The Bible has much to say about causing discord among people. Most is found in Proverbs. It can be causing strife, contentions, brawling, discord or divisions among people. Let us look at what causes these problems among groups of people and what we can do about it. This will work in any area of life.
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1. In Proverbs 6:12-19 we have a description of a person who causes discord followed by seven things God hates. Verse 15 tells what happens to people who live this kind of a lifestyle.
2. We find in Proverbs 15:18a that "A wrathful man stirs up strife."
3. In Proverbs 16:28a we are told "A froward man sows strife."
4. Proverbs 22:10 says "Cast out the scorner, and contentions shall go out; yes, strife and reproach shall cease."
5. Proverbs 26:20 tells us a "talebearer" causes strife.
6. Proverbs 28:25a says a proud-hearted person stirs up strife.
7. Proverbs 29:22a says an angry man stirs up strife.
So we can see a person who causes discord through strife and divisions has a spiritual problem. Such a person is a scorner, a talebearer, angry, proud, froward, wrathful, wicked, hateful spirited. This person is not happy if people are getting along. He/she is constantly causing people to fight with one another.
This goes on in all walks of life. You see it in community gatherings, churches, businesses, schools. There are some people who have a spirit of divisiveness that drives them to bring discord to people groups. Perhaps you have seen people like this. They are not happy when everything is running smoothly. If these people have a hidden agenda, they are bad news to the social order.
God wants us to have an orderly society. He wants this for us in all areas of our life. By nature we are sinful. We are selfish. Our carnal spirit is warring against God. God could have just destroyed the whole human race in the great Genesis flood. He saved one family of eight to repopulate the earth. It was not long before the human race was again rebelling against God at the tower of Babel. Right to this very hour most of the people on this planet are warring against God. This warring against God has brought chaos to many.
In Proverbs 6:19 we read two things God hates. It says, "A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren." In Luke 22:24 we find the disciples striving over who is going to be the greatest in God's kingdom. Romans 13:13 tells us we are to walk "honestly." We are not to walk in "rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying." 1 Corinthians 3:3 tells us that "envying, strife and division" is a sign we are carnal. Galatians 5:20 lists strife as one of the works of the flesh. In Philippians 2:3 we are exhorted to do nothing through "strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better then themselves." In 1 Timothy 6:3-6 we are shown the reason strife is in the Christian fellowship and what to do about it. James tells us in James 3:14 that if we have "bitter envying and strife" in our "heart" we "should not lie against the truth." Then he tells us in verse 16 that "where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
There is a solution to all of this. When we have the peace of God in our hearts, the thing that caused us to be contentious is taken away. The only way this is going to happen is salvation from sin and sinning through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who Was Jezebel?
The bible introduces us to Jezebel as the powerful & manipulating wife of King Ahab. Ahab was the king of Israel, but the Bible says Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord's sight, even more than any of the kings before him. Ahab also married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal (The male deity of power and sexuality).
First, Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria, then Ahab set up an Asherah (The female goddess of fertility, love and war pole). Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him. The worship of Baal and Ashtoreth included temple prostitution where both men and women would do sex acts to raise money for religious activities in the temple.
Jezebel was a Phoenician priestess who saturated Israel with the worship of Baal, Asheroth and other pagan gods. Over 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophetess of Ashtoreth served Jezebel in her abominations of sex practices during the reign of Ahab. The Jezebel spirit is a demonic spirit of perversion, lust, manipulation, mind control, Naperville churches witchcraft and the occult. The Jezebel spirit is a very powerful demonic spirit, but the Lord Jesus can deliver and set us free from this bondage and stronghold by bringing us into truth and light if we truly wish to be free.
The Jezebel Spirit In The Church
Whether we recognize it or not, we see the Spirit of Jezebel operating everyday in our workplaces, our families and sadly enough even in our churches! When I was a young girl growing up in the pentecostal church, I was always told that Jezebel was a woman of the world who wore red dresses, bright red lip stick and who painted her nails red. This was the image of Jezebel that many of us grew up with in our minds and the image that some of us still believe to be true.
Sadly there are so many pastors that are manipulated and controlled by this deadly spirit. The Jezebel spirit hates the prophet and the prophetic voice. She will do anything to discredit and kill the prophet with her murderous spirit. Jezebel is a witch and she uses her witchcraft to control and set up her kingdom within the church.
You will see where this spirit will come in and befriend the pastor and his wife along with others in leadership. It never deals with the people it feels has no significance, other than to use them as her puppets and eunuchs. This spirit operates and moves like a snake and operates with the spirit of python. It will seem to be very friendly. It will charm you with gifts, generous monetary offerings and it will be available for any and everything the leader needs and wants. It is just when she has the trust of leadership and has directed her aim at heart that she strikes and bites spreading her venom.
The Jezebel will always have followers or what she likes to call her children. The children are just as dangerous to the church as she is. She will use these followers to spread the venom throughout the congregation. Lies, confusion, strife, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, competition and hatred are just a few of the manifestations a church will begin to see when a Jezebel spirit is in operation a church. There have been many churches that have split and were totally destroyed by this spirit. Once this spirit has gained control over a church, it takes a tremendous amount of spiritual warfare, prayer and fasting to become free. Here are some characteristics of the Jezebel spirit that can help you to identify the spirit.
10 Characteristics of the Jezebel Spirit:
1. It seeks to gain popularity and favor with people of influential and high positions of leadership.
2. It will seek out other individuals they feel are "weaker" to become followers of them.
3. It is never humble. Whenever this spirit receives praise, it always responds in false humility.
4. It is defensive and combative whenever confronted about anything.
5. It loves to teach and seeks to gain control in every situation.
6. It wants to be seen as the most spiritual and powerful one~typically loves to pray elaborate long prayers
7. It will not submit to authority
8. It loves to pray and impart evil demonic spirits into others especially in the church
9. It hates the voice of the prophet and seeks to control and destroy those who operate in the prophetic.
10. It will never repent!
Walk In Freedom
The Jezebel spirit must be confronted and exposed in order to end the manipulation and rule. If you can recognize any of the characteristics of the Jezebel spirit in your life you can begin by humbling yourself and pray to God for forgiveness. Repent for any ways that you have yielded yourself to be used by the spirit of Jezebel. Begin to walk in the truth of God's word and the light of Jesus Christ will begin to lead you out of those dark places and your deliverance will begin a new work in you.