, maligned, and wounded in their past.
- The Jezebel Spirit is a demonic force that desires to abort and cast off the anointing. 54:17
-If you are a person who has a hard time getting over things – if you have a hard time moving past something that has happened to you. THEN -You will struggle in claiming that verse of scripture.
Some people are affected by a Jezebel spirit outwardly. (It affects them)
Some are affected by a Jezebel spirit inwardly. (You affect others)
Principalities are demonic spirits that control a certain territory. These territories can be governmental, financial, industrial, communities, and even families.
ILLUS.: Certain communities can have a spirit of drunkenness, rebellion, and perverseness. What happened this past Wednesday night on live stream is a demonic stronghold.
If you visit a small town and the population is 3,000 people, and yet there are 75 churches in that town, I can almost bet you that Jezebel has been in that town because no church can survive past 100.
As soon as it gets so big….”Division, disunity…all for the purpose of control.
B. WHAT ARE THE ENTRY POINTS OF THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT?
- Unresolved emotional pain.
- Pre-disposition to offense
- Dysfunctional families.
If a person has unresolved emotional pain such as rejection, unforgiveness, feeling abandoned, or having been abused, these are entry points of the jezebel spirit. That spirit is rooted in pain.
Every person that has been used by the spirit of jezebel has come from unresolved emotional pain, pre-disposition to offense, or a dysfunctional family.
Those who harbor pain, and often this could come from being in a dysfunctional family, are prone to receiving the Jezebel spirit.
ILLUS.: I have seen many Christians who were God-fearing people, Christ-honoring, who seem to be constantly hurt & devastated.
LET’S REMEMBER the knowledge of God.
THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG HERE, CHURCH:
-If you have fallen prey to these attacks……know that God forgives and restores.
*There are many people in God’s Church who want to stand with you and wrap their arms around you.
*YOU STILL HAVE A FUTURE – God is not through with you yet.
*The Church has been silent for a while, but I sense a HOLY ROAR coming on.
2. THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT DESCENDS AFTER A GREAT SPIRITUAL VICTORY.
The Jezebel spirit comes on a person usually after a great spiritual victory.
When did you last have a spiritual benchmark? What happened afterward?
- It will make you feel unworthy, unusable, extremely low, and even depressed.
-What caused Peter to deny the Lord 3 times?
-What caused King Saul to throw away his anointing for a moment of PRIDE?
-What caused Elijah to feel as though he was the only one serving God?
- Sadly, a number of people have bought the lie that they are unusable to God.
I have a feeling that there are a lot of good people out there who have never intended to lose a spiritual battle so badly.
I believe in a ministry called RESTORATION, which is restoring men and women to a place of anointed service who have been wounded, hurt, and abused.
Many still have a call on their lives. They still have a mission to accomplish.
I believe that they are worth salvaging.
You have to watch when you are physically worn out, emotionally worn out, and spiritually drained.
REALIZE: You are a prime target for a Jezebel Spirit to come at you. IF YOU THINK YOU’RE OK.
Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
*We think that because we are in the Church, that repentance escapes us.
-If there is any place repentance should start, it should be in the Church.
-WHY? Judgment begins at the house of God.”
ILLUS.: Often in the South, we will excuse bad behavior and a lack of fruit because that’s just the way we are in the South. That’s just me-that’s just the way I share my opinion. No, that is sin. Disrespect, bad attitudes, and rash judgments will never produce the FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
- If you can’t get along with your spouse, then maybe you need to repent.
- If you can’t get along with your co-workers, then maybe you need to repent.
- If you can’t get along with yourself, you probably need to repent.
Jesus didn’t say “Confess and be baptized; he said, ‘Repent and be baptized.’”
Jesus didn’t say, “Feel sorry, guilty, and be baptized.”
I Kings 19:4…..here was Elijah…..What happened?
The man of God lost the victory, yes, but He lost His call, anointing, and ministry.
Or did He? Or did the Jezebel spirit just convince Him of such a lie?
The Jezebel spirit operates in three areas of control:
- Manipulation – “Make people do something through a wrong spirit.”
- Intimidation – “Make people feel insecure because of a wrong spirit.”
- Domination -“Make people feel under control because of a wrong spirit.”
Jezebel uses CONTROL to carry out the destruction of people all around it.
THAT SPIRIT THAT CONTROLS.
Jezebel cursed Elijah when she issued a threat upon His life.
Fear can be intimidating. It was as though a man of God came under a spell.
Elijah was the same powerful man under the juniper tree.
God’s people cannot be affected by a curse unless they open a door.
Doors can be opened through fear, doubt, and/or sin.
Doors can open as a result of complacency, rebellion, and compromise.
None of us can criticize ELIJAH, but we certainly can learn from Elijah.
THE PROBLEM: It is a problem for preachers and laymen alike.
The stressful schedule, the urgency to keep pressing on.
Any distraction away from what God has commissioned us to do is opening the door to satan. SATAN LIES IN WAIT, HOPING THAT WE WILL OPEN THAT DOOR. Gen. 4:7
Once Satan gets His foot in the open door, it becomes hard to shut; he will try to pry it open all the way.
We must, in our obedience, hold fast to the truths God has established in His word.
Is. 54:17; I John 4:4; II Tim. 1:7
PROBLEM: Where is that sound mind on Monday morning?
Many of us know these scriptures, but the application of them is our responsibility. WHY?
So when the enemy comes in like a flood, we will be able to lift up a standard against Him. So we will have something to hold on to.
- It is more than a case of the blues, the downs, or the mid-life crisis.
- It is the JEZEBEL SPIRIT.
3. THE OTHER JEZEBEL Rev. 2:18-23.
In God’s word, there are 2 different women recorded who were named Jezebel.
You will recall that this name is a synonym for wickedness.
These women not only shared the same name but operated under the same demonic spirit: THE JEZEBEL SPIRIT.
While there are some differences between the two, there are many things that are similar.
- John the Revelator is writing to the angel (Pastor) at the Church at Thyatira.
This is being written to Christians. John begins by commending the church for its works, charity, faith, patience, and service. He was especially pleased when there was a significant increase in the works that the Church had been able to accomplish.
- Yet in the midst of this praise, he also reprimanded them for their tolerance of the Jezebel spirit. (There was teaching in the Church)
Jezebels use their time well and take on many duties.
There’s no indication that she held an ecclesiastical office.
She wasn’t necessarily an Elder, Pastor, or Apostle. But she did claim to possess the gift of prophecy. Jesus said she “calls herself a prophetess” (v. 20).
Is Jesus suggesting she only claimed to have this gift but, in fact, did not?
It is most likely that she exercised a supernatural “prophetic-like” ability that was energized by demonic power rather than the Spirit of God.
I want to suggest that it was possibly (probably?) through this alleged “prophetic” ability that Jezebel gained power and authority in the church at Thyatira and adversely influenced a number of Christians there.
It’s not difficult to see how this could (and does) occur.
[By the way, a man can display the characteristics of “Jezebel” no less than a woman. This is one sin that is by no means gender specific.]
The word “spirit” is used here in one of two ways:
(a) Of the human spirit, perhaps an attitude, disposition, habit, mentality, or set of characteristics displayed by a particular individual.
(b) Of those whose supernatural “prophetic” ability is energized by a demonic spirit. Regardless of the animating force, a person with a “Jezebel spirit” is one who displays the insidious, manipulative, and evil tendencies manifest in this woman of Thyatira.
-There is not a counterfeit unless there is the real.
-All too often, we hear of individuals using their ecclesiastical authority or position, as well as their supernatural gifting (whether it be of God or the enemy), to manipulate others into behavior they would not normally embrace.
Virtually everyone is aware of some situation in which a Christian has used a spiritual gift, whether teaching, administration, pastoring, or another of the charismata, to gain influence within the wider body of Christ.
On occasion, a person with a Jezebel spirit will claim to have “revelation” that even trumps Scripture.
Similarly, because of the “wonderful contribution” that a person has made to the kingdom, he/she is virtually untouchable and rarely held accountable to the normal rules of ethical behavior that govern all other Christians.
ILLUS.: New Mexico, Youth Pastor. The pastor was judged as wrong.
HOW DO WE GUARD AGAINST THIS EVIL PRESENCE?
- The Bible says that we should examine the fruit that people bear and not their gifts. Matt. 7:16; Matt. 7:20
- We, as a Church, should be careful to pray and guard our families and churches.
- Raise our accountability for our individual and behavior as a church.
Some people are looking for power, searching for control, or craving recognition by man, their true motives will go completely unnoticed.
They will seduce new converts or immature Christians in an effort to control or manipulate them.
If necessary, they will even prophesy to them and tell them things they want to hear. This type of person has no intention of making themselves of “no reputation.” They do not have one ounce of humility.
They may look like they have good intentions to help the Church body when in fact, they desire to draw attention to themselves. “If I be lifted up, then I will draw all men to me.”
CONCLUSION:
POINT Before a move of God is ushered in; Jezebel shows up on the scene to abort the move of God. God’s presence destroys the false spirit.
-It will manifest before the revival begins, causing turmoil in the church body. The spirit attempts to abort the work of God before a new move of His spirit is birthed.
-It will try to kill the move when it is in the spiritual infancy stage before it develops into full REVIVAL
-God is raising a new standard in our churches, who are not afraid to stand and conquer the