You might be asking, who was or is Jezebel? You might recall her name from a previous sermon in 1 Kings. Besides being a pretty princess and seductive sultan, Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab (1 Kings 16:31). She was not the kind of woman you would want your daughters to follow, or your life to emulate. She was the daughter of a Gentile king who promoted Baal worship. Baal was believed not just a single deity but multiple gods promising pleasure and joy, power and attraction with influence, and protection with food and finances. Sadly, we can see Baal is still around today.

Jezebel not only promoted worship of Baal, she silenced those who dissented. Many of God’s prophets and people hid from her, as she sought to kill them (1 Kings 18:4). She had many plots against God’s people, but the Lord would have the last laugh. He always does (Psalm 2:4; 37:13; 59:8; Luke 8:53-55). Jezebel’s betrayal of God was returned as her servants threw her out of a window, and her blood spattered on the ground and her body trampled by horses (2 Kings 9:30-37). People tried to recover her body to give her a queen’s burial, but it was devoured by dogs, just like Elijah’s prophecy (1 Kings 21:23).

While Jezebel died, her spirit lives. Her name reappears in the last book of the bible: Revelation 2:20-23. Jesus condemns a church that tolerates the example of Jezebel, which promotes sexual immorality and idol worship. Idol worship isn’t just bowing to statues, but the prioritizing of our affections and allegiance to other activities or people above God. Jesus’ condemnation is severe, promising personal suffering, and that the church’s children – physically or figuratively – will drift away from goodness and die without grace that was offered to them.

Idol worship isn’t just bowing to statues, but the prioritizing of our affections and allegiance to other activities or people above God.

The Jezebel spirit lives today in at least these several ways:

• Prioritizing power and position by manipulating people and controlling circumstances to better yourself rather than serve others. This can also manifest in frequent complaints and promoting fear of future scenarios, so that people follow your preferred decisions and look to you for wisdom.
  
  Please note, that some groups have used the phrase “Jezebel spirit” to diminish the strengths and value of women. This is regrettable, and not what the Scriptures reflect. Men of the highest office or normal position can be Jezebels too. God has a special calling and unique design for women, as much as He does for the function and purpose of men (Acts 2:17-18).
  
  
• Prioritizing pleasure through people or possessions. This can manifest romantically through emotional fantasies or physical adultery. Or it is evident through our expenses of comfort to escape reality or facing daily tasks or necessary decisions.
  
  Social media and internet scrolling, alcohol binges, weed and getting high, vegging on entertainment, and many other activities are multiple ways we prioritize pleasure in the wrong ways. Jezebel choices seem helpful but eventually spiral into uncontrollable consequences.

• Prioritizing human plans over divine wisdom and sacred Scripture. 1 Kings shows us this occurring in both Solomon relying upon national alliances, and then Ahab and Jezebel devoting allegiance to substitute gods who promised blessing. Both knew about the Lord’s ways and God’s word, but they went their own way. And they promoted these false teachings to the entire nation. We don’t have to look far in today’s church to see how it has drifted away from truth and being discipled by worldliness.

So, how do we silence the Jezebel spirit and cultivate the Spirit of Jesus? There could be many recommendations, but here are three brief applications.

1. Repent regularly. Elijah offered Jezebel and Ahab many opportunities to repent. Eventually, Ahab had some measure of repentance and God spared him the full consequences of his choices (1 Kings 21:27-29). Yet, Jezebel refused to repent. And this is Jesus’ critique of the modern church (Revelation 2:21). So, if we are to silence the Jezebel spirit, it starts with swallowing our pride and humbling our hearts before the Lord. Be careful of emphasizing excuses like, “But what about person X or circumstances Y and Z…” Jesus doesn’t call us to be fully responsible for the choices and sins of others. Comparison, envy, bitterness, anger, and despair all start with a tiny seed that can grow like kudzu, and before long you’re overcome with vines of every sin-stained vice. So, understand that Jesus is kind to offer fresh starts and new beginnings. A life of regular repentance is the recipe for enduring joy and confident hope.
   
   
2. Beware of dogs. This is a tongue-in-cheek phrase based upon Jezebel’s end of life (2 Kings 9:36). Yet, it is also similar advice from the apostles Paul and John. Paul elaborated and called spiritual dogs as “mutilators of the flesh” (Philippians 3:2); and John associated spiritual dogs with those practicing sorcery or sexual immorality, and idolatry, and ultimately promoting conspiracies and falsehoods (Revelation 22:15). In short, spiritual dogs are those who blissfully bark at worldly advice but scowl at the Scriptures. Outwardly, they pretend to be friends of the faith, but their lifestyle is hypocritical.
   
   Spiritual dogs add to the gospel with human philosophy. Such philosophy can be religious preferences not based in Scripture, or political agendas that boldly critique one side but give a blind eye to the other side’s faults. Ultimately, Christians must beware of having the appearance of godliness but denying its power to fight sin, which Scripture warns to avoid such people (2 Timothy 3:5).   
   
   
3. Have no sympathy for half-heartedness. “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him” (1 Kings 18:21). Spiritual compromise is the virus of our faith age taking out so many fellow believers, leaders, and churches. Jezebel was not unaware of Yahweh. Her children had God-exalting names, yet the family intermixed worship with false gods, and their faith was diluted. Further, Israel’s relationship with God was less than their enemies resolve with their gods. And this is the ultimate takeaway, and a reason why unbelievers are disinterested in the church – not because they can’t imagine believing what Christianity teaches, but because they do not see Christians believing and living what they say.
   
   So, let us not neglect sincere devotion with the Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit. Further, let us resolve not to isolate ourselves from true spiritual community. If you have resigned to attending church a couple times a month and not involved in a small group or any meaningful ministry service, then you are on the verge of spiritual catastrophe, like Jezebel’s fate. And let us resolve that we are better together with soul sisters and bands of brothers building each other up in faith, hope, and love.

We are better together with soul sisters and bands of brothers building each other up in faith, hope, and love.