Warfare and armor

If you're familiar with the prophet Ezekiel and his battle against Jezebel and the prophets of Ba'al, you will surely know Jezebel's fate.

Jezebel was a manipulative, sneaky, conniving little wench who was pleasant when she got her own way, but who would throw the slightest tantrum when she didn't. She controlled her husband Ahab, who was, in my not-so-humble opinion, a sissy of a man. He stood up for her, yes, but only when she was attacked by someone who saw through her ways. He did what he could to placate and appease her, lest her wrath be turned on him. He had to "protect" her. Jezebel, a follower of Ashtoroth, killed the prophets and anyone who opposed her and her husband.

I believe that Jezebel was possessed by Ashtoroth and deliberately targeted Israel in order to make the people turn from G-d and literally prostitute themselves to a false god. Worship of Ashtoroth involved erecting "asherah poles" and had temple prostitutes who would service the worshipers. Sounds like a religious brothel to me! In this way, the people of Israel were divided, and the spirit within Jezebel loved that.

Ezekiel was Jezebel and Ahab's main enemy. He was terrified of Jezebel, yet he chose to follow G-d. Jezebel's end comes when she is shoved out of a window, trampled by horses, eaten by dogs, and turned into dung. This was the end for a manipulative, controlling woman, but it wasn't the end of the spirit that controlled her.

This is the very spirit my husband and I had been fighting against for months. It was revealed to me this past May, but I didn't know where it came from. I did pray against it, but it just got worse.

When the person through whom this spirit was operating was shown to me, at first I didn't want to admit it. I ignored it, thinking I was being too harsh. The truth is that, little by little, I was being influenced by this same spirit, the very one that had hold of Jezebel and made her pleasant when she had her way, but would go off when she was denied what she wanted. I allowed myself to be controlled, I went so far as to have my hair, makeup, and clothing picked out to make this person happy. No little bit of individuality went into what I wore, and I made sure that all my tattoos were covered lest someone see them, comment, and I get in trouble. The tattoos had to be covered just in case a new person saw them and was turned off by them, resulting in the possibility of this person not coming to Messiah. It was like this for THREE YEARS. I was unhappy whenever I would mention something that G-d revealed to me, because it would be countered and I would be told that I was wrong, then I would be told what G-d was really trying to show me.

My mother in law noticed this change not only in me, but also in my husband as he too was influenced by the same spirit. I turned into a more depressed person, and would lash out at him if he did something this person didn't like, because she was always sure to tell me just what he did wrong, and would take it out on me, thus causing me to feel pressure to exert control over my husband.

Spiritual warfare isn't as easy as some make it sound. The stress and tension can do nasty things to the human body. However, we must remember to take up all the armor that G-d provides us (see Ephesians 6:12-18) every day, so that when these battles come, we can emerge victorious. The armor is meant to protect the body, and the knowledge of G-d's word is that armor that protects us. He will see us through these battles as long as we follow the strategy he gives us. It's not always easy, but using your faith and trust in G-d as a shield will deflect lies of the adversary. Salvation and deliverance protect your mind, you walk in the Good News of Messiah, you use the Word as you would a sword. Let truth always be belted around your waist, ready to be spoken at a moment's notice. Righteousness is your breastplate, protecting your heart from the adversary's blows.

In these times, these days that are similar to the days of Noah, make sure that your armor is always on, that it's always polished, that your sword is always sharpened. You never know when an attack will come, so be on your guard. Don't let paranoia take over, but keep your eyes and your focus on G-d, pray to him and he will give you discernment. This discernment shows us what to do when we are in spiritual warfare, so that the adversary won't be able to pull off a sneak attack. Pray for each other unwaveringly, every day, in the spirit and with earnestness.