Unmasking The Jezebel Spirit

CHAPTER TWELVE– RECLAIMING FOLLOWERS OF JEZEBEL: Unmasking the Jezebel Spirit, Chapter Twelve, Part One, covers Reclaiming Followers of Jezebel, individuals who have been truly freed of Jezebel spirit need to be encouraged and restored. They will need to be reminded that if we are faithful to confess our sins, the Lord is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from the effects of unrighteousness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). No wounds are more painful to life than those we suffer at that hands of our friends, especially those whom we follow. These wounds will need to be touched by the Lord so that He can bring healing and wholeness. It makes no difference whether you are a pastor or a church member. All wounds from a Jezebel spirit must be healed. Jesus anointed His Church to carry on the work of His Kingdom – healing the brokenhearted and setting free those who have been held captive by the wicked one. True healing comes when the following areas are addressed. Ministry to a Jezebelite’s followers will involve tearing down mental strongholds. A mental stronghold as a practiced way of thinking that has become ingrained and automatic. It has a life and a will of its own.

Strongholds are areas of the mind in which we are held captive and our perceptions are completely distorted. Strongholds can distort our perception of actual situations. In a similar way, we can interpret what happens through lenses that are tainted and distorted by our wounds. The following area may have allowed the enemy easy access to our lives and fueled the drive to follow someone with Jezebel spirit. There are 16 accessible ways Jezebel can enter into our lives fuel our lives with negative influences. First area, an emotional dependency toward others, people who follow someone with a Jezebel spirit tend to be emotionally dependent. They have a great inner drive to be connected with someone or to have a special relationship with a particular person in order to heal their wounded self-esteem. Instead of developing healthy intimacy, they seek to enmesh and merge with another. Trying to fill the loneliness, emptiness, and lack of self-love has driven them into codependent and often abusive relationships. God has placed deep within every human spirit a heart cry. He designed us to be relational people with a longing for fellowship. But unless we allow our heavenly Father to fill that core need, our identity will become like that of an orphan. We will drift along, desperately looking to others to meet our needs and adopt us.

Second area is an attitude of fearlessness, fear usually begins through unholy imagination. The mental aspect of our soul begins to focus on things that can potentially harm us. A spirit of fear then takes root in our soul. often those who follow someone with a Jezebel spirit have a history of enslaving fears of neglect, of rejection, o f being punished, of loneliness, and perhaps of missing the will of God. These fears arise from our past experiences and are projected onto today’s circumstances. A spirit of fear is a sign of spiritual enslavement. They will be tempted to view authority as being tyrannical. All fears of being dominated or controlled must be brought to the Cross. Dying to these fears will free us to relate to others without fear. To begin our healing, we must ask God to show us the circumstances that led to opening our soul to fear. We must – through faith cast down what the Bible calls “vain imaginations.” When our mind is ruled by our spirit, we will focus on the virtues that spring forth from the Lord. we will be able to concentrate on that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely of a good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.

Third area is a fear of decision making, when we relinquish our choices and decisions to another person, we run the risk of causing our spirit to atrophy. It will lose the ability to discern what is from God. we also risk falling into the sin of lawlessness. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). God gives us our ability to exercise free will – the freedom to make choices and decisions. When we yield our will to another person, we have given that one the right to make decision on our behalf. We then forfeit our ability to receive insight and revelation directly from God. In doing so, we have made Jezebel our idol, who now takes the place of God. when we avoid making decisions, our motive may be rooted in self-condemnation and a sense of incompetence. We listen to the whispers in our head that predict eventual failure. Shying away from responsibility, we then grow up unable, indifferent, unmotivated, or disinterested in making decisions.

Fourth area is a deep sense of shame, shame is the sense of feeling fundamentally bad, inadequate, defective, unworthy, or not measuring up to standards. Many need healings from a deep sense of shame. Those who have followed Jezebel, shame will be a constant painful memory. They will doubt their ability to hear from God, as though they are eternally flawed of blemished. They may believe that God is disgusted with them. Grace is contrary to shame. While shame brings depression, grace brings hope and lightheartedness. Grace refers to God’s undeserved kindness directed toward us. It is unearned and unrepayable. Through God’s grace, we are able to bond with our loving heavenly Father who longs to lavish His great love upon us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Fifth area is a fear of trusting again, whenever we appeal to another person for our spiritual strength, our heart turns away from the Lord. We have allowed the other person to be our source of strength. Prayer helps us to wait on God for His direction instead foe acting impulsively in our own self-interests. When we put our trust in God, He enables us to trust the spiritual authority that He has placed in our lives. Bonding with God is the basis for rebuilding relationships with others. The stronger our bond with God, the greater our ability to form healthy relationships with others. Our courage to trust again flows from our connectedness with God. While Jesus touched many people, He only disclose His heart to a few close friends who were committed to Him. Likewise, we should only trust another individual to the degree that we see Jesus rather than a religious pretense, manifested in their life. “Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth, From her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:5-7).

Sixth area is the consequences of naivete, which can place a person at great risk. Naivete implies that an individual is simple-minded, ignorant, foolish, and able to be ensnared and mislead. “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;

The simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 27:12). Such people are gullible and are often exploited by the Jezebelite. Those who are controlling and manipulative will instinctively sniff out an opportunity to take advantage of them. Naivete can also foster our need to idolize another individual. Whenever we feel an excessive admiration toward someone, we will begin to form unrealistic expectations of them. Throughout Scriptures, we are encouraged to embrace wisdom, knowledge, and discretion which preserve our life and protects us from evil. “When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, From those who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness” (Proverbs 2:10-13). Our being wise and discrete will repel those who seek to oppress and dominate us. It is never too late to learn godly wisdom, discretion, and discernment. No matter how many mistakes may lie in your past, God’s mercies are new every morning.

Seventh area is a loss of joy and innocence, is a loss of joy will be evident in the life someone who is recovering from the pain of following a Jezebelite. The follower’s withered souls will make it difficult for them to express their emotions. They may begin to slide into a dark depression. As they begin more and more to embrace God’s grace, their joy will return, bringing strength. God has created us to be full of joy. Knowing Him intimately brings joy, which enriches our life. joy is like a fountain of youth. It prevents, alleviates, and cures the diseases of our soul. “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). Joy gives spiritual vitality. Experiencing joy also empowers us to cultivate healthy relationships with others. “Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10). Walking in a deep, abiding sense of joy requires childlike innocence. Innocence allows us to embrace simple faith that looks to our loving heavenly Father to solve all of our dilemmas. In time as our relationship with the Lord deepens, our spontaneity and childlike innocence will be restored. As we let go of trying to control others, we will stop trying to predict what others will do, and thereby, rediscover a childlike wonder and innocence.

Eighth area is fearing the supernatural is those who have been wounded by a Jezebelite may fear anything that hints of the supernatural or of the spiritual realm. This fear will come as an overaction to having been deceived initially. A thick wall of protection is erected in their soul to guard against further deception. This overreaction will hinder a wounded follower from appreciating the endless variety of God’s supernatural gifts such as dreams and visions. By disdaining supernatural gifts, we inadvertently play into the enemy’s plans and we revert back to the old and adage. Our ability to embrace supernatural gifts is founded on knowing God has our loving heavenly Father. When God manifests His presence supernaturally, we see His awesome glory and majestic splendor. He is a living God who dwells among and innumerable company of supernatural beings. But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel (Hebrews 12:22-24).