The lure of pornography isn’t just rooted in human desire. It isn’t rooted in some low ranking demonic tempter either. It is rooted in demonic temptation, but it’s by a demon of high rank in Satan’s kingdom. Not every believer has faced the specific temptation of pornography, but if you’ve ever found yourself up against this level of spiritual warfare, you know how intense it can be. It’s not something you overcome by human reasoning. It isn’t something you overcome by a strong will. This is a spiritual battle, so we need spiritual weapons and spiritual “armor” if we’re going to stand.
I’m just going to be blunt. There’s a time to just say it, and the time has come for us as a Church to speak. Let’s talk about what demonic spirit is behind this. It’s the spirit of Jezebel. I am NOT saying that everyone tempted by this spirit IS a Jezebel. PLEASE, PLEASE HEAR ME! I’m addressing the spirit that is coming against us as a Church. The Bible talks about this spirit in Revelation 2:18-29:
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations – ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ – just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The greek word for immorality in this passage is “porneía.” It’s where we get the word pornography. It involves the surrender of any type of sexual purity. It involves sex outside of marriage, adultery, incest, and prostitution. In the physical realm, it affects our relationships with people. In the spiritual realm, we commit “adultery” against God (idolatry) when we tolerate the spirit of Jezebel. Satan’s agenda is to tempt us to defile ourselves through sexual immorality. He knows that when we do, we set ourselves up to be disciplined by God Himself. We actually set ourselves up against God when we yield.
How to Overcome the spirit of Jezebel:
This spirit has many markers, or indicators that enables us to recognize when it’s attempting to operate. If you’re facing spiritual warfare against this spirit, you’d be wise to learn to recognize those markers. You may not be tempted by the same markers as your spouse, child, friend etc. But I believe we’ve ALL encountered temptation from this spirit in one way or another. To learn more about this, go to:
https://walkwhole.com/?s=Jezebel
If you have tolerated the spirit of Jezebel, repentance is needed if you’re going to overcome it. If you’re like me, this might not be a “one and done.” Learning to not yield to this spirit is a process. As we’re conformed to the image of Christ, we to learn to stand. There’s grace for the journey when we come with sincere repentance when needed.
The third way we overcome the spirit of Jezebel is by staying dressed spiritually. Ephesians 6:10-18 says,
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
We simply cannot expect to stand if we’re uncovered. We need more than to just acknowledge that the armor of God exists. We need to practice “putting it on.” An example of this would be “putting on the belt of truth” by telling the truth. Agreeing with and holding to truth even when it costs us dearly.
An earthly warrior wouldn’t think of going to the front lines without his weapons and his armor. We as believers shouldn’t either. We cannot afford to take off our spiritual armor. Ever. For more on this, go to:
https://walkwhole.com/?s=armor+of+God+part+1
Finally, if you’ve done all of this and you still feel like you’re losing the battle against the spirit of Jezebel, call in reinforcements. This spirit comes against churches, and the solution sometimes takes corporate agreement.
I remember one time when this happened to me. I had done everything I knew to stand. I’d quoted scripture, I’d worshipped, etc. But the warfare was so intense that I could hardly lift my head up. My husband recognized my need and called a few believers to join in praying with us. It was like someone flipped a switch. What felt like a spiritual hurricane stopped. Spiritually, it felt like the sun came out and I was able to stand.
One tactic the enemy will use to keep us from corporate agreement is shame. It takes courage to share our struggles with others. It takes vulnerability. We can feel open to attack. Psalm 34:5 says,
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
This is our position in Christ. We need not fear shame. We do, however, need to use wisdom in who we’re vulnerable with. Look for someone who is motivated by love, not shame, when you share your struggles. This takes risk. We may get hurt when we put ourselves out there. If you do, then learn from it. The next time it happens, take a chance with someone else. Ask yourself, “Who do I trust that doesn’t shame others for struggling with temptation?” Then talk to that person.
Beloved, we have been given authority over ALL the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, so we look down on every evil ruler, authority and power. We do NOT need to be intimidated. Jesus Christ has given us His shield of victory. Let’s press in to know Him better. May the strength of the LORD be yours today,
Arlene
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