Years ago, I was in a season of demonic attacks. Familiar spirits were cycling the same patterns in my relationships. Familiar spirits are spirits that monitor you and observe your life and keep the same negative things cycling through on a repeated basis. They repeat the same tactics to come and steal, kill and destroy (see John 10:10). I was in a season of receiving new “best friends.”
New people would come into my life like a whirlwind. Jezebel spirits in disguise. These friendships would attempt to provide me with everything I was missing in my life. Fortunately, I knew her tactics and could recognize the warning signs. The spirit of Jezebel comes in to overpower your current relationships and wants to be a strong influence in your life. She will cause dissension and disruption in your relationships and is a threat when in a small group of people within a Bible study, ministry volunteers or a casual dinner out with friends.
We are deceived by Jezebel because she comes prettily packaged.
Jezebel’s characteristics:
- Acts like your new best friend, often being treated as close as a family member.
- Gift-giver to get on your good side.
- Financial supporter of your personal and ministry needs.
- Spiritual confidant appearing to have all the answers.
- Knowledgeable, but pride and her mask make things appear as they are not.
- Dependable, always making timing available for you.
- Great ideas to implement, which are often overshadowed by your thoughts.
- Appears to care about what is important to you and then implements her plans.
Jezebel’s structure and characteristics are cunning and crafty. Webster’s defines cunning as “having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion, and crafty as “clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods.” Jezebel is deceitful! She is dishonest, devious and out for her own gain.
What do you have to offer Jezebel? Why is she after your relationships? Jezebel wants to be the center of love and attention. The spirit of pride that co-labors with Jezebel wants the focus on her, and even if you don’t feel like you have anything to offer, you do. There is someone or something she is trying to gain through having a relationship with you and destroying your other friendships.
Why Jezebel attaches to people:
- You have a sphere of influence she doesn’t.
- You are a manager in a business or owner of a company.
- You have wealth she is trying to obtain.
- You are a ministry leader, and she wants to minister and be seen with you.
- She wants position, value, credibility and her name to be exalted.
- You have something she wants but doesn’t know how to obtain.
Jezebel will not attack weak people. She does not attack people who don’t value themselves and consider themselves unworthy. She is after power and therefore will attack leaders.
Jezebels need to be confronted, but not by saying, “You are a Jezebel.” We need to stand up against Jezebel spirits, by not co-laboring with them and allowing them to get away with their plans. We need a voice to say no. We need to conquer our intimidation so that we feel we have the right to speak out and defend ourselves and protect what God has given us. But Jezebels also need to be loved. If we don’t love Jezebels, they will never get delivered. We need to show them there is someone who will help them through their need to control and manipulate and who won’t reject them again. Therefore, seeking the Holy Spirit for the ultimate plan on how to handle the Jezebel in your life is key.
Familiar spirits will come and go, but in order to get them to vacate our lives and not wreak havoc in cycles and patterns, we must take authority over them. By speaking out and declaring, “Familiar spirits, be gone, bound and restricted, in my life in the name of Jesus,” (prayer from my book, Warfare Declarations) we are taking authority over the demonic realm and minimizing future attacks. Knowing Jezebel’s weaponry and familiar tactics she uses will also help us to prevent future attacks. In my book, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan, you can learn more about the spirit of control and how the demonic realm attacks so you can walk out your full destiny and be able to conquer the spiritual battle against you. {eoa}
Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic spiritual warfare strategist releasing the love and power of God to ignite and activate people, release prophetic destinies and deliver people from the bondage of the enemy. She is the founder of Kathy DeGraw Ministries and Be Love Outreach. She is the author of several books, including Speak Out, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan, Identity Invasion, Who is Speaking? and Warfare Declarations. You can connect with Kathy on Facebook, facebook.com/kathydegraw or visit degrawministries.org.
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