JEZEBEL: WORKING THROUGH CHURCH LEADERS - Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson

March 20, 2019

JEZEBEL: WORKING THROUGH CHURCH LEADERS

What happens when the spirit of Jezebel is working through church leadership? This is the most frequent question I am asked in regards to this topic.

How do we discern our own possible spirit of rebellion versus a leader operating in this spirit? In other words, if I'm calling everyone who tells me what to do, "Jezebel", then I have issues. 

On the other hand, if I'm involved in coercive behavior against my will with a church leader, then I need to get freedom from Jezebel. Just keep in mind that the spirit of Jezebel working through an individual wants freedom in the church so that they can have control, but the spirit of Elijah wants freedom in the church so that God can move. (A good thing) It is serious error to believe that just because a church leader asks you to do something that you don't feel like doing means that they have a Jezebel spirit.

In 1 Peter 5, Peter exhorts church leaders to "shepherd the flock of God exercising oversight", but "not lording it over them". In other words, those in spiritual authority have been instructed by God himself to not suffocate, manipulate, or make those under their care feel inferior to them in any way. Rather, church leaders are called to care for the flock of God through instruction, correction, and counsel.

Here is a profile/mindset of a church member who is under the influence of a Jezebel spirit working through a church leader:

1. "I can't visit another church, special service, etc or my church leader will become angry or verbally abusive."
2. "If I don't give them my money, they say I'm under a curse."
3. "If I leave their church, they say I will become sick, poor, or miss my destiny."
4. "My loyalty to God is measured by my loyalty to them."
5. "I cannot make any life decisions without running everything through them."
6. "I'm afraid of communicating to them how I really feel for fear of repercussions."
7. "They are constantly asking me to serve them, but they've never asked how they can serve me."
8. "I'm suspicious of other church leaders because they are always warning me of other church leaders."
9. "They consistently remind me of all that they've done for me and make me feel second class.
10. "I can't respectfully ask any questions or share my perspective or it's received as I'm being rebellious and insubordinate."

If you are serving under a church leader where more than 6-7 of these attitudes and thoughts cross your mind often, you need to find freedom from the spirit of Jezebel. If you felt sick reading those ten points, it's an immediate sign the spirit is at work against you now or has been in the past.

-Jeremiah Johnson

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