Focus Your Spiritual Eyes

Dear Fellow Believers,
It has always been important to see our lives and interactions from a spiritual focus, but in this season it is imperative to see life with our spiritual eyes! When our minds are filled with the world, we will be unable to see in the spirit what is happening in our lives. It takes a Kingdom mind (full of God's Word and tuned in to the guidance of the Holy Spirit) to view life in a spiritual focus. 

Our world is in a state of upheaval and unrest. This is especially true in America now. It is so easy in times of turmoil to get distracted and lose focus. Our minds get filled with the problems of the world and we tune out the Holy Spirit at times. I can say this has been true in my life recently. But last week, the Holy Spirit kept reminding me of a book I had bought several years ago, when I worked in my church's bookstore. I kept feeling urged to read it. The book is These Are the Days of Elijah by R.T. Kendall. I had read several chapters back when I bought it. It was so good I highlighted most of what I was reading! But, as I do with most books, I put my bookmark in it, put it in the bookcase and moved on to something else. I used to feel guilty about doing that, but I've learned that if there's something I need to see, the Holy Spirit will lead me back to it in God's timing! 

So, after several days of quiet "nudging" I took the book off the shelf to see what I was supposed to see in there. I sat down and asked the Lord where I should start. I didn't want to start from the beginning again and I didn't want to read the whole book if there was just a chapter, or passage to see now. I looked over the chapters and saw clearly that I should go to chapter 17, Evil, Justice and Mercy. I will quote the most important parts the Holy Spirit showed me. Focus your spiritual eyes and you will see why He led me there "for such a time as this".  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:17 NLT

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Ahab coveted a vineyard that was located nearby. It belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. The king wanted to buy it or trade for it, as it was a convenient spot for a vegetable garden. The vineyard, however was Naboth's family inheritance, and he did not want to give it up. This caused Ahab to sulk.

Jezebel noticed his sullen spirit and asked why. He told his wife he was upset because he could not get Naboth's vineyard. She chided him, "Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I'll get you the vineyard." She set the innocent Naboth up as a person who had cursed God and the king, whereupon Naboth was taken outside the city and stoned to death. She then reported Naboth's death to Ahab who unashamedly took possession of the vineyard. 

Then God sent Elijah back to Ahab and Jezebel one more time to give them a message. He didn't send him there to get vengeance for himself, even though Jezebel had vowed to kill him, a prophet! God was sending him because of the cruel injustice Jezebel and Ahab did by getting Naboth killed and stealing his inheritance.

. . .God was judging Ahab's wife not for vowing to kill Elijah but for masterminding Naboth's cruel and unjust death. When a person as evil as Jezebel is around, it is only a matter of time until wickedness is compounded and, finally, God steps in.

This account is relevant for someone who has experienced gross injustice. If you have experienced evil done to you by someone, wait. Sit back. Do nothing. This person will continue to do evil elsewhere. You might feel a little peeved that he or she is judged for what he or she does to someone else--and not you! But never mind. Let God be God.  Be careful never--ever--to take vengeance into your own hands. It is God's business to do this.  And He does it so brilliantly that you would be foolish to "help" Him out in the slightest manner.

God is slow to anger, but when He does step in He shows how He is fully aware of all the evil that has taken place and carries out justice clearly, decisively and awesomely.

Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”

“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.

“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’

“And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’

“The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”

(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.) 1 Kings 21:19-26 NLT

Never think that evil goes unnoticed or unpunished. It's not important whether we see it or feel vindicated or avenged. Remember, God said, I will take revenge; I will pay them back. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.’ Deuteronomy 32:35 NLT

We usually think of the Jezebel spirit as a lustful, manipulative female because of being named after Queen Jezebel. Jezebel is a powerful demonic spirit, neither male nor female. Jezebel does not only operate in churches. People usually think of a woman in the church that insidiously destroys leadership, marriages, relationships and churches. But it also operates out in the world in businesses and in government. It seeks out leaders and those through whom they can do the most damage. THAT is the spirit we need to be praying against. That is what is operating today. I believe that if it is possible, the Jezebel spirit is gorging on the power, authority and control it has loosed on our earth. The world cannot see it and will laugh at the mere mention of that possibility. But my letter is to fellow Believers, who should be seeing with their spiritual eyes and the guidance of the Holy Spirit!

Here are some characteristics of the Jezebel spirit. This is by no means a complete list, but a very good starting point.

The Jezebel spirit is:
Critical and loves to find fault

Conniving. It whispers in ears to turn people against each other and to convince others to do what it wants done.

Controlling. It dominates, takes charge and dismisses all contrary opinions.

Competitive. It is prideful and needs to be seen as the most important person with the best opinions and ideas. Even if there is someone in authority over it, it must be seen as better than that person. No one dare "get the better" of the Jezebel spirit.

Contagious. The Jezebel spirit spreads like a wildfire. Unless it is cut out at the root, it won't be stopped. It can destroy a church, business, family, government or organization if left unchecked. It must be recognized for what it is and removed.

It's not like the movies. That's theatrics. See with spiritual eyes, recognize the spirit--not the person--call it by name and pray for it to be removed. Command it to go in Jesus' name. Remind it that it has no authority and must go. It only has the authority the people give it. The Holy Spirit will lead if you ask and listen.

There is evil in our land on a level I have never experienced before. But remember what Jesus said:  The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like [a flash of] lightning. Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you. Luke 10:17-19 AMP

If you get the opportunity, read R.T. Kendall's book These Are the Days of Elijah. The subtitle says it all: How God Uses Ordinary People to Do Extraordinary Things. These are surely days when we need ordinary people to do extraordinary things! Glory!

​Be ready,

Deborah
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www.DeborahLuchie.org
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