The Spirit Of Jezebel

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

(1 KINGS 19:1-3)

This is the evil Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill the Servant of the Lord, Elijah. Today in the Current Affairs of the World, we do see that The Spirit of Jezebel is moving violently. There is news of Terrorism, Persecution, and Oppression to Churches. Christians are hunted down and killed. Crosses are removed from Church buildings in certain parts of the world. Children of the Lord are ridiculed and not allowed to share the Good news and God’s Moral Standards because the so called “Evolved” and “Progressed” society does not wish to accept it.

But what is also very alarming is that the Spirit of Jezebel has also entered the Church. I heard a story of a Servant of the Lord. He pastored a church somewhere in the Middle East. And there were only two churches in that area. But one day, this pastor was arrested by government agents and was beaten in the Prison for some time. The Accusation was: He had been forcefully trying to convert a group that he should not. But the Mercy of The Lord was on him. A High Official ordered the pastor’s release because the official found the accusation false. When the pastor asked who made such a false statement, the official mentioned that it was the pastor of the other church. This official did not lie. The other pastor did this because of envy over the mentioned Pastor, due to the fact that this Pastor’s church was growing more mightily than the envious pastor’s.

In Jeremiah 17:9 it says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

It means Heart of Every human being, regardless of who we are. That includes even if we are the Top Man in the Church. We are Christians, follower, Disciples of Christ before we are Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers. We are to check our hearts, in accordance to the infallible Word of Our Lord. Queen Jezebel was a Proud and envious woman. The Reason she wanted to kill Elijah was because her Pride was dented. The defeat of her religion by the God of Israel through Elijah dented her pride and made her jealous.

To Quote C.S Lewis: According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…

Today many of us in the Church, work and puff up our own Pride. We do that at the expense of our Fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ. But a Servant of the Lord will be after the Lord’s Heart. In John 7:38, Our Lord Jesus, whom I fondly call Yeshua said “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” The next verse says that Yeshua was referring to the Holy Spirit. A simple Believer is said to overflow of the Holy Spirit into the lives of the people whom the Lord set before him. What more a Servant of the Lord? The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This should be the qualities of a Servant of the Most High.

Yeshua rebuked the Scribes and the Pharisees for omitting weightier matters of the Law: Judgement, Mercy and Faith (Matthew 23:25). In another incident, Yeshua told the Pharisees to learn the meaning of the scripture “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”

Mercy exhibits Love, gives joy to the person, brings peace, projects our Forbearance, delivers Kindness, exposes our goodness, shows our faithfulness, gentleness and Self-control.

If we the Servants of the Most High God, dwell in the Presence of the Lord and His Spirit dwells in us, we would be Merciful, compassionate and wise. Not deceitful and filled with Pride. Servants do not seek to bite, devour and consume the people that the Lord placed before them (Galatians 5:15). This is not of God but of the power of Darkness, the Devil, the Spirit of Jezebel.

Isn’t there enough challenges for the Children of God in this world? Isn’t there enough obstacles to bring Good Tidings of Great Joy to the Nations? Why should we, who call and believe that we are God’s Servants, should dance to the Devil’s tune, to the drumbeat of our Pride & Deceitfulness, squeeze the faith and hope of our Neighbour?