In this article we will discuss identifying this spirit, submitting to God, and overcoming it. We will also learn what it means to have and operate in our spiritual authority as believers.
Revelation 2:20- “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols”
Revelation 2:20- “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols”
In this passage we see Jesus referring to an individual in the Church of Thyatira whom he called "Jezebel." What is notable is that woman Jezebel was actually killed long before the church at Thyatira. She was eaten by dogs in a city called Jezreel many many years before. Most Scholars who read this passage will affirm that Jesus was referring to the characteristics of this person being similar to that of Jezebel in the Old Testament, I believe she was influenced by the same demonic power that influenced Jezebel in those days. This demonic power seeks to lead God's people into sexual sin, and controversies that cause division. Many Church splits throughout the world are caused by the spirit of Jezebel, and much spiritual anemia as well...
1 Kings 21:25- “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.”
So the woman Jezebel in the Old Testament is known for the treachery that she caused throughout the land of Israel during the reign of Ahab her husband. She set up altars to Baal and Ashterah (false idols) which instituted rituals of human sacrifice and Temple prostitution all throughout the country (compare to our current practices of abortion and rampant affirmation of sexual sin). Jezebel also killed off many Godly Prophets during her time of influence. Her husband Ahab basically stood to the side and allowed her to conduct evil throughout the land, so the Bible says that Ahab was considered Wicked in the sight of God.
Some common traits that can be seen in those who are enslaved or influenced by a Jezebel spirit are:
a. In men:
-Authoritarian leadership –bossy, sometimes overtly manipulative
-envious of others
- Little to no yielding to accountability
-Manipulates authority
-Flirtatious with women
- In bondage to sexual sin
b. In women:
-indomitable self-will
-covertly manipulative (sometimes overtly)
-jealous and possessive
-uses sex as a way to control
-emasculates spouse/partner
-plays the victim, plays the children against their father
-throws temper tantrums to get her way
-asserts herself against authority
Oppression:
People who are being oppressed by The Jezebel spirit exhibit some of the same symptoms as the Prophet Elijah after his battle with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in 1st Kings chapter 18. When a spirit of Jezebel seeks to oppress a man or woman of God it will always use fear and intimidation as you will see in the passage below.
1 Kings 19:2-4-”So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Effects of a Jezebel spirit:
-Fear
-Lack of boldness
-Exhaustion
-Suicidal Thoughts
-Feelings of despair
-Sexually impure thoughts and behaviors (Israel at large)
-Strange and prolonged sickness (Revelation 2)
Submitting to God is the next point that we will cover. We can’t expect to win a spiritual battle if we are submitted to the enemy from the start. If we are living a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the living that God calls us to in His Word we are considered to be "submitted to the enemy."
Matthew 4:4-”Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Submitting to God and His Word empowers us to resist the devil. Here in Matthew 4 we see Jesus helping us to understand that God's word is spiritual food for our spirit man. When we daily feed on God's word we are able to receive power from it in order to resist the enemy and win the spiritual battle.
James 4:7 (NIV)- “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Some common traits that can be seen in those who are enslaved or influenced by a Jezebel spirit are:
a. In men:
-Authoritarian leadership –bossy, sometimes overtly manipulative
-envious of others
- Little to no yielding to accountability
-Manipulates authority
-Flirtatious with women
- In bondage to sexual sin
b. In women:
-indomitable self-will
-covertly manipulative (sometimes overtly)
-jealous and possessive
-uses sex as a way to control
-emasculates spouse/partner
-plays the victim, plays the children against their father
-throws temper tantrums to get her way
-asserts herself against authority
Oppression:
People who are being oppressed by The Jezebel spirit exhibit some of the same symptoms as the Prophet Elijah after his battle with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel in 1st Kings chapter 18. When a spirit of Jezebel seeks to oppress a man or woman of God it will always use fear and intimidation as you will see in the passage below.
1 Kings 19:2-4-”So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Effects of a Jezebel spirit:
-Fear
-Lack of boldness
-Exhaustion
-Suicidal Thoughts
-Feelings of despair
-Sexually impure thoughts and behaviors (Israel at large)
-Strange and prolonged sickness (Revelation 2)
Submitting to God is the next point that we will cover. We can’t expect to win a spiritual battle if we are submitted to the enemy from the start. If we are living a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the living that God calls us to in His Word we are considered to be "submitted to the enemy."
Matthew 4:4-”Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Submitting to God and His Word empowers us to resist the devil. Here in Matthew 4 we see Jesus helping us to understand that God's word is spiritual food for our spirit man. When we daily feed on God's word we are able to receive power from it in order to resist the enemy and win the spiritual battle.
James 4:7 (NIV)- “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We are submitted to God when we rely on, trust, and obey His Word. If we are living in sin we cannot win. In order to submit to God we must repent, confess our sins, and fully surrender every part of our life to God on a day-to-day basis.
1 Kings 19:6-9- “All at once an angel touched him (Elijah) and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.”
In this passage (which proceeds right after his Jezebel encounter) the Prophet Elijah ate the bread which represents God's word and drank the water which represents God's Spirit. This gives us the principle that we must learn to live by. I believe that when we are facing spiritual warfare the only way out is to go deeper into God's Word, and rely more fully on God's Spirit and we ever have before. This means no more surface-level Christianity, this is when we must transition from just acting like Christians to actually being who we are called to be, more than conquerors!
Identifying the spirit of Jezebel and submitting to God is critical, but we must also know our authority in Christ and have the drive to use it as we resist the devil through God’s power. When we understand the authority that we have in Christ and we are empowered by God with a passion to walk in the fullness of his glory, we can begin to walk in the victory that Christ intends for us to have.
Knowing our authority in Christ:
Luke 10:9 (NIV)- “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Mark 16:16-18 extends this promise to all believers. We are also said to be in union with Christ and therefore sharing in His authority (1 Corith 6:17). When we really begin to understand all that Christ has given us through His death burial and Resurrection, the powers of the enemy begin to be put into proper perspective. We begin to realize that the enemy has no power at all unless we behave as if he does!
The “Ahab attitude” is alway needed in order for a Jezebel spirit to thrive. Ahab was basically an enabler for Jezebel's treachery to be acted out upon the entire nation of Israel. God has called men and women to stand up to the spirit of Jezebel and no longer tolerate it's deceptive ways in our life. God can remove an Ahab attitude from us when we confess our sin and ask Him to help us move in the better direction. If you are facing the influence of a Jezebel spirit in a family member or friend: seek wise counsel, address the behavior without attacking the person, let God’s word strengthen you, and pray like never before!
In second Kings chapter 9 God anointed a man named Jehu to defeat Jezebel totally and completely. So what was it about Jehu that caused him to stand up to Jezebel rather than to be the enabler that Ahab was? I believe this answer is found in second Kings chapter 10.
1 Kings 19:6-9- “All at once an angel touched him (Elijah) and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.”
In this passage (which proceeds right after his Jezebel encounter) the Prophet Elijah ate the bread which represents God's word and drank the water which represents God's Spirit. This gives us the principle that we must learn to live by. I believe that when we are facing spiritual warfare the only way out is to go deeper into God's Word, and rely more fully on God's Spirit and we ever have before. This means no more surface-level Christianity, this is when we must transition from just acting like Christians to actually being who we are called to be, more than conquerors!
Identifying the spirit of Jezebel and submitting to God is critical, but we must also know our authority in Christ and have the drive to use it as we resist the devil through God’s power. When we understand the authority that we have in Christ and we are empowered by God with a passion to walk in the fullness of his glory, we can begin to walk in the victory that Christ intends for us to have.
Knowing our authority in Christ:
Luke 10:9 (NIV)- “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Mark 16:16-18 extends this promise to all believers. We are also said to be in union with Christ and therefore sharing in His authority (1 Corith 6:17). When we really begin to understand all that Christ has given us through His death burial and Resurrection, the powers of the enemy begin to be put into proper perspective. We begin to realize that the enemy has no power at all unless we behave as if he does!
The “Ahab attitude” is alway needed in order for a Jezebel spirit to thrive. Ahab was basically an enabler for Jezebel's treachery to be acted out upon the entire nation of Israel. God has called men and women to stand up to the spirit of Jezebel and no longer tolerate it's deceptive ways in our life. God can remove an Ahab attitude from us when we confess our sin and ask Him to help us move in the better direction. If you are facing the influence of a Jezebel spirit in a family member or friend: seek wise counsel, address the behavior without attacking the person, let God’s word strengthen you, and pray like never before!
In second Kings chapter 9 God anointed a man named Jehu to defeat Jezebel totally and completely. So what was it about Jehu that caused him to stand up to Jezebel rather than to be the enabler that Ahab was? I believe this answer is found in second Kings chapter 10.
2 Kings 10:16 (NIV)- “Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” Then he had him ride along in his chariot.”
The word for "zeal" (Hebrew)- “qinah (kin-aw)” Means “God’s Holy jealousy for the devotion of His people.” By understanding this, we can see that God put within Jehu the passion for Holiness, devotion, and love that was needed in order to propel him into action for the kingdom of God. If we find that we have really had a hard time putting into action the things that God's Word calls us to do, it may be that we have lost our zeal. The good news is that when we repent and confess our sin God will restore our zeal and give us exactly what we need to live the Godly life that we are called to. Some have knowledge of the Word but no zeal, others have zeal but no knowledge of the Word. WE NEED BOTH in order to overcome spiritual warfare!!! We get both when we encounter Christ in all of His glory!!!
2 Kings 9:30-33 New International Version (NIV)
30 Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 31 As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master?”32 He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
The last two things of the spirit of Jezebel will try to do in order to stifle the plan of God in our life is to try to make sin look pretty and try to heap condemnation upon us. We see this Illustrated and Jezebel putting on her makeup and then accusing Jehu of murder. This was a ploy to try to seduce him and then stifle him with shame and guilt from a false accusation. The enemy tries to do this in our lives as well but the Word of God gives us the tools to overcome the enemy in this area.
Revelation 12:11- “They triumphed over him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
So we can see that through the blood of Jesus and our testimony to His word and all that it tells us about our forgiveness and Redemption through Christ, we are able to overcome the enemy! God is for us, we all face spiritual warfare and the attempts of the enemy to oppress us through a Jezebel spirit. We must remember that Greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. We must learn discernment through the Word, submit to God, repent of sin, renounce every evil spirit, receive deliverance, and walk in Freedom! Thanks for reading!
Written by: Kyle Bailey D.Min.
For more inspirational content SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
Photo credit to: http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2013/01/painted-lady.html
Written by: Kyle Bailey D.Min.
For more inspirational content SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel.
Photo credit to: http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com/2013/01/painted-lady.html
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