The religious spirit (Ahab) draws the Jezebel spirit to itself. Jezebel can do very little without Ahab to give her a platform; Ahab is representative of an anointing which has been compromised due to Self-rule. Ahab, who is very weak, feeds off of the pity and false nurturing lavished on him by Jezebel. Their focus is to steal Naboth’s true inheritance and replace it with a counterfeit payoff. You are Naboth.
1 Kings 21 (The Message)
And then, to top it off, came this: Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel that bordered the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. One day Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a kitchen garden; it’s right next to my house—so convenient. In exchange I’ll give you a far better vineyard, or if you’d prefer I’ll pay you money for it.”
But Naboth told Ahab, “Not on your life! So help me God, I’d never sell the family farm to you!” Ahab went home in a black mood, sulking over Naboth the Jezreelite’s words, “I’ll never turn over my family inheritance to you.” He went to bed, stuffed his face in his pillow, and refused to eat.
Jezebel his wife came to him. She said, “What’s going on? Why are you so out of sorts and refusing to eat?”
He told her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said, ‘Give me your vineyard—I’ll pay you for it or, if you’d rather, I’ll give you another vineyard in exchange.’ And he said, ‘I’ll never give you my vineyard.'”
Jezebel said, “Is this any way for a king of Israel to act? Aren’t you the boss? On your feet! Eat! Cheer up! I’ll take care of this; I’ll get the vineyard of this Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
She wrote letters over Ahab’s signature, stamped them with his official seal, and sent them to the elders in Naboth’s city and to the civic leaders. She wrote “Call for a fast day and put Naboth at the head table. Then seat a couple of stool pigeons across from him who, in front of everybody will say, ‘You! You blasphemed God and the king!’ Then they’ll throw him out and stone him to death.”
And they did it. The men of the city—the elders and civic leaders— followed Jezebel’s instructions that she wrote in the letters sent to them. They called for a fast day and seated Naboth at the head table. Then they brought in two stool pigeons and seated them opposite Naboth. In front of everybody the two degenerates accused him, “He blasphemed God and the king!” The company threw him out in the street, stoned him mercilessly, and he died.
When Jezebel got word that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, “Go for it, Ahab—take the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for your own, the vineyard he refused to sell you. Naboth is no more; Naboth is dead.”
The minute Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he set out for the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and claimed it for his own.
Then God stepped in and spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “On your feet; go down and confront Ahab of Samaria, king of Israel. You’ll find him in the vineyard of Naboth; he’s gone there to claim it as his own. Say this to him: ‘God’s word: What’s going on here? First murder, then theft?’ Then tell him, ‘God’s verdict: The very spot where the dogs lapped up Naboth’s blood, they’ll lap up your blood—that’s right, your blood.'”
Ahab answered Elijah, “My enemy! So, you’ve run me down!”
“Yes, I’ve found you out,” said Elijah. “And because you’ve bought into the business of evil, defying God. ‘I will most certainly bring doom upon you, make mincemeat of your descendants, kill off every sorry male wretch who’s even remotely connected with the name Ahab. And I’ll bring down on you the same fate that fell on Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah—you’ve made me that angry by making Israel sin.'”
As for Jezebel, God said, “Dogs will fight over the flesh of Jezebel all over Jezreel. Anyone tainted by Ahab who dies in the city will be eaten by stray dogs; corpses in the country will be eaten by carrion crows.”
Ahab, pushed by his wife Jezebel and in open defiance of God, set an alltime record in making big business of evil. He indulged in outrageous obscenities in the world of idols, copying the Amorites whom God had earlier kicked out of Israelite territory.
When Ahab heard what Elijah had to say, he ripped his clothes to shreds, dressed in penitential rough burlap, and fasted. He even slept in coarse burlap pajamas. He tiptoed around, quiet as a mouse.
Then God spoke to Elijah the Tishbite: “Do you see how penitently submissive Ahab has become to me? Because of his repentance I’ll not bring the doom during his lifetime; Ahab’s son, though, will get it.”
You will always see the person controlled by an Ahab spirit surrounded by people who are oppressed by Jezebel. While Ahab is usually pretty passive in public, he gets very aggressive and pushy behind the scenes and will even show that side of himself publicly when emboldened by Jezebel’s support.
Jezebels seek to control everyone around them, always striving to make “rules of engagement” and desperately attempting to redefine what is right and wrong or what is true and false. They are often very unstable in their emotions, swinging very high and very low – one moment on the mountain top, the next in the valley of despair.
People who have unresolved wounds carried as offense, are most vulnerable to oppression from this stuff.
The humanistic gospel thrives in an environment controlled by Jezebel and Ahab. You will find teachers with great followings of religiously bound people in this environment. Their message will usually mix scripture and biblical principles with human reasoning and earthly wisdom, resulting in a demonic cocktail which inoculates the human heart against true intimacy with King Jesus.
An example of these messages would include a call to “unity no matter the cost”, the importance of always being “loving and encouraging”, and more subtly, the great power of the human being apart from the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Often, those who walk in true intimacy with the Lord Jesus will detect something wrong or “not quite right” with the messages of those operating in demonic Ahab and Jezebel anointings, but they will not be able to put their finger on what is wrong.
Deception is only effective when it is subtle. The best lie is 99% truth.
One of the most obvious indicators of an Ahab spirit in operation is the consistent, plaintive cry for pity…usually issued in a request for prayer because they are being mistreated somehow, although it’s actually just that they’re frustrated because they can’t have their way.
A true spiritual leader – one who walks in Kingdom authority, never whines about persecution – instead, they REJOICE!
And they reject the attempts of any to feel sorry for them or offer them sympathy; their reward is paid privately and in full by the King of Glory Himself.
Don’t willingly subject yourself to those controlling spirits. If you recognize these traits in yourself – repent. If you recognize these traits in those you are receiving teaching from, you may need to seriously re-evaluate your source of spiritual nourishment.
P.S. The vineyard of your inheritance produces a very special vintage of wine. It’s called the New Wine of God’s pure love and ecstatic joy – and it’s worth dying for.
Your Vineyard
The religious spirit (Ahab) draws the Jezebel spirit to itself. Jezebel can do very little without Ahab to give her a platform; Ahab is representative of an anointing which has been compromised due to Self-rule. Ahab, who is very weak, feeds off of the pity and false nurturing lavished on him by Jezebel. Their focus is to steal Naboth’s true inheritance and replace it with a counterfeit payoff. You are Naboth.
1 Kings 21 (The Message)
And then, to top it off, came this: Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel that bordered the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. One day Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a kitchen garden; it’s right next to my house—so convenient. In exchange I’ll give you a far better vineyard, or if you’d prefer I’ll pay you money for it.”
But Naboth told Ahab, “Not on your life! So help me God, I’d never sell the family farm to you!” Ahab went home in a black mood, sulking over Naboth the Jezreelite’s words, “I’ll never turn over my family inheritance to you.” He went to bed, stuffed his face in his pillow, and refused to eat.
Jezebel his wife came to him. She said, “What’s going on? Why are you so out of sorts and refusing to eat?”
He told her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite. I said, ‘Give me your vineyard—I’ll pay you for it or, if you’d rather, I’ll give you another vineyard in exchange.’ And he said, ‘I’ll never give you my vineyard.'”
Jezebel said, “Is this any way for a king of Israel to act? Aren’t you the boss? On your feet! Eat! Cheer up! I’ll take care of this; I’ll get the vineyard of this Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
She wrote letters over Ahab’s signature, stamped them with his official seal, and sent them to the elders in Naboth’s city and to the civic leaders. She wrote “Call for a fast day and put Naboth at the head table. Then seat a couple of stool pigeons across from him who, in front of everybody will say, ‘You! You blasphemed God and the king!’ Then they’ll throw him out and stone him to death.”
And they did it. The men of the city—the elders and civic leaders— followed Jezebel’s instructions that she wrote in the letters sent to them. They called for a fast day and seated Naboth at the head table. Then they brought in two stool pigeons and seated them opposite Naboth. In front of everybody the two degenerates accused him, “He blasphemed God and the king!” The company threw him out in the street, stoned him mercilessly, and he died.
When Jezebel got word that Naboth had been stoned to death, she told Ahab, “Go for it, Ahab—take the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for your own, the vineyard he refused to sell you. Naboth is no more; Naboth is dead.”
The minute Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he set out for the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and claimed it for his own.
Then God stepped in and spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “On your feet; go down and confront Ahab of Samaria, king of Israel. You’ll find him in the vineyard of Naboth; he’s gone there to claim it as his own. Say this to him: ‘God’s word: What’s going on here? First murder, then theft?’ Then tell him, ‘God’s verdict: The very spot where the dogs lapped up Naboth’s blood, they’ll lap up your blood—that’s right, your blood.'”
Ahab answered Elijah, “My enemy! So, you’ve run me down!”
“Yes, I’ve found you out,” said Elijah. “And because you’ve bought into the business of evil, defying God. ‘I will most certainly bring doom upon you, make mincemeat of your descendants, kill off every sorry male wretch who’s even remotely connected with the name Ahab. And I’ll bring down on you the same fate that fell on Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah—you’ve made me that angry by making Israel sin.'”
As for Jezebel, God said, “Dogs will fight over the flesh of Jezebel all over Jezreel. Anyone tainted by Ahab who dies in the city will be eaten by stray dogs; corpses in the country will be eaten by carrion crows.”
Ahab, pushed by his wife Jezebel and in open defiance of God, set an alltime record in making big business of evil. He indulged in outrageous obscenities in the world of idols, copying the Amorites whom God had earlier kicked out of Israelite territory.
When Ahab heard what Elijah had to say, he ripped his clothes to shreds, dressed in penitential rough burlap, and fasted. He even slept in coarse burlap pajamas. He tiptoed around, quiet as a mouse.
Then God spoke to Elijah the Tishbite: “Do you see how penitently submissive Ahab has become to me? Because of his repentance I’ll not bring the doom during his lifetime; Ahab’s son, though, will get it.”
Self Abatement (Like Mosquito Abatement)
I have identified one vital prerequisite to personal revival.
Hunger…desperate unabated hunger…with no other agenda but to love Jesus and be loved by Him.
People are often in hurry to get back to “normal life.”
I’ve seen it in my own heart after an earth shattering encounter with His glory…
“Oh,Lord, that was great! So where we going for lunch?”
It’s part of that self preservation instinct present in all of us; we intuitively know that staying in the presence of His glory is going to cost us…Self.
And even when we are consciously willing to divulge ourselves of Self, there is a very real inward pressure to maintain some level of control.
I speak for myself when I say I need more of His grace at those pivotal moments than at any other time.
Gethsemane’s crushing PRESS must be welcomed, embraced, and by the truly lovesick worshiper of Jesus…even Pursued.
I write often of a special anointing for this thing or another. One of my favorite, sort of jeweled and oiled “crowns of revelation”, is this; when we see Jesus on the Cross and finally even BEGIN to understand what He actually accomplished there, the instinct to self preserve quickly abates and I have even begun to see an expression of love in “real life” which is so bewilderingly selfless and tenderly powerful that NO darkness can stand against it.
It is Jesus, the resurrected glorious One…living, breathing, talking, touching and loving through this frail earthen vessel…in ever increasing measure.
Fear, in any manifestation, is being utterly cast out by degrees, by layers. Completely and absolutely, one layer at a time. One level of comfort at a time. One degree of Self at a time.
As we draw near to the Father in true intimacy, the flesh (our present earthly body) becomes a tool in our hands by which to advance the Kingdom of our God. The concept of warring or constantly battling with the flesh is not biblical.
The old nature which is at enmity with God, is no longer present. The lingering ghost (mimicking spirits) of this fallen nature will diminish as we continually draw nearer and nearer to the Father. As we press into the place of total submission to God, the enemy flees, cannot touch us, and our very flesh glorifies the King of Creation!!
Our DNA was changed the instant the Blood touched our souls…ONLY BELIEVE!!! WE ARE NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST…OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY…THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB MAKES ALL THINGS NEW!!
As we press into true intimacy with the Father, we become a people who are deeply satisfied with Jesus and Jesus alone. He is our greatest and deepest pleasure, not just in word but in actuality.
The charismatic church in particular, is overflowing with a language of counterfeit love that leaves the intellect titillated while the heart and soul remain desperately cold and untouched.
The “Beauty Realm of God” is not just a super spiritual arrangement of words, but an actual reality of a substance and weight found nowhere else in all of Eternity.
The King’s outstretched hand and loving smile proclaim the same invitation heard from the moment Adam first drew breath- “Come Close. Let me Look at you.”
Father, I ask for more grace to be poured out on everyone who reads this – grace to press in when everything around us insists we draw back. Thank You for hearing my prayer. Amen!