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| Every day the sun is setting on the enemy's kingdom of air |
Is a Jezebel Spirit real?
I've heard a number of counter arguments and thought I would put a few of them out there for discussion.1. Natural Supernatural? Is the supernatural world real?
Faith in Christ is faith rooted in a supernatural view of the universe. We see with the natural eyes and we see with the spiritual eyes. Jesus rose from the dead. Supernatural. Basic tenant of faith in Christ. The closed universe ideas of naturalism, the traditions of the Sadducee, some current denominational understandings all have said and say "there is no supernatural realm".This is not a new voice.
The Voice of the Kingdom speaks a different reality.
Jesus, the Scripture, the Apostles, believers through the age, current testimonies and grace all say something different. Jesus is alive. He said himself to the Sadducee's that the Father was not the God of the dead but of the living (Luke 20:37f)
"But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses
showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’b
38He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Christ's Kingdom is present in signs and wonders and heavens host of angels and demons are engaged moment to moment in the salvation struggle for humanity.
Sure, if you believe the world is a closed natural system you will see only what appears in that grid. If we engage the Gospels and the story of Jesus with even a basic understanding of Christianity we immediately see that Jesus was a living breathing man who did remarkable spiritual things. A casual reading of the Gospel includes, angels, prophecy, the Voice of God spoken, healing, people rising from death, walking on water and so on. Though we live in the natural world with all it's laws and patterns we also take into account the realms of the spirit and the amazingly wonderful realities of "every spiritual blessing in Christ". (Eph 1:3)
2. Is the Jezebel thing simply an expression of people who are narcissistic, spiritually wounded and full of fleshly actions?
I see three levels of answer to this one.1. Yes, believers can act and function in a carnal and broken state which can bring forth actions that most would deem fleshly, carnal and self motivated. We've all seen these. We possibly have participated in a few. If we have been part of the family of God for any amount of time we may have been in a heart breaking story of family breakdown. Granted we repent and clean up our mess. We are all on the way to glory but at times fail to reflect it.
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| Hindu alters of Bali |
2. Yes, the one called Satan is still loose in the earth. He builds strongholds, deceives, enslaves in any way he can. Through fallen flesh he influences disciples to take actions that are not in keeping with the mind of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit and love and honor for the Saints. The deceiver is a fallen angel. He has some fallen angels along with him who work in lessor degrees of impact on the whole of humanity. They are limited in understanding of the Father's plans, in numbers with the billions on the planet and seek strategic plans and locations. Ephesians 6: 12 When one deals with demonic realities it becomes clear that certain demons carry the stench of fallen-ness through their expertise in certain sins, temptations and streams of war. The Jezebel spirit or fallen angel assigned to such tasks and skilled at such war may have a cohort of fallen angels along with it. They bring to a given group of people the same type of warfare and seek to develop a stronghold the same way over and over. The Scripture gives us insight into the characteristics of such warfare.
Do people go overboard? Do they start calling every broken, controlling personality a Jezebel? Do we over-spiritualize? Do we seek to act in controlling postures ourselves for what we believe are kingdom outcomes? Do any of these actions, failures or missteps change the reality of fallen angels? Do our shortcomings and lack of discernment stop the deception and 1000's of years of skill in building into humanity fallen strongholds that enslave and destroy?
3. The Scripture addresses this particular Kingdom battle both in the Old Testament (I Kings 16-19) and in the New Testament (Rev 2:20). The New Testament writers regularly pulled together warnings and teaching for disciples related to the principalities and powers we confront in this spiritual Kingdom battle. Jesus could have addressed many things in his final red letter words to the Church (Revelation) and he chose out of seven messages to address Jezebel. There is much to say about the Jezebel attack and Kingdom warfare but the fact that Jesus addressed this topic one out of seven is to be noted. The characteristics of the Scriptures stories and rebukes on this topic are important to grasp. The Scripture clearly points out that Israel's leadership abdicated authority (King Ahab) and that Jezebel (Phoenician princess and idol worshiper) clearly tore down the worship of Israel. She sought to eliminate the prophets and murdered and killed the Saints under the authority of the King. In doing so, she brought Israel back into bondage to Baal and Asheroh, both fertility gods whose worship was intercourse with temple prostitutes. Both of these, immorality and idol worship, are mentioned by Jesus in Revelation as the expressions of this deception.
Looking back at Israel's struggles and failures is encouraged in understanding the new covenant and our walk in it (I Cor 10). We can look at the corresponding results and characteristics in Israel's walk and and see churches and groups of believers deceived and tormented by the destructive nature of a similar warfare today. The prophets get killed or quieted. The worship of the Saints gets polluted and distorted. The purity of the Saints gets fouled with idols and immorality. The authority of the Saints gets used by deceptive and destructive elements. The revelation of the Lord gets distorted by idol worship and immorality. This deception is a package that tears down the fabric of divine government. This Jezebel distortion is a demonic spirit that undermines the supernatural realities and authority of the church and it's leaders.
A quick review of the things that are shown to be torn down in this spiritual deception:
- The destruction of the prophetic grace on the church - I Corinthians 14:1; Revelation 2; 19:7
- The introduction of idol worship - I Thess 1:9
- The introduction of sexual immorality - Eph 5:1-5
- The breakdown of fellowship in aligned authority relationships of the Kingdom - leadership appointed by Jesus to shepherd the church and fivefold grace to mature her. Hebrews 13:7; Ephesians 4:11-16
Possibly you can see much of these things active and present in the circles you run in.
The goal is to eliminate it before it gets a foothold. The alternative is both painful and clearly destructive to the fabric of any church, ministry or family of faith. The larger reality in both old and New Testament references to Jezebel is worship, in its spirit and truth revelation, gets diluted and degraded. The result is the revelation of Jesus on the earth is limited in the hearts of those who profess his name.
In addressing this particular attack on the church, Jesus is pictured with fiery eyes and burnished bronze legs. The image is of perfected worship in righteousness and the revelation of that perfect worship in his work as the Son of God. He is a consuming fire. There is no unrighteousness in him. Yet through these avenues, which should give endless life and peace to the Saints, the Jezebel usurps and distorts.
3. Does the church really face spiritual warfare these days? These kind of issues stem from poor communication and bad leadership?
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| Bali - Hindu appeasement |
We have to learn family. We have to get heaven into us in such a way that we reflect the beauty of the family of God. This does not come easy in a society completely focused on the worship of the self-idol. We tend to not be very good at working through conflict. It seems we prefer divorce and the termination of relationship over the pain and time it takes to make something beautiful.
Yes. Sin happens. Tragedy happens and things go wrong, but God's grace is sufficient. Possibly we need some more courage and love to build a powerful love witness to the world (John 17:20-21) as a key priority? This is what Jesus pointed to for the salvation of the world.
The Scripture calls us family. Family is forged in covenant commitment and tenacious love. The marriage realities of the ekklesia, those ambassadors of Christ in the world, do not deeply reflect the reality of a grace filled servant love. There is more division and broken relationship than can be imagined. Often people head off to another church and start the cycle over. They come in guns blazing and all pretty spiritual and go out unchanged. On to the next foray. Who is willing to bring the peace and order of the government of Jesus? Who is willing to stand and serve in love at the same time?
Mindset is everything.
Where have you developed your understanding of reality? From Scripture? From TV? From your family? From college professors?Some peoples understanding of demons and the supernatural comes from horror movies and Hollywood. No wonder there is so much superstition and fear. The reality, presented in the Scriptures, is clearly that we overcome every power through the overcoming power of Christ. His work was perfect. It is complete. His work is all authority over every dominion of darkness. In confronting such powers we may suffer in the natural, yet they will all fall before him. Each day the Kingdom is coming into reality in and through the ekklesia, the Church. (Ephesians 3:10)
If you adopt a natural view of the world and strip Jesus of supernatural realities you will see the church through the same lens.
Natural organization with a charitable posture toward the world....on a good day. This is not the N.T. view of the church of Jesus Christ. It is a cultural view shaped in American non-profit law and practice. In my opinion this is hay, wood, precious stones and straw.
This is not a view or perspective sufficient to hold the grace expressed in a single day through the church in the world. So much more powerful and dynamic, she is rooted and established in the very fabric of the love of Christ. The Church is formed in the supernatural victory and boundless abundance of Jesus. Ascended and seated at the Father's right hand, a love is lose on the world that cannot be broken or defeated. Through his blood shed on the cross a perfect and efficacious love carried in power entered into the reality of the world through the church. (Eph 3:10)
The ekklesia, or church of Jesus Christ, is so much more.
Other posts that may interest you:
1.http://jeffreynoldsonedesire.blogspot.com/2015/01/7-things-enemy-devil-doesnt-want-you-to.html
Thanks for reading.
Testimonies? Share em with me.
Re-Shares lov em. Thank you!
With much love in Jesus
You can do this thing! He's got you.
Jeff Reynolds ---
Brother Jeff
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