I've Never Seen It

The Lord started preparing our family for a move to Mexico about 4 years in advance of us coming here. In the process we started reading books by Americans that had made this transition in years past. We were trying to get a feel for some of the changes we might experience in our lives as we went forward in the Lord's wisdom. The best book we came across during that time was Don Adam's, Head for Mexico. A Renegade Guide.

I purposefully kept our copy of the book after we made the move. The author's writing style is quite funny. Based on real life experiences while living here, he tells of some humorous yet sobering stories of what it is like to be an American living south of the border. While I believe a Christian's faith and the Spirit in which we abide alters the dynamics of any situation, there are still some sober and often applicable things he discusses in his writing.

One of the topics he breaches is about Mexican Landlords. While discussing the subject he asks the general public to contact him and let him know if they or anyone they know of has ever experienced getting their security deposit back after renting a home or apartment in Mexico. Mr. Adam's swears that at the time of the writing of his book that he had in fact never heard of it happening in Mexico, ever.

I personally know this tendency amongst Mexican Landlords to be true. I know an American family that has lived here in Merida for 12 years. They rented the same home for 11 of those years. When they first rented the property many years ago the home had been unoccupied for a few years. It was full of bats, scorpions, spiders and even some snakes. They rented the home for $600 monthly. They cleaned it out, fumigated it, installed new windows and screens, installed their own appliances in the kitchen (including the stove), poured a concrete extension onto the drive-way so they could park two cars, installed a privacy gate on the drive-way, installed a hot water heater, installed an additional laundry area/maid's quarters, installed their own a/c units, repainted the house inside and out several times, re-landscaped the backyard ......the list goes on.

And after doing all of this work themselves, after paying for all repairs and upgrades themselves with the landlord's full consent, after paying rent faithfully for over ten years and never once missing a payment or being late......the landlord kept their deposit when they moved out in June because.....a door was not shutting properly inside the house. She kept a $600 deposit and used a squeaky door as an excuse, even after my friends basically remodeled the entire house. Amazing isn't it?

I don't know of anyone, either Mexicans or foreign expats, that have ever heard of a renter getting their security deposit back from their landlord. No one I know has ever heard of it happening. No one.

In the previous 8 posts we discussed some experiences we have had in dealing with the Jezebel spirit over the years. And one of the things I have never seen in all of my dealings with this spirit, and this includes everyone I know and trust in the Lord, is that I have never seen anyone who is fully controlled by this spirit ever get delivered from it, Ever. Never. I've never seen it. All of my friends who understand the dynamics in dealing with this spirit have ever seen it. I have never read a book or heard of any testimony from anyone in the Body of Christ that has seen it.

If you or anyone you know has ever heard of it, please write me and tell me because I am starting to wonder if it is can happen.

In Revelation 2 and 3 we see the Lord addressing the seven churches. Most Christians are familiar with these two chapters, at least on the surface. From what I can see the Lord addresses the following issues within them. And as I will note on each one, each issue falls into either one of two categories. It is either a "heart" issue within the believers in the church being addressed or, it is a demon that has been given latitude to function because of the extreme unyieldedness of a believer to the Lordship of Christ.

• Forsaking the first love (Heart Issue). 
• The teachings of the Nicolaitans and Balaam. (Heart Issue/Possibly a spirit). 
• Jezebel (Demonic spirit). 
• Deadness. Works are incomplete (Heart Issue). 
• Lukewarmness (Heart Issue).  

Of the five issues that the Lord really addresses in the seven churches, 4 are clearly heart issues. But Jezebel is definitely a demonic spirit. Nicolationism/Balaamism stems from the heart and can lead to demonic possession. The same can be said for others. But clearly, among all of them, Jezebel is rooted in a demon. When you get into the issue of addressing Jezebel, you are dealing with a whole other level of sin and demonic activity within God's church.

Metastasis

Everyone has cells in their body that are trying to oxidize. Oxidizing cells, in technical terms, are said to be cancerous in nature. That is why anti-oxidants occur naturally in foods. That is why it is best to supplement your diet with vitamin E, selenium and vitamin C. These elements offset the effects of aging caused by oxidation which in a literal sense is cancerous. Another word for this is Entropy. We are all subject to the process of entropy because we are the natural offspring of Adam and therefore we are all subject to a natural process of physical decay.

"For the creation was subjected to frustration (oxidation), not by it's own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay (oxidation) and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:20,21 

The Lord warned Adam that he would die if he disobeyed. And when he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil I believe the process of entropy, oxidation and death began it's process within his physical body. It took a while. 930 years to be exact. But he did die (Genesis 5:5). And thus his offspring became victim to the same process of death as he had experienced.

Oxidation is a normal process that happens to all of us. But full blown cancer is another thing. We all experience oxidation (cancer cells) in minor forms. But there is a big difference between having cancerous cells in your body that your immune system fends off with anti-oxidants and having what we refer to as a diagnosis of Cancer.

In the later state, the body is (often prematurely) losing control of its ability to stem the tide of oxidation. This can lead to the process of metastasis. When this happens to a person they begin to physically accelerate towards death. Metastasis occurs when cancer gains a foothold either through a tumor or organ in the body and, through the circulatory system, begins to spread to other parts of the body.

This occurred to Lance Armstrong when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. The cancer began in his groin area and metastasized and spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain before he was fully aware of what was happening to his body. The cancer cells, after forming and taking a foothold in his groin, developed the ability to penetrate the walls of his blood vessels. As they traveled through his bloodstream they entered his aforementioned organs and one day he found himself coughing up blood in his bathroom sink. He had developed Stage Three cancer at that point through Metastasis.

Metastasis

Jezebel, at the stage she is at when the Lord addresses the issue at the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2:18-26, is at a level that has fully metastasized and is slowly yet aggressively taking down an entire body of believers. When there is a full-on Jezebel diagnosis, one or more believers in a group are experiencing metastasization. And the only way to get rid of her at this stage is to cut her out completely. She has to be cut out.

"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." Titus 2:10,11

"When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are." 1 Corinthians 5:4-7

Just as yeast works it's way through dough, just as cancerous tissue can metastasize through lymphatic and circulatory walls of the body and spread, the characteristics of the sinful nature, if not checked and killed off, can work their way through a believer's life through demonic deception to fully possess the soul of a a man or woman. And when that happens you have a full on case of demonic activity. In this case it's Jezebel.

I think the spirit of Jezebel is the biggest issue facing the church in the United States today. And I have never seen a case where a person was delivered from it once the full-on process of metastasization sets in. I have never seen it when it hits Stage Two or Three, whatever number you want to put on it.

We all have sin issues. We all have things the Lord deals with us on. We have all struggled with integrity at times, saying things we shouldn't and doing things we shouldn't do. And in those cases the Lord seeks to deal with us. But when we resist his dealings with our souls we run the risk of entering into whole different levels of spiritual corruption.

These are things we need to consider.

JEB

Name Change

The other day I read the following statement:

The names of our (spiritual) forefathers were not merely identifying features; they signified much more. Their names revealed their essence, their reason for living, their mission in life. The name is a reflection of the person.

Now we can better understand the significance of having one’s name changed. If one’s role in life – his destiny – is altered, by necessity his name must change as well. He is, in a sense, a new person and thus requires a new name.

I feel led to change both the name of our blog and the web address. You will be seeing this change, hopefully, within the next 24 hours. Why? "Purpose" I guess. I have never been one to focus on one city with regards to what the Lord is doing in our time. I try to see things globally. Or as the old saying goes: Think Globally, Act Locally.

So I think we will be changing the name to the essence of what we are called to in the Lord: Knowing the Lord.

God Bless
JEB

Context

Being in Mexico has allowed us the opportunity to see some things in the Lord that we might not have been able to grasp as easily had we not come down. One of them is the importance of context. Dictionary.com defines the word context as:

1. The parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.
2. The set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc.

Two synonyms for context are: background, climate.

Jesus made reference to context when he said the following words:

"But the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it." John 12:49

Jesus knew the what and the how. The how was the context of what he was saying. Context is just as important as the words themselves. Jesus knows this and so does the enemy of our souls.

In the Spanish language verbs are more important than nouns. In English you use more descriptive words when speaking. Nouns, pronouns, prepositions, adjectives....they are all more liberally employed when speaking the English language and change more often than english verbs. In Spanish, the entire language is built around the conjugation of verbs. Here is an example:

Comprar is the spanish verb, to buy. And every time we use the word comprar when talking about me/myself, you, him/her, them, or us...the verbs changes in both spelling and pronunciation. And it continues to change whether you are speaking in the past, present, or future tenses. In Spanish there are five different sayings and spellings of all 600+ verbs in the entire language in the present tense alone. Here is an example.

•  Yo compro....(I buy)
• Tu compras...(You buy)
• El compra...(He/she buys)
• Ellos compran... (They buy)
• Nosotros compramos...(We buy)

Do you notice how the spellings of the verbs slightly change? Compro, compras, compra, compran, compramos........Five different forms of the word comprar (to buy) just in the present tense. And it continues to get more complicated as you get into past and future tenses. In the past tense you have two principal forms of verbs: Preterite and Co-Preterite. The difference is that a preterite verb indicates something you did in the past only one time: I bought a car yesterday. The Co-Preterite is when you speak of something that you did repeatedly over the course of time in the past: I bought cars at auctions and resold them for a profit  from 1990 to 2005.

In Engish we use the word "bought" in both the preterite and co-preterite in the preceding example. And.....we use the same word "bought" whether I am talking about Me, you, him/her, them, or us....in both the preterite or co-preterite. The Spanish language is totally different. In the preterite-past you have five different words/conjugations for comprar:

• Yo compré (I bought)
• Tú compraste (You bought)
• El compró (He/she bought)
• Ellos compraron (They bought)
• Nosotros compramos (We bought)

 In the co-preterite past you have four different usages/spellings/conjugations:

• Yo compraba
• Tú comprabas
• El/Ella compraba
• Ellos/ustedes compraban
• Nosotros comprábamos

 The same applies for the conditional, imperative, present subjunctive and imperfect subjunctive. Five different spellings/usages/conjugations in each form for all five (Me/I, you, him/her, them, us). It's unbelievable. And the thing you learn through all of this that when you are speaking this language you have to watch "how" you say things.

"For the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it." John 12:49

A primary example can be taken from above. In the present tense, when I say, I am buying a car, I say Yo compro un coche. But the word compro also sounds very very similar to the word compró. It is spelled the exact same way and sounds identical to someone who doesn't speak Spanish. The difference is the empasis on the second vowel. Compro is said with no emphasis on the second "o".When I say the word like that I am indicating to another spanish speaking person that "I am currently buying something, right now." But if I place a strong emphasis on the second "o" in the word compró, as denoted with a hyphen, I am telling the listener that a third party, either him or her, bought a car at some point in the past.

The entire story changes just with the accentuation of a vowel. Compro (I buy). Compró (He bought). Yet on the surface, to the untrained ear, they seem the same. Just a slight deviation in the sound of a vowel, in two words with the exact same spelling, changes the entire context of the sentence. There are many verbs within the Spanish language that have this issue. Adjustment of vowels with dozens if not hundreds of verbs changes the entire meaning of what is being spoken.

What am I saying through all of this? Spiritual words have a context. Context in a believer's walk is determined by what God has been saying to them and doing in them for years. If we don't let the Lord set things in context for us we will constantly misunderstand what he is saying. And if we don't let other members of the body of Christ explain themselves when expounding on what the Lord is saying through them, we will completely misunderstand what God is saying through them and/or doing in their lives.

Last week I had a conversation with someone that wouldn't give me any liberty to explain "context". Everytime the Lord went to explain the "how" she cut me off. She wouldnt' let me give context to anything I was saying. She kept using what I was saying out of context, using it against me and argued with me through most of the conversation. She was constantly opposing me even though I would try to explain things in context.

I was saying Compro very clearly and she would turn around and tell me I said Compró. She changed what I said in the conversation repeatedly and at the end of our time on the phone I realized the one I had been conversing with was not a person but a spirit.

There is a spirit that is working in the body of Christ and it is taking away the context of what God want's to say. It is happening to such a degree that God's voice is interrupted quite frequently. When truth is heard apart from context it changes the message. Out of context. There is a spirit at work in the Body of Christ that is distorting context and changing the words.

..............................Keep Reading Below.

Who is She?

Her name means, "Without cohabitation." I say "her", yet she is not a she. She is an it, a spirit that is more at home when working through the make-up of a woman's soul. In an abstract sense her name means "disunion." Her ultimate goal is to seize control of the body of Christ. In order to do this she must break up the compound effects of unity within the Body Of Christ.

"Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you." Leviticus 26:8

This particular demon understands the exponential effects of unity in the faith and the power Christians have over Satan's effectiveness to steal, kill and destroy. So she divides and, through division, she conquers.

"Even from you own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after themselves." Acts 20:30

It uses whatever means it has at it's/her disposal to disrupt unity in God's body.

• Taking things out of context and using distortions of truth against other Christians.
• Gossip
• Slander
• Sexual Lust and Seduction
• Public Correction of others.
• Betraying trust in friendships.
• Posing as Godly, as one who hears the Lord.
• Attaches God's name to her words. Pretends to work for the Lord while seeking control.
• False sense of zeal.
• Uses false emotions. Anger, crying, laughter...... 
• Talks to much.
• Interrupts the speaker.
• Changes the subject when it's expedient.

This list is just the beginning. She/It will use all of these tactics and more. And I don't believe there is another spirit in Satan's kingdom that disrupts God's work amongst humanity more than this demon, this unclean spirit. Who is she? What is it?

As I just mentioned in the post on Context, last week I had a conversation with someone where the discussion went wrong very quickly. I called this person with the best of intentions to discuss relevant issues. From the beginning of our time on the phone I noticed that I was constantly being interrupted. From there it went to this person taking the things I was saying way out of context. From there it went to my being accused of not loving others and having grace. From there it went to this person making false claims about my wife and a mutual friend. From there it went to this person blatantly correcting me in the name of the Lord.

This person wouldn't discuss the issue in light of scripture. They completely disregarded the Word and when I went to the scriptures as a hiding place in God they got confused. By the end of the conversation I was almost being yelled at while they were rebuking me in the name of the Lord.

Out of Context = Out of Order

And it all started with this person taking things I was saying out of context. They continued to interrupt me when I was talking, wouldn't let me explain myself or share my heart in light of my relationship with the Lord, and they took everything I said and twisted it. Out of context.

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book fo prophecy, Go will tak away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city..." Rev 22:18,19

It is a common tactic, a common facet of this spirit. And when I got off the phone I began to question whether I had been talking to a person or not. Who and what is this entity? And in what kind of person does it manifest? What does she look like? How do you describe her? Are the facets of her personality in our culture for all to see? And has the enemy seduced some women in the body of Christ to have her values?

I think the answers to those last two questions are an emphatic "YES." This spirit has instilled facets of it's nature throughout the U.S. culture. And it has influenced God's church and many Christian women in the unholiest of ways. She is teaching many of God's daughters Satan's so called deep secrets:

"Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,..." Revelation 2:20-24

She is teaching her deep secrets to the U.S. culture.

She wants Control.

She tears down her husband. She wants his voice and his authority.

Where is she among the Body of Christ?

Her Rebellion = Witchraft

  

She has no real authority when she takes it for herself. She is a false judge without real "honor."

What title and position does she occupy in your church?

By her rebellion and seductive "songs" she appeals to the daughters of men.

She comes across as a nice person who means well.

Good works will not save her. She may spend her whole life on the "mission field" and stil be an idolator. She can feed and clothe the poor all she wants and not have Love (Obedience to God and the fullness of his Character). See 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4:16.

The Pastors wife? An elders wife? The dean of a school? Does she head up your local Aglow chapter?

 

She thinks she can move in the strength of a man.  

She "plans" parenthood, cutting off the seed of men.

Is she teaching your children?

 

She paints herself. Masking the true intentions of her heart, she seduces the unstable.

She is a tare sown among wheat. She never fully bows her head, never fully submits to God. Yet on the surface she looks and sounds like one of the sincere daughters of God. Thank God for the Proverbs 31 woman. Our children need her.

Smooth. Cunning. Aggressive. Possessive. Fearful. Controlling. A false sense of strength. Harsh in Authority. A sharp tongue at times. She paints herself a certain way. On the surface she seems sincere, organized, caring. Below the surface are bad intentions. She seeks domination and control. Emasculating her man, she turns him into an unfaithful and bitter Eunuch. Calling herself a prophetess, she quotes the scriptures. She seems sincere.

But she almost always begins by questioning subtle things. She starts by taking things out of context. It's an age old tactic. Back in the garden, prior to the flood, high up on the temple, possessing girls in the streets of Phillipi, she is easily deceived because she has no real spiritual covering who washes her with the word. She won't allow God to cover her. And Satan always tempts her to take truth out of context.

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say....?" Genesis 3:1

"...the sons of God (fallen angels) went to the daughters of men..." Genesis 6:4

"The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you....." Luke 4:9,10

"...we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future...This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved." Acts 16:16,17

"And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived..." 1 Tim 2:14

Satan easily deceives her. Receiving and speaking truth out of context, she builds her case. She is deceived. Reaching for her other tools, she goes to work. Who is she?.....................Last week I realized I had my fifth significant confrontation with this spirit in a woman.

The previous four occurred at various times over the past 15 1/2 years. My shortest encounter with this demon lasted 2 hours. My longest battle with it lasted 3 years and 4 months. Let me tell you about them.......

My First Encounter

In the spring of 1996 I was absolutely on fire for the Lord. I was 25 years old, single and I had little else to do but work and seek the Lord. At that same time I was part of a home-group in Plano, TX. Those that attended our meetings were my roommate, my best friend and his wife, two other families from my previous church and occasionally others that knew people in our group. All in all we consistently had about 10 adults in the group.

We normally met on Saturday nights and on one particular Saturday my aforementioned best friend had flown to Albuquerque to see the man whom God was establishing in my life and his life as our pastor for that season (I would later move to Albuquerque, partly for this reason). Yet, at this meeting I found myself doing the teaching for the weekly meetings on an on-and-off basis.

Yet during this particular week, a few days before our nightly meeting, all of the men in the group met over at my house and we jointly decided that we would address "foundational matters." All of the men, on behalf of their families, agreed that this was what God wanted us to do. So here comes Saturday night and we think we have some direction. Everyone "seems" to be in agreement.

Saturday night rolls around and everyone shows up. We worship, pray and when we go to start the time of teaching I just began to briefly address the group, all of the man and their wives, about what the men believed we were supposed to be doing in the time of teaching. And all of the sudden the alpha female in the room stands up and starts pointing her finger at me and correcting me from across the room. She starts asking me who I think I am to be telling anyone that we need to address foundational matters. She took what I said completely out of context, judged my motives as being wicked and controlling, and started standing up and publicly rebuking me in front of a room full of people.

I was stunned. I didn't know what to say at first and so I looked at her husband and the other men in the room and all of them, minus my best friend whose in Albuquerque, just sat back in their chairs and didn't say a word. I looked at this lady's husband and he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. I was doing what all of the men agreed to do and suddenly I was being attacked.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch in Albuquerque, that same Saturday morning, roughly 12 hours before this quagmire started, my pastor woke up to go about his day. Saturday nights were also the nights when our pastor held meetings in his home. And that same Saturday morning, when he awoke, the Lord very clearly spoke to him and said, "I want you to teach on 1 Timothy 2:12."

That was all he heard. So roughly 12 hours later, while I am in Dallas losing weight, my pastor is conducting his group. And instead of teaching on 1 Timothy 2:12 as the Lord had shown him earlier in the day, he ends up going in a totally different direction. He later recounted to me that when he tried to teach on the previous verse it just wouldn't come out of his heart. As he prayed and talked to the Lord he got a totally different direction for his group. This left him a little unsettled thinking he hadn't heard the Lord earlier.

Well, as the story goes, my best friend's wife who was also at our meeting in Plano, TX that night called my best friend the next morning and said, "You better call Jay. He needs to talk with Ron." So I get a phone call the next morning from my friend and he puts our pastor on the phone, I tell him what happened and he said to me, "Ah, now I understand. Grab your Bible."

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." 1 Tim 2:12

This was my first contact with this spirit in a woman. I had no idea what I was dealing with at the time. But since then the Lord has given me a broad education in dealing with this demon. In his book the Three Battlegrounds, Francis Frangipane states that, "...this spirit is without gender, yet prefers to work through women because of the uniqueness of the female psyche in its ability to manipulate without physical force."

I have also seen this spirit operate in men, not just women. But most of the time it operates through various women. The spirit I am referring to is the Jezebel spirit. Keep reading the next post below. I have more to share with you.................

My Second Encounter

In 2001 the Lord led my family and I to attend a church in southwest Ft. Worth. Right after I started going there the Lord spoke to me in a dream and showed me that several things would happen to us while we were there:

• He would place us in a leadership position in the church.
• He would give us a strong voice amongst the body.
• He would use us to teach others to know the Lord.
• He would use us to confront a control spirit in the pastor of the church.
• We would be persecuted by the Sr. Pastor.
• I would be tested to see if I would stand in the truth as Christ had shown it to me.

I saw this very clearly from almost the beginning. And everything happened just as I was shown. Within 6 months of being there we were leading a home group that had 45 kids/adults in it. Of the 17 cell groups in the church we were pretty much the only one that had a consistent display of signs and wonders, prophecy and deliverance. This caused us to stand out a little more and made us easier targets for the enemy.

Right from the beginning we noticed that two of the married ladies in our group had a real problem with gossip and slander. Over the course of time the enemy used them and divided our group in half. Among the collateral damage was the wife of one of the the wealthiest families in our church. And at the same time that all of these problems were occurring the donations to the church were starting to drop off.

Long story short, the Sr. Pastor and three of the elders accused us of being divisive and stripped us of our position. The associate pastor did side with us however and he ended up resigning from his position in the church, partly because of the way we were treated. His wife also resigned from her full-time position at the church after they accused her of extorting money from the church. She was later exonerated and found innocent. But not before her reputation could be slandered to some degree.

The root of all of our troubles went straight back to a divisive spirit that was operating in several women in our group. Not only were they gossiping and slandering but much of it was rooted in false accusations and lies. I kept detailed records on the groups meetings from week to week. Records of prophecy, deliverance, who took part in what in the meetings and throughout the week; who was in attendance at each meeting. I kept detailed records not because I needed something else to do with my free time but because I believe the Lord compelled me to. And so when I sat down with the pastor to sort through the facts, instead of him looking at the way things were, he saw things the way he wanted them to be and he let a certain spirit push us out of the church in hopes that things would get back on track for them financially.

We in essence became expendable. When I appealed to him to have others stop gossiping and slandering us his response to me was, "Jay, people talk." That's all I got from him. He let a demon go unbridled in the congregation and let it push us out the door. This was the same pastor that refused to confront the aforementioned rich woman's husband who was engaging in witchcraft. He was going to his grandmother's grave site and speaking to her and getting instructions from a voice that would speak to him at her grave. Unbelievable. This kind of stuff does go on in churches.

Right as we were going through all of this we found ourselves going to Mardels on day to find something to read. We prayed and the Lord led us to The Three Battlegrounds by Francis Frangipagne. Through it the Lord began to formalize our education in dealing with a Jezebel spirit. As we were driving away from a bookstore one of my good friends in the Lord called me on my cell phone and said: "I was just reading Jeremiah 31:2 and the Lord showed me to share it with you."

"Those who escape the edge of the sword (persecution) will find favor in the desert." Jeremiah 31:2

My education in dealing with this demon wouldn't pick back up for another 2 years and 5 months. Fast forward to February, 2005.............

My Third Encounter

My third experience with this spirit operating in many professing believers was a doozy. It lasted three years and 4 months to be exact. On Feb 1st, 2005 I took a job with a growing real estate company in Plano, TX. I started the same day as another lady who was a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church. She professed to be a Christian as did most people working in our company. She claimed to be very devoted to prayer and confessed to hearing from God on a regular basis. In her personal life she was going through a bitter divorce as her husband had left her for another man (male) of all things.

Shortly after we started working there I had a dream one night about this particular lady. In the dream she was standing in front of me. As I looked at her the Lord spoke from behind me and said to me, "She has a Jezebel spirit." That was all he said to me and the dream ended. And boy did she ever.

She would take things that others said out of context all of the time and use it against us to our faces and behind our backs. Bitterness, gossip, slander, lying, divisiveness, control, a willingness to correct men openly, .....This lady was infested. After about a year with the company, whenever she would greet the CEO when he would come into the office in the morning, she would always want to give him a hug and at some point started trying to kiss him on the neck every time. YUCK!

"By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality..." Rev 2:20

This was the second time I saw this spirit manifesting in a sexual way. (The first time was with the lady I mentioned in my First Encounter. That lady slapped me on the behind one night at one of our bible studies while we were standing in the kitchen. Hard to believe?.....)

Yet, because we all felt sorry for her, because she still had a kid at home who needed help, we overlooked much of her behavior, forgave her and continued to pray for her. At times she would really calm down and become easy to get along with. Then we would all let our guards down thinking she had changed, that she really wasn't so bad after all, that it was just the stress of divorce and raising kids alone that was making her so carnal and fleshly. Yet in the course of time she would take advantage of people's good nature.

She would always want to know how to pray for everyone. She would always speak very highly of all of the decision makers in our company, too much in fact. So much so that you could tell it was a bunch of hogwash.

But the principle managers of the company felt sorry for her. She needed a job and she had a strong background in the Title Insurance industry. They hired her on the cheap with no insurance and gave her a flexible schedule to work around. They were just using her so they put up with alot of her garbage. But she made our lives as salesman very difficult. You couldn't trust her any farther than you could throw her. Yet I did witness one thing in particular with her. The Lord was being patient with her because he was trying to give her time to repent from her ways.

"Nevertheless I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess....I have given her time to repent of her immorality but she is unwilling." Rev 2:20,21

After being at the company for about three years, just a few months before the Lord had me leave, the Lord gave me another dream about this lady. In the dream I was standing in front of her just like I was in the dream roughly three years earlier. The difference was I spoke to her in this dream. I asked her, "Do you want to be free from this spirit?" She looked back at me and said very directly, "NO!" The dream ended and so did my time with the company shortly thereafter.

I later found out that this woman began to have one issue after another with her health. At one point she collapsed in the parking lot of a Home Depot and broke numerous bones in her body all at the same time. She was later diagnosed with brittle bones disease or something like that. She began to have one health issue after another.

"So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways." Rev 2:22

I do not wish this for this woman but I can tell you she is reaping what she has allowed this demon to sow through her. All of her gossip, slander, backstabbing, control,.....everything she did to all of the people in the office for years came back on her. Yet our supervisors wouldn't fire her. The Ahabs wouldn't get rid of her.

"Warn a divisive person once and then warn them a second time. After that have nothing to do with them. Such a person is warped and sinful. He is self-condemned." Titus 3:10

Jezebel created hell for all of us. And in the course of time I got a masters degree in dealing with this spirit. I learned things about this spirit that you can't learn in seminary or bible college. The experience was invaluable beyond anything I could have imagined. Yet for years no one could figure her out. She got away with all of her tricks for over 2 years before people started catching on.

Unfortunately, this wasn't my last encounter with this demon. I never thought we would have issues with this in Mexico. I don't know why? It was the wrong assumption. It popped up again 6 months ago in one of my good friends family members. Let me explain............

My Fourth Encounter

My fourth encounter with this spirit of Jezebel occurred about 5 months ago. My wife and I had attended a church function with our kids. The church was holding a day of fun and events for kids at a local park so we went. While there we ended up meeting a new Mexican family. The husband and wife (We will call them John and Marla) had both lived for many years in the United States before returning back home to start their own businesses. Marla is in fact a dual-citizen. John graduated from high school in the United States. John also had his adult sister staying with him along with her daughter. We will call John's sister Amy.

After we met them at the park we felt somewhat comfortable talking with them right away. Everyone speaks good English so we carried on for quite some time while the kids played and went from activity to activity. John, Marla and Amy eventually invited us over to their home for lunch that same day. We went over and began to get to know this family while the kids swam in the swimming pool.

One of the things I started to notice about John's sister Amy was that she dressed very provocatively. Now remember, this is quite common for Mexican women but even Christian Mexican women know a degree of modesty. Yet this girl had a very profound commitment to make sure everyone could see her entire cleavage.

Also, she seemed to blend in well when we talked of spiritual matters or political matters. However, sh eventually did distance herself when the conversation became to intimate in the Lord. Surface level was fine, but not to much below that. Eventually Amy went outside and never came back in.

I also noticed that she made a comment to me that I looked exactly like her husband. When she showed me a picture I could see that we really didn't look anything alike. He is also about 4 inches taller than me yet she asked me how tall I was and insisted I was the same stature as her husband. Her comments seemed quirky. We eventually finished up our visit and left.

A few days later, while at the mall with Christine and the kids, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. It was Amy.  In the Yucatan it is very common to greet everyone you meet with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. But I noticed that she only greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. She would not greet Christine. I though that was odd.

A few weeks later we ended up having lunch with John and Marla at Peter Piper Pizza with all of our kids. John explained to me that his sister, who is a professing christian, was born to a woman who was their father's mistress. He told me her mother later died while having an abortion. Well, Amy ended up having her first child, a son, when she was 15. Her son is now a grown man. Already you can see generational curses on this lady and her family.

Amy's husband, an American citizen, was in the process of moving down here when I first met them. He was still back in the states when we all first met each other. As soon as her husband (we will call him Chuck) moved here Amy did everything she could to get a minimum wage job ($40 USD per week) and leave their 5 year old daughter at home with her husband Chuck who has a full time job working with a company on- line. He makes really good money yet Amy wants to get away for 40 hours a week, may about $1.00 USD per hour and leave their daughter at home with him while he is working. That doesn't make any sense.

Another thing I noticed is that Amy didn't want her husband Chuck out without her. She didn't want him to have anything to do with John or myself. She won't let him out of the house. And she is 5'3" tall and he is about 6'4".

About 3 months ago I was out jogging and I notice this H2 Hummer driving towards me from down the road. I look up and it is Amy. She pulls over and begins to tell me how she can't find a job. I told her that maybe she needed to pray about things before she did them and she looks at me and says, "you now that is a good idea. I haven't been doing that." Amy also made comments to me trying to "warn" me of how bad of a person Marla is, that she controls my good friend John. Well, Marla and my wife are friends and while we have noticed some areas that are not perfect in Marla, she is far from controlling. So here she is trying to plant the seeds of doubt and discord. I dismiss myself and keep jogging down the road.

As the months went on I continued to become good friends with John. He has continued to inform me of how difficult his sister is to get along with. While Amy and her daughter were waiting for Chuck to move down, all the while living with John and Marla, John informed me that Amy was incredibly rude and insulting at times. Amy was always very critical of Marla. Amy would tell Marla that she was fat and that they needed to lose weight. Unbelievable things would come out of her mouth. Just incredible.

Over the course of time John would continue to confide in me that his sister would keep trying to get in there and sow discord in his marriage. I finally told him what his sister had said to me the day I saw her while out jogging, that it seemed she was interested in causing dissension. Remember, this spirits name means "without cohabitation." It is another way of saying disunion, a breaking apart, to divide.

Later I would run into Amy again while out jogging. God help me. This time she went into tears crying, telling me how mean her brother was to her and that Marla was such a bad influence on John. This crying and complaining went on for 10 minutes. Nothing but tears and sobbing. I finally asked for her husbands phone number and I asked permission to call him. "Can Chuck come out and play?," asked the little boy from down the street. Man it felt childish. Yet that is what we were dealing with her.

And the chaos hasn't stopped. On June 8th of this year the Lord had me sit down and connect some dots:

• Dresses provocatively
• She comments on my physical features in an inappropriate way.
• She would only greet me, not my wife.
• Born out of wedlock to an adulterous woman/mistress.
• Teenage pregnancy.
• Won't let her husband speak for himself or fellowship with other men in the Lord.
• Wants to get a job she doesn't need. Forsakes motherhood to go get a job making $40 USD a week. What a waste of time.
• Curses others with her mouth.
• Takes things out of context and misrepresents facts.
• Talks very badly of others (gossip, slander, bitterness, anger).

The pattern is obvious. We finally had John and Marla over for dinner after seeing all of this over a period of about 6 months. And after praying about it, we shared with them what we understood to be a Jezebel spirit in his sister. They needed to understand what they were dealing with. They were very appreciative and it has since been an ongoing discussion with our friends. Jezebel is alive and well in Mexico.

This was my fourth significant encounter over a protracted period of time with this spirit. I guess the Lord is just trying to keep us sharp in the discerning of spirits. That's my conclusion.

Yet the one thing we have started to see through all of this is that Jezebel is not a cookie cutter spirit. She comes in various shapes, sizes, forms and colors. While there is a strong degree of commonality between anyone that has this spirit, it can manifest in greater or lesser degrees in various facets of itself. What facets? Let's take a look at all of them.

Common Denominators and the Facets of Jezebel

As I look back over the five significant experiences I have had in dealing with the Jezebel spirit I can see common denominators between all of them:

• All of the women showed high degrees of intelligence.
• Many were extreme organizers and administrators.
• All of them spoke with a very bold tone at inappropriate times.
• All of them were/are professing Christians. (I will discuss this more in context later.)
• All of them divided up work places, fellowship and individual relationships.
• All gossiped, slandered, lied
• All refused to change.
• All of them had been or are receiving time to repent.
• All claimed to be hearing God or at least operating in "Truth."
• All claimed to speak on his behalf. At times some did yet it was moments of truth mixed with moments of error.
• All of them like to correct men, starting with their husbands.
• All of them have husbands who have not been or are currently not seeking God. 
• All of the husbands in each situation avoided their wives as much as possible.
• All of the people involved in each situation were shallow in the scriptures and the ways of the Lord.
• Three of the five situations involved flirtation, sexual advances or lust.

Almost every time. Almost every situation. Mostly the same things. Very very few exceptions. The following is a list taken from Steve Sampson's book, Confronting Jezebel: Discerning and Defeating the Spirit of Control. His take on it is that these are common characteristics of men or women who have a spirit of Jezebel.

He gives a list of 30 things but I have narrowed it down to 24 things I have seen at least once. Some of his items on his list I have never seen before so I am going to eliminate those for the sake of brevity. I will leave on the list the ones I have seen and I am going to tell you the number of situations out of all 5 I have seen each one. Here Goes:

• Refuses to admit guilt or wrong - A Jezebel spirit is never wrong, unless it is a temporary admittance of guilt to gain "favor" with someone. When a Jezebel apologizes it is never in true repentance or acknowledgment of wrongdoing but rather "I'm sorry your feelings were hurt." (4 of 5)
• Uses people to accomplish its agenda - The Jezebel spirit lets others do its dirty work. The Jezebel sits back looking innocent, saying "Who me? What did I do?" This behavior makes it difficult for even the most ardent truth seekers to pin one down. The Jezebel spirit is clever in its agenda. (1 of 5) - The one instance where I did see it was really bad as it involved a Sr. Pastor using a number of people to drive others out. Really Bad.
• Withholds information - This is a form of control. A Jezebel wields power over you by knowing something you don't know in a situation. In the eyes of a Jezebel, having information you don't have is a powerful weapon of control. (2 of 5)
• Talks in confusion - It is impossible to converse with a Jezebel in logic. One pastor wrote a six-page letter to his elders about a situation in the church. The context was so vague that no one was without confusion. This is a way to maintain control and domination. When confronting a Jezebel, the subject may be changed five times in one minute. Confusion keeps them "undiscovered" and unexposed. (This one is huge Brethren. Pay Attention to this one.) (4 out of 5)
• Lies - A Jezebel lies convincingly. No one can lie better than she can. She can turn on the charm and make you believe blue is red. The fact that Jezebel can look you in the eye and lie just shows how strong and adamant this rebellious and recalcitrant spirit is. (3 of 5)
• Ignores people - A classic ploy of a controller is to ignore you when you disagree with him. This tactic is frequently used by leaders when someone doesn't agree with their plans, and they isolate the person by ignoring him. Some in these situations have been ignored for months, just because they chose not to be a puppet and say to every idea or whim. This puts the person out of the leader's grace and forces him to either "come around" to the leader's way of thinking or be indefinitely ignored. One is not free to disagree with a controller. (2 of 5)
• Criticizes everyone - This is a characteristic of a controller. He has to be the one who looks good, so he will quickly sharply criticize anyone who makes a suggestion or plan. Even though she likes the plan, she can only criticize it because the idea did not originate from him. Criticizing others elevates the controller in his own mind. (3 of 5)
• One-upmanship - A person with a Jezebel spirit will always upstage another person. If you are with such a person and tell of your accomplishment or victory, you can be assured he will quickly tell of something he has accomplished. (3 of 5)
• Sequesters information - A Jezebel loves to be in control of information. If there is ever a situation where information is important, she will push to know it. (2 of 5)
• Uses information - A Jezebel uses information as a leverage for power and then shares tidbits with you, often things told him in confidence. This gives her a sense of power... (3 of 5)
• Talks incessantly - Many people talk habitually, but a Jezebel uses talking as a form of control. In a typical conversation, she does all the talking, whether it is about sports, the weather or the Kingdom of God. Because of this form of control, she is unable to receive input from anyone in his life. All conversation with him/her is one-sided. You are doing the listening. (Holy Cow........(3 of 5))
• Spiritualizes everything - When a controller is confronted, she commonly spiritualizes the situation, explaining it off on God. This prevents him from owning up to responsibility required of him. The implication is always, "You've got a problem; I don't." (3 of 5)
• Is insubordinate - A Jezebel never takes the side of the employer or a person in authority, unless it is a temporary action to make himself look good. His/her main desire is for power and control.
• Is pushy and domineering - A person with a Jezebel spirit pressures you to do things, seemingly ripping from you your right to choose or make a decision for yourself. (4 of 5)
• Uses the element of surprise - A Jezebel's main thrust is to be in control, and a large part of control is catching you off guard. Therefore, the element of surprise works well when she shows up a day early for a meeting or with an agenda or charge that no one expected. (5 of 5)
• Sows seeds of discord - A Jezebel will continually belittle another person in the most subtle way. The strategy is to "gain" control by minimizing the value of another person. It is common for her to tell half-truths to implicate another person in your eyes. By sowing these seeds, she hopes to eventually reap a harvest of destruction, improving his position of power. (4 of 5)
• Is vengeful - Since a Jezebel is never wrong, if you contradict or confront one, get ready to become his/her worst enemy. As long as you are in agreement with him, all is fine. But if you confront or challenge them, then look out. You are the target at this point. A Jezebel will stop at nothing to destroy your reputation. (5 of 5)
• Attempts to make you look like you're the Jezebel - A Jezebel spirit is difficult to pin down. If the person is near to being confronted, he or she will skillfully twist the entire situation, trying to make the innocent person look like the one who is attempting to control. As always, the Jezebel will do anything to look like the one who is right. (Out of Context - 5 of 5)
• Insinuates disapproval - A Jezebel will often imply disapproval to those under his or her control. The controlled person feels no freedom to express an opinion, for fear of disapproval. This often manifests in a marriage or in a working environment. (5 of 5)
• Is ambitious - The Jezebel has strong desire, but all for self. "I want what I want when I want it," describes his worship of self-will. A Jezebel leader will never use the words, "We have a vision," but rather, "My vision is thus and so." (3 of 5)
• Gift giving - Gift giving is a form of manipulation a Jezebel uses that always makes you feel obligated to him/her. It also compromises the victim in speaking direct and confrontive truth. Naturally, not everyone who gives gifts is guilty of control, but gift giving is a tactic used by those who have a need to control. (2 of 5)
• Is independent - No one has input in a Jezebel's life. He fraternizes with no one unless it is to get you to "cooperate" with his agenda. (5 of 5)
• Is religious - A Jezebel dwells in the local church but doesn't like authority unless he is in the position of authority. She calls herself a prophetess per Revelation 2. She claims to have divine knowledge. (5 of 5)
• Hides - We all want to believe that the person with a Jezebel spirit is delivered. The person may seem "normal" for a period, exhibiting none of the classic traits. Then suddenly without warning a situation will arise, once again with the spirit taking control and wreaking havoc over lives. (5 of 5)

I have seen all of these. But the things I would really add to his list are these:

• Use of Sexual immorality and lust.
• They hate God ordained authority in men. They think they can correct men. 1 Timothy 2:12 means nothing to them.
• All have husbands that have been put down and have become Ahab's. And the thing is, all of the husbands would adamantly deny this. All of them.
• All have few reference points in scripture. They rarely know scripture or the quietness that can accompany discernment.

You need to be aware of them. Jezebel's ultimate intent is to gain control and in the process she separates people from God and from each other. And to me there are two different levels of a Jezebel Spirit. Take a look...................

2 Levels of Jezebel

I often tell others that there are two sources of false teaching:

1. Those that teach falsely.
2. Those that are false teachers.

There are those that are sincere in their devotion to the Lord but they are missing foundational, fundamental doctrines for some reason. Sometimes they grow up in old wineskin environments and never really emerge out of them. Maybe in the course of time, if they keep seeking after the Lord, they will get the wrinkles ironed out and teach the way of God more accurately. They are like Apollos. Apollos was teaching falsely for a period of time. He was missing some parts but when presented with truth he embraced them.

"Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately." Acts 18:24-26

He needed some growth in what he was believing and teaching. This was affecting his ability to experience God more freely. Yet when truth was presented to him he tested it and embraced it. And so he grew. He was then able to help with enabling the church to grow on a greater basis.

"When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed." Acts 18:27

I have taught falsely in my early years and had the Lord pull me back in and straighten me back out and then resend me back to the body to assume my place. It happens to everybody.

False Teachers are something all together different. They have not responded to the Lord as he has tried to convict them over the course of time. Their motives have remained impure and, even though they may have once had pure doctrine, they stray from God in all facets and completely leave the straight path. The entire chapter of 2 Peter 2 is devoted to false teachers in the Body of Christ, men and women who once new God on some level. Verse by verse this is what the chapter says about them...

• They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. 
• Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
• In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.
• God is holding them for punishment on the day of judgment.
• They follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
• Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander celestial beings They blaspheme in matters they do not understand.
• They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
• They will be paid back for the harm they have done.
• Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.
• They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you (Christians) 
• With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
• They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. 
• They are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
• For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.
•  They had once escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 
• (They once knew the way of righteousness.) It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 
• Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

I see the Jezebel spirit in much the same way. I think their is conviction and an opportunity for repentance for those that have it. I think there are those that have some of the characteristics of Jezebel from their unredeemed past and it is a matter of them getting spiritually healed and cleansed under the right set of circumstances in the Lord.

But I also think there is the person who has a Jezebel spirit who has rejected God's conviction for so long that they get to a point where God hands them over. And at that point I am not sure they can be saved. This includes Christians who have the Spirit of God in them but have refused to work out their salvation in fear and trembling.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:12,13 

This person has stopped walking with God and their names get blotted out of the Book of Life because they refuse to do his work and so be changed in the process.

"Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds (works)  complete in the sight of my God...The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life,...." Revelation 3:2,5

 I believe there are different levels of oppression and possession. But regardless of the degree, we go where God sends us and we say what God tells us to say in light of all circumstances.

If the person with the Jezebel spirit doesn't repent she will suffer. God does give her time to repent. Revelation 2 is clear on it. My Third Encounter with the spirit from February, 2005 to May, 2008 showed me that. There is a time of repentance.

"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2

Pray for others that are struggling with this. Discern and see what you should see and talk to the Lord about your responsibility.

Be Blessed,
JEB