THE MICHAL SYNDROME: OVERCOMING SPIRITUAL BARRENNESS
2 SAMUEL 6: 14-23
14David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
PRAYERS:
• By the Blood of Jesus I overcome the spirit of Michal delaying my success.
• Every hand of Jezebel threatening my destiny be cut off now in Jesus name
• Every quicksand of pride drowning my progress, dry up now in Jesus name.
• Every evil wind projecting dryness into my life, business, finance be swallowed by the whirlwind of God.
• By the earthquake of the Holy Spirit I uproot every tree of barrenness in my life in Jesus name.
What is the Michal syndrome?
Michal was the daughter Saul had betrothed to David, but gave to Paltiel. (1 Samuel 25:44).
Michal’s father promised her to one man, but gave her to another (Psalm 11:3).
The first thing Michal had to contend with was the issue of the foundation of her marriage. The marriage with Solomon was already set up on the foundation of his wife having been given to another man, who must have had carnal knowledge of her.
This set up the issue of how much she felt a marriage and by extension her husband could be valued. Obviously, she didn’t hold much value to both institutions (marriage and her husband).
She also saw the king (David), NOT in kingly robes but only with his priestly ephod.
A lot of things welled up in her. Instead of seeing herself at that time as the beautiful honoured wife of a great man of God (in fact, a man after God’s heart), a very privileged position, she saw herself as the daughter of a deposed and disgraced king (Saul).
She was;
• Jealous and envious,
• She had no respect for her husband; in fact she came out to insult him in front of everybody,
• She had become very familiar with the man of God, to the extent that her familiarity had caused her to see him as an ordinary man, with no awe or admiration. (this was a man everyone for miles around revered)
• She also had a proud spirit, which could not take backseat in the palace household of her husband.
Please pray this prayer quickly; (Isaiah 53:2), I shake off every proud spirit latching on to my progress and breakthrough, to snatch it from me in Jesus name.
Needless to say, this spirit that enveloped and controlled Michal, succeeded in making her the recipient of a curse from God, which manifested in her inability to give birth to children.
The Michal syndrome brings us to the reason why many are experiencing spiritual barrenness.
Simple put it is familiarity with the symbols of God:
• His word
• His miracles – Never testifying to his miracles nor being thankful
• His anointing – (Mark 6: 1-5) unbelief
• His servants – we see the weakness physically of men of God and we start to disrespect their anointing (This happened to Moses and Elijah)
• His instructions – (2 Chronicles 20:20)
• His altars- Some desecrate His altars with business, stealing ministry money, strive and fighting in church. (Mark 11:15-18)
The dictionary says familiarity is getting so used or close to a person or object or subject, that it loses its specialness, its awe, its appeal.
Familiarity with the word of God is one of the greatest problems causing barrenness in people’s lives.
Isaiah 55:11 says so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall not fall to the ground, but shall go to prosper in that which I have sent it. The question to ask is, why don’t men just take it like that, literally.
We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the words of our testimony. (Revelations 12:11). Testifying is acceding to the sovereignty of the word of God.
When the word of God either by prophecy or by the written word brings a desired outcome, sharing that testimony reinforces the power that ensured the victory on the cross and opens even more locked doors. Unfortunately, many hide it so that some perceived witch or wizard in the church won’t know the status of their finances or their advancement in society, or so that the pastor won’t single them out for special pledges!
Others know the pastor’s weaknesses and his family secrets, so that makes them think they are equal or better than him. If you get too familiar with a man of God, you can’t get any anointing from him. Once the ‘potential difference’ is removed, nothing can flow again to you.
The anointing on a man of God is without repentance. In 2 Kings 13: 20-21, after prophet Elisha was sick and even dead, his body was still heavily anointed and working miracles, raising the dead.
For some people, the familiarity is with their husband. Some, the familiarity is with their parents. Even if your parents are witches, even if your husband can’t provide for the home, must you forget the special position they hold in authority in your life? No.
Some can’t even greet their pastors properly. Some parishioners will congregate and discuss about the pastor’s wife, or his household.
Some will complain about this sermon, or his dressing.
How do we come out of such barrenness?
SOLUTION
Assess your level of familiarity with God and His symbols of godship. If you are too familiar, back-off immediately, so that the anointing can work for you.
REPENT NOW!
Prayers
• Every spirit of familiarity and contempt withholding my helpers, be cast down now in Jesus name.
• You spirit of error separating me from my helpers, I cast you down in Jesus name.
• By the Blood of Jesus I receive the anointing of humility.
• The mystery of the power that worked for Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth, work for me now in Jesus name.
