Unmasking the evil embodied within “The Spirit of Jezebel”

Have you encountered the “spirit of Jezebel“?


This is the “Spiritual/religious label” given to the psychiatric condition known
as “Narcissism” and “malignant Narcissism“ (extreme selfishness) in the secular world and named after the first such well described and documented
case (in the old testament of the bible), namely Israel’s King Ahab’s queen,
Jezebel, herself a king’s daughter, ardent Baal worshipper - a high priestess.

These writings draw heavily on personal observations, Nita Botzenmayer’s “The Black Widow Spider Spirit”, Francis Frangipane's "The Three Battlegrounds" and "The Jezebel Spirit", Fuschia Pickett's "The Next Move of God", Rick Joyner's "Overcoming the Religious Spirit", Best-selling author and Christian physiatrist Scott Peck’s “The people of the lie, “Jezebel, Jonas Clark’s Seducing Goddess of War” and, for a Catholic view, an excerpt from Mother Nadine’s “Desert Warfare”.

You leave home smiling, happy, energetic, carefree - to meet with someone, go to
a bible-study, meeting, to work etc. You encounter a person that leaves you feeling physically, emotionally and even spiritually drained, depressed … wanting to quit.

Have you ever been hurt by someone who simply refuses to acknowledge the hurt they caused you and who goes to great lengths to avoid (ever) saying that they are (truly) sorry and even when forced to do so, does so in a very disingenuous manner? Have you ever encountered rejection, jealousy (of you, your family or your material wealth) or an attempt to manipulate and control you by criticizing you, your life, your beliefs, your family? Have you ever had anyone try their best to undermine the authority of your husband (or wife) or come between a wife and husband and even between parents and children? Have you ever had a message delivered to you that left you feeling quite apprehensive and fearful? Have you ever felt “used” by someone, then simply tossed aside, physically or emotionally? Have you ever met a religious (even seemingly deeply spiritual) person who tried
to convince you of their “Superior spiritual status” and that rather than relying directly on God and Jesus, they will guide and counsel you – in other words: “trust me, I’ll take care of your problems and you”? Have you ever had someone “probe your soul” looking for weaknesses, asking you if you are unhappy – and even when you answer “no”, then trying to convince you that you are indeed unhappy or that you should be? Have you ever said “NO” to someone and watched as they over-reacted, rejected you and tried to manipulate and bully you into submission? Perhaps you are aware of someone that actively (aggressively) wished evil (bad things) for you and or your loved ones? Perhaps you were not aware of this … and
it went unnoticed. Perhaps they have even told you (seemingly prophetically) that something bad WILL befall your husband, you or your children? This is called a “curse” by the way - the exact opposite of a blessing … don’t casually dismiss it.

Have you ever encountered someone who displayed many of the following characteristics: Proud, arrogant, power-hungry, who “bucks true authority”, seems
to be unaccountable, viciously attacking those trying to hold them accountable, seductive (Emotionally, sexually or intellectually), often openly envious of others, bitter, resentful, often murmuring and complaining, not easily satisfied - regardless



of the many extraordinary things people often do for them, unrelenting,
remorseless, unrepentant, lacking in humility and the recognition that they and all
of us are imperfect beings; often plotting and scheming, very manipulative, controlling, quite intelligent, man-hating, selfish, jealous, critical of others, bossy, back-stabbing, emotionally cold, always keeping you off-balance, never giving you their approval, making their “love” conditional, a perfectionist with impossibly high expectations of others, unable to acknowledge the pain they cause you or others?

If you have, then it is very likely that you have encountered Satan’s woman … “Jezebel”.

The “Jezebel spirit” is named after King Ahab’s wife in ancient Israel, Jezebel – the first woman in the bible, with much written about her, that clearly displayed the symptoms of a “malignant Narcissist”. This spirit is born out of witchcraft and rebellion and is one of the most common spirits in operation today. It is a powerful enemy of the “body of Christ” – the church, just as it’s namesake was. It operates freely on even sincere believers whose hearts are for God individually and has also attained positions of power within churches. In the secular world, these people are often thought to suffer from “Narcissistic personality disorder”, “Paranoia” and are often labeled as “Psychopaths” or just “Plain evil”. Yet, the most accurate and complete description of the characteristics of these people is to be found within a spiritual context because, after all, religion is all about the struggles with and against “evil” – not psychiatry, which has just recently started trying to come to terms with the term “evil”. Religion is where “evil” has most often been described and discussed, and it’s books mention it often as the end-result of un-repented sins.

Clearly both men and woman can be “Narcissists”, since Satan is an “equal opportunity employer”! However, the ways in which “evil” is practiced in men and women differ subtly. This study looks primarily at the phenomenon of “feminine evil”. The Jezebel spirit (named after an evil queen) is thought of as a “feminine” spirit. It’s “masculine” partner in crime is called the “Spirit of Ahab” which we will not spend much time discussing now. The Jezebel spirit, though only one of many malicious spirits, establishes its stronghold primarily in women; however, men too have been influenced or overcome by it, where it functions as a "controlling" spirit.

In the wake of every person controlled by the Jezebel spirit, is a life of chaos, confusion, instability, broken relationships - destruction. Every person that ever came into close contact with it has seen aggressive attempts to divide their relationships with their loved ones via a multitude of overt and covert methods.

This spirit’s beguiling and clever deception: "Let me be your Protector"


Jezebel masquerades as a "protector" spirit to gain access to it’s host, using the inroads already made by spirits of rejection and fear. It promises it’s host “protection” if they will just “submit to it”. It promises them the recognition and self-worth they desire (and "deserve"). It promises them complete control of their lives and of those around them. The key word here is … “CONTROL”.



Usually using one or more hurtful events in the host’s (soon to be victim) life (most
frequently abusive treatment by a male or authority figure - either physically or verbally, or even abusive treatment by another Jezebel), this spirit promises: "If you
let me handle this (submit to me), I'll never let that happen to you again." Of course, this is all done very subtly! On the "surface", the goals of this spirit appear to be giving control and power back to it’s host. However, the Jezebel spirit has more complex characteristics. It is extremely vicious and dangerous - ultimately to its host (first victim) but even more so to those many others it plans to hurt through them.

It’s Mission:

As Fuschia Pickett points out in her book “The Next Move of God”, the Jezebel Spirit's mission is to kill the prophets – as it tried and often has throughout time. The goal of the host (initial victim) is usually quite different: to gain identity, glory, recognition, power, and satisfy the need for acknowledgment and worth from others
(in other words, the "praises of men" Matt. 6:2,5,16). This is an outgrowth of the desire for love and self-worth we all have – BUT with the wrong focus – “self”!

As a secondary mission, the Jezebel spirit seeks to emasculate all men or authority figures, or divest them of their authority and power over others. It fosters a distrust and/or hatred of men in general, and nurtures motives of vengeance in the host toward some men in particular - usually as a result of abuse or neglect by a significant male in the victim's life. The “Jezebel spirit” is a seething, terribly aggressive, very determined, callous, controlling, selfish, power-hungry, manipulative, unrepentant, deceitful spirit - an overwhelmingly evil spirit, and those are mostly only it’s good points! This spirit is definitely “Satan’s woman”.

Personality, Characteristics, and "Modus Operandi"

Following are some of the Jezebel spirit's main characteristics, manifestations and methods of operation. For brevity and clarity, the term "Jezebel" is used to refer to the person hosting and under the control of the Jezebel spirit. They are the primary victim of this heinous spirit, but “victims” can will also be used to describe those many others who are inevitably hurt by her/him … and there are a lot of these!

Since a woman was it’s first victim (after which it is now named) and since women are still it’s primary and preferential victims, most of the examples and discussions below refer to it’s manifestations as exhibited in women, and thus a female gender is implied when referring to a “Jezebel”. However, most notably in the "power and control" areas, men exhibit these exact same manifestations and can be Jezebels!

Please keep in mind the following cautions when seeking discernment of a stronghold, either in yourself or others.



Cautions

This spirit may not be dominant at all times within the host, giving the host the illusion of being "two-faced", even schizophrenic, or "double-minded", as the book
of James calls it (James 1:8), to those around her. The host may not exhibit all of these attributes when the Jezebel spirit is in control. Just because a person exhibits one or more of these characteristics does not automatically make them a "Jezebel". One must be careful to use the gift of discernment prayerfully before concluding that a person is controlled by the Jezebel spirit. See first if it is really a “good fit”.

Types Of Jezebel

There are two main personality types for the Jezebel:

The high-profile type is generally gregarious, outspoken, super confident and highly visible. She is often seen as the "woman who wears the pants in the family".

The low-profile type is just that “generally soft-spoken - giving the illusion of being solicitous, motherly, protective, even a very submissive” person. The low-profile type may be the most dangerous, as she is definitely the most difficult to discern. She relies heavily on manipulation to exercise her power … but is extremely subtle.

Manifestations OF Types

Within these two main types are two manifestations:

The SEDUCER uses any type of seduction available to gain control and power, as a method of manipulation. The Jezebel commonly uses subtle flattery and flirtation to seduce; however, she is not above sexual seduction if it suits her purposes. She uses a spiritual seduction which operates on both males and females. The aim of the spiritual seduction is to convince the person being seduced that the Jezebel is spiritually mature, trustworthy, worthy of being given authority and power, and taken into their confidence. Although Jezebel usually dislikes other women, often lacking lasting friendships with women, she will seduce women in positions of authority, or women close to men of authority (such as their wives) in order to gain power from them, or defuse opposition from them. Her seduction usually uses subtle flattery, but may also include perverted expressions of "agape" love. Her seduction
is spiritual fornication. Men are particularly blind to the subtleties of this seduction,
as she flatters them with her attention. Women seduced by the Jezebel are blinded
to their own seduction, as they do not expect it, or are not aware such a thing exists.

The FRIGID Jezebel can frequently be seen as the efficient (often plain) executive assistant at the side of a powerful businessman or church leader. This Jezebel often lacks a gregarious personality, but may be very outspoken and aggressive even then.





Masterful At Concealing it’s true identity

Much of Jezebel's negative or manipulative behavior is "behind the scenes", in private – that is where her destructive work is “hatched”. Therefore, people outside her immediate family often have no idea this spirit is in operation, and may be unwittingly manipulated by her. However, we have found that even those in the “inner circle” – though they may instinctively know something is wrong, generally cover-up for her and even fiercely defend the Jezebel against any and all criticism.

Intelligent

Perhaps because the Jezebel spirit weaves such a masterful web of deceit, most of her hosts are very intelligent … after all, why would a spirit whose main aim is to control and manipulate others choose a person not too intellectually able? She transforms this intelligence into “deceitfulness and cunning”. The host of the Jezebel spirit is also very good at deceiving herself and those close to her. They worship her.

Man-Hater

As mentioned above, Jezebel hates men and distrusts women. She cannot have a true Godly relationship with men, because her underlying desire is to strip them of
all their perceived power and then destroy them--to emasculate them emotionally and spiritually. She is generally distrustful of or indifferent towards women - unless they are useful to gain power, or are themselves powerful, so lasting friendships are rare. Thus the Jezebel often ends up friendless when friends are needed the most.

Power-Hungry

Jezebel is extremely power-hungry, respecting only power stronger than her own. She disdains or considers herself superior to anyone she perceives as having no power, or power less than hers. She tries to use her host to attain power over others.

"Eager Beaver"

The Jezebel seeks preeminence and recognition. The Jezebel, like so many of us, needs a sense of self-worth, which she erroneously perceives to be connected to her performance. She connects her identity with what she does, rather than in the person of Jesus. Sadly, she often succeeds well enough to stay in pursuit of her own performance. In the process, she hinders others from learning to operate in the gifts and talents God has given them, because she "jumps in" before anyone else can. Jezebels are frequently "super-achievers", which sadly is admired both in the church and business world.



Self Worship

Jezebel worships herself (keeps the focus on herself, except where a false attitude of compassion or humility serves her purposes). She has difficulty talking at length about anyone but herself, even when "counseling" others. PRIDE is key as well. Though she may conceal it well - she is a very proud (of herself) person and sometimes extremely vain. Many Jezebels are reasonably attractive, and some very beautiful; however, much of the seduction and attractiveness is actually demonically derived - giving them the ability to quickly form “soul ties” with people and thus proceed to control them, their lives and their futures. She now lives vicariously through them, drawing strength from them while sapping them of their strength.

Jealous

Jezebel is often extremely jealous when others receive any attention. She will stand
in the way of anyone else receiving attention or recognition, if possible. Sometimes this is done consciously, but usually it is done instinctively. This is one of the biggest
dangers to the Body of Christ, according to James 3:16, because it opens the door to
"every evil thing" to enter in - not just to the Jezebel, but to the entire congregation.

Uses Others

The Jezebel uses other people as objects, where it suits her need, to gain control, influence and power. Once she has gained the control desired, she generally rejects and tosses the people aside. If they are in her family, she does this emotionally.

"Queen Bee"

Jezebel demands worship from others (the "queen-bee" syndrome). She must have dominance and control in her home. Other family members exist just to please her. Jezebel requires “worship” from her family and followers … to be their “goddess”.

"Bossy"

The Jezebel is extremely authoritarian ("bossy") by nature, though subtly with the low-profile type. She is easily offended if her authority is questioned, and will often respond with extreme anger at even the slightest offense. She demands blind loyalty!

Unrealistic Expectations of Others

Her expectations of others are always unrealistic - because others cannot meet her demand for complete submission. If they do try, she despises them and casts them aside when she has what she wants out of them. Anyone attempting to relate to a person with this spirit is literally in a “no-win situation”. Nothing pleases this spirit.



Perfectionism

Perfectionism is a common characteristic of the Jezebel - generating self-hatred in the victim, and a despising of others around her who fail to meet her exaggerated standards. This is part of the "unrealistic expectations" she has toward herself and others, but it is also an excuse for disrespect toward others, especially those in authority – since they don't "measure up" … so she doesn't have to show respect.

Seduction, Control, Manipulation and soul-ties:

Control and manipulation are the strongest parts of the Jezebel nature. These are “spirits of witchcraft” and are extremely dangerous! Nearly everything the Jezebel does utilizes one or both spirits to attain her goal. Jezebel is the ultimate manipulator – and nobody is better at manipulation than the person (victim) being controlled by this spirit.

But, Jezebel cannot control you until she first seduces you. Beware of flattery, smooth prophetic sayings, and the seducing tears from this spirit! Jezebel loves false spiritual government, she knows how to create, flow and operate in it. She views children as tools and weapons to manipulate your heart … and advance her goals.

Jezebel is like a shark; she is most vicious and dangerous. She circles the lives of others looking for teachable, seducible, controllable, “disciples” of her own. Jezebel likes to birth spiritual children of her own as she looks for disciples to eat from her own table. She will look for those that are in rebellion, who are weak, wounded, or those who are contending, bucking, and fighting any established spiritual authority.

She knows how to use deep emotional hurts and wounds to manipulate and control
as she creates soul ties with you. Jezebel loves to pull people unto herself and away from those who can truly speak into their lives. Jezebel knows how to stir you up because she flows best in “a whirlwind of confusion and turmoil”. She probes your soul looking for your weakness. She is expert at developing soul ties, and often does.

As previously mentioned, she often seduces her victims wherever possible. However, the Jezebel will use any tool availableto manipulate those around her to do her will.

She uses faults or weaknesses she perceives in the person she is attempting to control
to create feelings of shame or guilt, and therefore ultimately submission to her will. She also often uses fear and intimidation to manipulate you into submission to her.
Jezebel is very possessive and domineering; she wants to control you. Jezebel loves power, "Give me, give me, give me." You see, money is not really the issue with this spirit, it's power and authority that she's after. She likes to be in control of your life because she draws her strength from controlling you. That's why you feel spiritually drained after contending with her - much more so than with other tough people!



She uses self-pity and her own weaknesses to manipulate another into submitting to
her out of compassion or pity. Feeling sorry for Jezebel is not compassion, it’s folly!

She will even use prayer to manipulate the one she is attempting to control, especially prayers prayed audibly over that person … to create the illusion that doing Jezebel's will is actually “obeying God”, or to generate fear or other emotion within the person - which the Jezebel can then use for manipulation of them.

Even though often powerfully gifted of the Lord, the Jezebel will frequently operate
in the false discernment of the enemy by speaking words of knowledge gained from familiar spirits, and not from the Spirit of God - this is “witchcraft”. The power of witchcraft is derived from Satan himself and every attempt at manipulation or control "sells out" more to Satan and strengthens the deception the Jezebel is under.

If you get between Jezebel and the person she is trying to control, she’ll attack you most viciously, trying her best to destroy your relationship with that person. She will try and destroy your reputation, undermine your authority, set you up, and generally stop at nothing to separate you from her intended “victim”. Beware!

Attracted to Power

Jezebels are attracted to people of power like “moths to flames”. Often, a very intelligent, efficient, attractive, and even blatant Jezebel can be found serving "at the feet" of prominent leaders, even in the church. The deception and/or seduction
of the Jezebel is often so successful that the leader does not recognize who is at his right hand. The Jezebel's true desire is to wrest the power from the person being served. If that person is prophetic in nature, the actual mission is to destroy them by any means available (destroy their credibility, undermine their authority, discredit their ministry, cause them to fall into sexual temptation, etc.).

Ambitious

Jezebels are desirous of "moving up the ladder" wherever they are – not that ambition is always “evil”. It’s just another character trait to look for. However, you simply will not find a humble, repentant, democratic and non-ambitious Jezebel.

While Jezebel’s belief system is incorrect, they are very firmly held beliefs!

Jezebels are usually people of deep convictions. As mentioned earlier, many people controlled by the Jezebel spirit have a true heart for God and earnestly desire to serve Him. The original Jezebel (The Spirit’s first noteworthy host – queen of Israel) was devoutly religious - but was at total enmity with God! She worshipped at the altar of Baal (worship of the flesh). Modern-day Jezebels may indeed believe they are serving the one true God; however, the true hidden agenda is “self-worship”.



Murmuring, Complaint, and Criticism

Jezebels utilize the spirits of murmuring and complaint and criticism, which are
"servant spirits" in her stronghold. She uses criticism of perceived faults in others
to build up her own self-esteem, and to justify her disobedience of, or lack of respect for, others. Because she tends to perfectionism, any fault she finds in others is grounds for disobeying their authority. She uses criticism as a tool to manipulate those around her, and along with murmuring and complaint, causes divisiveness to weaken her opposition and thereby to gain control over and to destroy them.

Lustful

Jezebels are “lustful spirits” - with lust for power being primary; however, as mentioned earlier, their lust may be manifested sexually, if it will bring the desired result. The manifestation varies from a wife withholding sexual union from the husband for manipulative purposes, to utilizing sexual temptation to draw one more powerful into a compromised position that will cause their destruction or downfall.

Always invoking an Angry Display – saying “NO” to Jezebel!

Jezebel displays angry, vicious and sometimes violent behavior when opposed. She will turn on the one who refuses to do her will or submit to her (especially if she has been successful in manipulating this person in the past), frequently with a vicious, berating verbal attack aimed at humiliation. The emotional damage caused by these outbreaks can be devastating to the one at whom she directs her wrath. This is often the source of terrible emotional wounds for her children and spouse.

When this angry behavior happens in public, it often exposes the true spirit in operation to others who may have been previously deceived. Watch for it!

“NO” is the operative word for Jezebel. When those in spiritual authority say “NO”
to her, she is ready for war. Remember, Jezebel is a warring spirit who is always dressed for battle.

Capitalizing on other’s insecurities:

Have you ever felt insecure? Be careful, Jezebel loves to flow in the realm of insecurity. She will spot this in you “instantly” and then the seduction begins …

Infirmities and Disease

Jezebels frequently ENJOY people’s (including their own) poor health, especially the "low-profile" type. For them, it is a tool for attention, sympathy and other forms
of manipulation. The tragedy is that this form of "invited infirmity" eventually leads to real physical problems, and becomes a part of the destruction wrought on the host by this spirit – but it serves to further Jezebel’s ends, not to weaken her.



Reviles Authority

Jezebels revile (despise and show no respect for) authority. Building on "fear of authority" (especially since men are frequently the authority figures who originally hurt them) coupled with rebellion, she hates anyone placed in authority over her, and seeks to destroy them and take their power. An early manifestation in childhood is a lack of respect for self or others, and no respect for possessions, either theirs or others'. Remember, Jezebel sees herself as the “goddess on the pedestal”.

Destruction

In addition to destroying those around her, Jezebel especially hates the host she is controlling (remember the mission of Jezebel--to kill the prophets: the victim is often herself anointed of God to be prophetic), and will ultimately cause her victim
to self-destruct. This is referred to as the "Black Widow spider syndrome" since black widow spiders kill their mates. In the spirit realm, there are two applications: (1)the Jezebel spirit seeks to kill the male authority figures (or prophets) and (2)she seeks to kill her host (which is mated to her when Jezebel takes control of their life).

Cursing

Jezebels curse everyone, unwittingly bringing a curse upon themselves, most of the time. Criticism is a form of cursing, both of the person being criticized, and of God their Maker. Murmuring and complaint is a cursing of circumstances, which also curses God for allowing them. Jezebel is a master of criticism, murmuring and complaint, as mentioned previously. Often those whom she is at enmity with are deliberately cursed in a conscious effort to “punish” and “bring them back into line” – to bring them back under her control. Jezebel firmly believes she has right
on her side in doing these things, and displays vicious and callous disregard for the well-being and independence of others, having convinced herself that it is ultimately for their good as well and that she knows best and really has their best interests at heart in doing so. Those people who have been on the receiving side of Jezebel’s curses feel the anger and the viciousness of her curses acutely, and many succumb to them. However, for those under the “protection of the Cross”, these curses are most often transformed into blessings instead, leaving Jezebel sapped of emotional energy, frustrated, confused and completely defeated; wondering what went wrong?

People are not nearly weary enough of this aspect of a Jezebel. We think our well intentioned prayers and blessings are real … but often discount hate-filled curses!

Superiority Complex

Jezebels frequently perceive themselves as intellectually and/or spiritually superior
to others, and "talk down" to others. This attitude is actually despising of others.



The Jezebel Spirit absolutely hates and shuns Repentance and Humility!

Because the Jezebel spirit is prideful and rebellious, she hates repentance and humility. These are two mighty weapons which can be used against her. This is also
the key in discerning this spirit – a pride-filled rebellious person refusing to repent.

Bitterness and Resentment

Bitterness and resentment against past hurts and offenses are nurtured in the victim
by the Jezebel spirit, because she knows a root of bitterness will grow like a cancer and manifest itself in all sorts of physical ailments, which she can use as tools of manipulation, as noted above. Of course, this cancer of bitterness is also slowly destroying the victim. In many cases, the countenance of the victim gradually grows more and more unattractive, and in the end, victims controlled by the Jezebel spirit may resemble the very witch like crones often used to symbolize witchcraft - where this spirit is birthed. The victim rots from the inside out, physically and spiritually, and it shows. People eventually find Jezebel’s “Spiritual ugliness” very repulsive!

Jezebel Covens

Many Jezebels will be drawn to the most influential Jezebel in operation. Though this is done unconsciously, it has the effect of creating a fully-fledged and very effective witches' coven, with a “high priestess” in charge - with devastating results!

Jezebel and Children:

Jezebel’s view of children is perverted. She says she loves them, but she really doesn’t even know how to love them, using them as weapons to advance her own selfish needs. Children are simply pawns in her power and control games.


Jezebel is a classic “Back-stabber”:

Jezebel is the classic back-stabber, She will smile at you, give you a hug and a kiss and then, as soon as you turn-around, stab you in the back, repeatedly, with vigor, enjoying every wound she inflicts. She is a most vicious and devious spirit. Beware!





FINDING THE WAY OUT from under it’s influence:
(Guidelines for Intercession)

It is our opinion, borne out by experience, that there comes a point at which people influenced by this spirit are no longer able to “turn back” … never mind how much you pray for them, reason with them or try to implore them. That is



why, the secular description of this condition (Narcissism) is deemed “totally
incurable” by the psychiatric community. It is actually tremendously dangerous even to have anything more to do with these people. Exactly when they have reached that “point of no return” is still a bit of a mystery to us, but suffice it to say, “God alone knows” and the best we can do is ask God to enlighten us as to which course of action to embark upon, otherwise we may find ourselves trapped in a quest from which there is no easy escape and no happy conclusion.

It is thus very important to ascertain whether the person is “Overcome and completely sold out” to this spirit, or just being “seduced” or influenced by it.
In the secular world, this would be the difference between some symptoms of
“Narcissism” and “malignant Narcissism “ – for which there simply is no cure.

The advise that follows is applicable to those being “seduced” or “influenced”
by this spirit – for who there may still be some hope. The advise we give to those dealing with people who are completely overcome with this spirit, and
are classifiable as “malignant Narcissists”, is simply to “walk away, never look back and put them behind you completely”. There is only sadness and danger awaiting anyone who stays connected with these people. Leave them to God.

That said, here are some Cautions:

Although mercy and deliverance is available from God, until the person being influenced by the Jezebel spirit is fully delivered, Holy Spirit-guided caution should
be exercised in dealing with this person. Care should be taken in giving a place of recognition or authority to the victim, as it feeds this spirit. This warning is derived from Revelation 2:20-23, and should not be taken lightly. Remember the stated mission of the Jezebel spirit: to kill (destroy) the prophets of God … and it takes it’s mission very seriously. Think of the great and powerful Prophet Elijah being driven
to a deep despair and how John the Baptist’s head ended up on a platter. Remember it was Jehu who destroyed Jezebel … you know, “Absolutely no compromise or mercy Jehu”! We should adopt similar winning tactics towards this evil spirit. We just have to be very careful (unlike Jehu) not to take this particular mindset too far and thus end up destroying anyone remotely connected with the Jezebel. Many of her victims need to be set free and given some chance at living free. Many of these will defend this Jezebel, in the beginning. Some of these “trainees” were heavily influenced by the “Queen bee”– Jezebel, but with some effort (Love) they can be saved from her wicked grasp … pulled back from the edge of the abyss.

Use Discernment and "Test the Spirits"

The host controlled by Jezebel may exhibit many gifts and have a true heart for God. The reason she is a victim is that Jezebel is out to destroy her life, to kill HER, but first through her, she will try to kill you and any other’s who call for



repentance, humility and submission to Almighty God and, of course, she will strive
to kill any Prophets of God this spirit can gain access to anywhere. How? Generally not as blatantly as with a gun or knife, though that may happen, but most often with someone else holding it - not the Jezebel, just like the Biblical proto-type did to Naboth. So many times we have encountered one of Jezebels victims in the death- spiral of deep depression, bereft of energy and unable to fight back, like king Theodyn of “Lord of the Rings”, under the control of “worm-tongue” - in that case the Jezebel. Often they are like “zombies”, and often they do indeed “destruct” … and people think they “self-destructed” – not so, they had their “life-blood” drained from them! Often a teenage child of Jezebel will be terribly depressed, even suicidal.

Remember, our gifts and callings are without repentance (Rom. 11:29). In other words, the gifts are given by the Holy Spirit without regard to "merit" - you can't earn them. So many times Jezebel’s will pass themselves off as a “prophetess” or have someone do so for them as it seems more legitimate having others do so.

We are commanded to "test the spirits" (1 Jn. 4:1). To test for the presence of the
Jezebel spirit, do so with the guidance of the Holy Spirit … and remember:

1)"You shall know them by their fruit" (Matt. 7:16) - not by their gifts.

2) Jezebel hates humility and repentance. She will refuse or dodge a call for either one of these to occur in her life, or fake it if "boxed in”. She simply cannot and will not say she is sorry, and even if somehow she is forced to do so, it is very clear that she is NOT sorry at all! Genuine repentance and humility is easy enough to discern.

3) Easily apparent in any Jezebel is complete selfishness - a total lack of empathy for others; though, at times, these emotions are feigned -but it’s not real concern. Even when it appears that there is concern for you and your interests, you will quickly find that this concern is really for herself and her own interests, and that her actions are structured to give the illusion of “genuine concern”, but her motives are really self-serving. This becomes apparent when you foil her carefully laid plans.

4) The characteristics, personality, and methods of operation will usually manifest themselves openly at times. The seducer (Jezebel) is often blatantly obvious to everyone except the person being seduced. Thus Husbands, wives, children etc. are the last to accept all this. They “hero worship” the Jezebel or are so scared of it that they are totally compliant and fiercely and loyally defend it, even with their lives.

The Word admonishes us to "walk circumspectly" - to be observant of what's going
on (Eph. 5:15). Defiance of and lack of submission to genuine authority will usually manifest itself clearly, giving the force behind it away. The key is to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance and discernment, being careful not to become critical or judgmental by yourself. The bright white light of truth and discernment given by the Holy Spirit very quickly illuminates the total blackness of this very evil spirit, even when it is operating in seemingly Godly folks … and then the battle ensues.



Denial is Routine

Much intercessory warfare may be required for the victim to be delivered. Victims must first recognize deliverance is needed. It is very rare that a person, if directly confronted and told Jezebel is “the problem”, will believe and accept it. Denial is routine. There is always some other reason for their behavior, and it is true that other spiritual influences may be actively in operation too. They excuse it all so well.

Often, a Jezebel will have gone through a "deliverance" ministry earlier, and been told they were totally and completely delivered. However, because doors were not properly shut in the spirit realm, the Jezebel spirit was able to return, unbeknown
to the victim - and with free rein and greatly multiplied in power (Luke 11:24-26).

The victim now believes a lie: that they are fully delivered, and cannot be deceived
by the enemy since they are now completely Holy-Spirit controlled, but are still influenced by Jezebel. This confession "confession" from Jezebels is common, even after reminding one of them of the warning of Jesus in Matthew 24:24. The Jezebel now operates freely in her victim, masquerading as the Holy Spirit, with the victim (and many of those around her) fully deceived. Now it is extremely dangerous!

Use Compassion and Understanding

Jezebels generally have a deep lack of self-worth and understanding of God's love for them personally, regardless of the amount of knowledge of the Word. There is such a desperate need of fulfilling self-worth they are ruthless to gain any measure
of recognition, even if they already have it. They will step on whoever gets in their way, and many times not be aware they are doing so.

Because of rejection and Jezebel, they cannot properly understand the principle of identity in Christ, though they may believe it intellectually. Indeed, there may be a fear of loss of identity associated with "identity in Christ".

There is also a fear of loss of blessing ("What will I lose in giftings, control, etc?") if they turn and renounce their stronghold. This is another manifestation of lack of trust in God that His blessings cannot far exceed those which are already there, or that He would take away blessing He has already bestowed.

To illustrate a person victimized by the Jezebel spirit, Nita Botzenmayer’s would have us imagine a picture of a huge, ugly, strong alien-like being with a metallic-looking body, as in the movie, "Alien". The Jezebel spirit is the "superstructure", or "exoskeleton", like the hard body of a beetle. Inside is it’s victim, a "puddle" of bloody, gelatinous mass lying in a heap. The victim is lonely, afraid (particularly of being abandoned), forlorn, and in terrible spiritual pain. Deliverance from the Jezebel spirit, with the victim in that condition, would destroy the host entirely.



Strengthen the “Inner Person”

The first step in intercession and in the victim's gaining deliverance from the Jezebel spirit, then, requires that the inner person be strengthened by the Lord (Eph 3:16). This is the first principle of deliverance from any demonic stronghold. If you are interceding for the victim, begin to call forth strength in the inner person for them. Be aware that God may give the victim some recognition in order to build
up their inner person for deliverance. It may appear that the Jezebel spirit is being fed, when in actuality, the victim's inner person is what is being nurtured. This is why those dealing with the Jezebel-controlled victim must be careful to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit toward them. The goal is for the victim to become strengthened by the Lord to the degree that the stronghold can be exposed and the victim will choose to turn to the Lord, turning her back on the Jezebel and renouncing it in her life.

Maintain an Attitude of Repentance and Humility

These are two mighty weapons against the Jezebel spirit. She hates them both, as mentioned before. If you display these qualities before her, you may even be despised and reviled by her openly. However, they disarm her weapons against you, serve to expose the Jezebel spirit, and are critical for you if you are interceding for her, your local body, or your region.

Cleanse Your Own Temple

In preparation for warfare, Jesus said "first remove the log from your eye, and then the splinter from your brother's" (Matt. 7:5). Spend time with the Lord. Put on your whole Armour (Eph. 6:13-18), and declare war against the strongholds of the enemy in your own life first. Intercessors are not "sinless perfection", but must be willing to be "cleaned up" themselves, if they want to pray the same for others.

Declare War on Behalf of the Victim

Intercession is a key to deliverance from Jezebel. The victim's spiritual eyes must be opened to the influence of Jezebel in their lives, in order for deliverance to occur. Seek the Lord, and obey as directed to intercede for your sister or brother. (God almost always gives us discernment so that we can intercede.) Intercede in praise and worship, pray in the spirit, and intercede on an individual, specific basis, as the Lord leads.

"Plead The Blood"

Make declaration in your prayer that the victory is complete by the blood of Jesus. Regularly plead the blood of Jesus" over the victim!



Binding & Loosing

Jesus said "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt 16:19b). So, bind the strongman. In order to bind Jezebel off the victim, you must first bind the strongman. Who is the strongman? (See Matt. 12:29). Seek the Lord for specific instructions in each case.
Do not apply "blanket bindings" without confirmation from the Spirit of God. You may need to bind the "unholy alliance" mentioned in the introduction to Spiritual Strongholds before you bind Jezebel, and in the same order as described for her below. Then be obedient to the Lord. Do not "cast out" the spirits at this time. The goal of your intercession is to see your sister strengthened so she can make the decision for deliverance. Prayerfully consider the following "tactics": (Often these are suggested in reverse order, but since Jesus said to first bind the strongman, we think it wise not to do so!)

You do warfare against principalities and powers differently - we wrestle against them (Eph 6:12). Since the Jezebel is also a principality, you may need to first bind the principality of Jezebel off your geographical region, and the "power" off your local church body. Then bind Jezebel off your sister or brother. Remember the power of praise in spiritual warfare. Remember the power of agreement (see below).

Jesus said "whatever (that includes principalities and powers) you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matt 16:19, Matt 18:18). Forbid the Jezebel to use their power in any way -deafening, blinding, lying, etc. If you do not use this Biblical order of first binding Satan (the ultimate "strongman"), then principality, then power, and then individual Jezebel, you may be in danger of serious attack, for the power and principality may turn and attack you if you bind only the demon from your sister or brother. Their power is connected to and drawn from hers/his. You have the authority from the Word of God. You are seated with Jesus in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), which is far above all principalities and powers (Eph. 1:21).

Loose the power of the Holy Spirit. When you have bound the power of the enemy,
it is important to ask the Holy Spirit to be loosed upon your region, local church body, and your sister. The idea is to ask the Holy Spirit to fill any voids left by the enemy, and to speak into the life of your region, your local body, and your sister or brother - now that they can hear Him without hindrance. Use the weapons of praise and worship in your intercession. Pray steadfastly in the Spirit.

Be Warned, Armed and Prepared

The Jezebel spirit will send demons of fear and discouragement against anyone who confronts her. She will "put a contract out on you" if you go to war against her. She will not take defeat "lying down". Arm yourself by staying close to the Lord, putting
on your "whole armor of God", and use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God. Be persistent in your battle. Don't forget humility and repentance when needed. Pray Psalm 91 over yourself as well as those for whom you are praying.



Corporate Intercession

There is strength in numbers, according to the Word: "One can put a thousand to flight, and two can put ten thousand..." (Deut. 32:30). Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to corporate intercessory prayer with other believers who are called to war against this spirit. Be wary of gossiping about the "victims" publicly as this would
be "uncovering their nakedness". "Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:20) If you are unsure how to pray, ask yourself how you would like to be prayed for if you had this problem. Pray in the Spirit.

Help Pick up the Pieces

Be ready, when God reveals the truth to the victim, to help her pick up the pieces and build a "new life in Christ". The victim's life may have fallen apart before deliverance. Deliverance may be painful, and the victim needs the Love of Jesus without condemnation to heal and walk free (Rom. 8:1,2).

Summary:

Remember, the Jezebel spirit is extremely wicked and dangerous, and her influence
is widespread. Do not take your warfare against her lightly. However, we as believers have the authority through Jesus Christ over every wicked force. The blood and the name of Jesus has won the victory over every evil.

Balance a strong offensive against the enemy with the compassion of Jesus toward the one in bondage. A sensitivity and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit is essential in defeating this foe and bringing deliverance to the captive (Is. 61:1-3).

The only path of recovery for Jezebel is repentance and submission to true spiritual authority within God's family. Being teachable and submissive will bring spiritual stability back into Jezebel’s life and allow the victim to break free and to fulfill their God given destiny in Christ. But for those who choose not to turn from the spiritual operations of Jezebel -- "Great will be her tribulation" (Revelations 2:22).

Remember … even that mighty Prophet of God, Elijah, though he battled Jezebel successfully for so many years, ultimately was so intimidated that he ended up depressed and scared in the dessert – begging God to remove him from the earth! He contained Jezebel, but did not defeat her. Then, back again in “John the Baptist”, he again tried the “Repent you wicked Queen you” routine … and ended up defeated, with his head on a platter. It is our observation that calling on Jezebel to “Repent” seldom works. Picking up
the pieces after her life has fallen apart and she herself realizes the need for change is much more effective. Otherwise, to battle the Jezebel intent on destroying good folks God’s prophets, one must learn from Jehu and get the “Eunuchs (those emasculated victims under her control) to cast her down out of the window, and then, with no glee and
no mercy, simply finish the job by trampling her under-foot with your powerful horse!



Now let’s look at fascinating excerpts from: “The People of the Lie?

Copyright: 1983 A Touchstone Book, published by Simon Shuster Written by M. Scott Peck M.D.... best-selling author of "The Road Less Traveled" and it’s sequels...The Book that has been on the New York Times best pick list longer than any book in history. Though mostly a secular study of evil, you will be fascinated by “The people of the lie”, and from these excerpts, the evil nature of “the Jezebel spirit”
(Narcissism) clearly emerges! This is the definitive book linking “evil” to a “psychiatric condition”. It is noteworthy that after experimenting with many religions, Scott Peck emerged from writing all of these insightful books not as an Atheist or Buddhist, but as a humble (self described) “imperfect” Christian … and so he remains to this very day.

Evil And Sin:

...It is necessary to draw the distinction between evil and ordinary sin. It is not their sins per se that characterize evil people, rather it is the subtlety and persistence and consistency of their sins. This is because the central defect of the evil is not the sin
but the refusal to acknowledge it.


...The evil appear to be most ordinary. They live down the street, on any street. They
may be rich or poor, educated or uneducated. There is little that is dramatic about them. They are not designated criminals. More often than not they will be "solid citizens"-Sunday school teachers, policemen, or bankers, and active in the PTA.

How can this be? How can they be evil and not designated as criminals? The key lies
in the word "designated." They are criminals in that they commit "crimes" against life and liveliness. But except in rare instances-such as the case of a Hitler-when they might achieve extraordinary degree of political power that remove them from ordinary restraints, their "crimes" are so subtle and covert that they cannot clearly
be designated as crimes. The theme of hiding and covertness will occur again and again throughout the rest of the book - It is the basis for the title "The People Of the Lie."

I have spent a good deal of time working in prisons with designate criminals. Almost never have I experienced them as evil people. Obviously they are destructive, and usually repetitively so. But there is a kind of randomness to their destructiveness. Moreover, although to the authorities they generally deny responsibility for their evil deeds, there is still a quality of openness to their wickedness. They themselves are quick to point this out, claiming that they have been caught precisely because they are the "honest criminals." The truly evil, they will tell you, always reside outside of jail. Clearly these proclamations are self-justifying. They are also, I believe, generally accurate.

People in jail can almost always be assigned a standard psychiatric diagnosis of one kind or another. The diagnoses range all over the map and correspond, in layman's terms, to such qualities as craziness or impulsiveness or aggressiveness or lack of conscience. The men and women I shall be talking about, such as Bobby's parents



(who had one of their two children commit suicide with a .22 rifle they bought for
him, then turned around and give the same rifle to his younger brother as a birthday gift), have no such obvious defects and do not fall clearly into our routine psychiatric pigeonholes. This is not because the evil are healthy. It is simply because
we have not yet developed a definition for their disease. Since I distinguish between evil people and ordinary criminals, I also obviously make the distinction between evil as a personality characteristic and evil deeds. In other words, evil deeds do not
an evil person make. Otherwise we should all be evil, because we all do evil things.

Sinning is most broadly defined as "missing the mark." This means that we sin every time we fail to hit the bull's-eye. Sin is nothing more and nothing less than a failure to be continually perfect. Because it is impossible for us to be continually perfect, we are all sinners. We routinely fail to do the very best of which we are capable, and with each failure we commit a crime of sorts-against God, our neighbors, or ourselves, if not frankly against the law.

Of course there are crimes of greater and lesser magnitude. It is a mistake, however,
to think of sin or evil as a matter of degree. It may seem less odious to cheat the rich than the poor, but it is still cheating. There are differences before the law between defrauding a business, claiming a false deduction on your income tax, using a crib sheet in an examination, telling your wife that you have to work late when you are unfaithful, or telling your husband (or yourself) that you didn't have time to pick up
his clothes at the cleaner, when you spent an hour on the phone with your neighbor. Surely one is more excusable than the other-and perhaps all the more so under certain circumstances-but the fact remains that they are all lies and betrayals. If you are sufficiently scrupulous not to have done any such thing recently, then ask whether there is any way in which you have lied to yourself. Or have kidded yourself. Or have been less than you could be-which is a self-betrayal. Be perfectly honest with yourself, and you will realize that you sin. If you do not realize it, then you are not perfectly honest with yourself, which is itself a sin. It is inescapable: we are all sinners. "Although so frequently and even evilly abused, perhaps the greatest beauty of Christian doctrine is its understanding approach to sin. It is a two- pronged approach. On the one hand, it insists upon our sinful human nature. Any genuine Christian, therefore, will consider himself or herself to be a sinner. The fact that many nominal and overtly devout "Christians" do not in their hearts consider themselves sinners should not be perceived as a failure of the doctrine but only a failure of the individual to begin to live up to it. More will be said later about evil in Christian guise. On the other hand, Christian doctrine also insists that we are forgiven our sins-at least as long as we experience contrition for them. Fully realizing the extent of our sinfulness, we are likely to feel almost overwhelmed by hopelessness if we do not simultaneously believe in the merciful and forgiving nature of the Christian God. Thus the Church, when in its right mind, will also insist that to endlessly dwell on each and every smallest sin one has committed (a process known as "excessive scrupulosity") is itself a sin. Since God forgives us, to fail to forgive ourselves is to hold ourselves higher than God-thereby indulging in the sin of a perverted form of pride".



If evil people cannot be defined by the illegality of their deeds or the magnitude of
their sins, then how are we to define them? The answer is by the consistency of their sins. While usually subtle, their destructiveness is remarkably consistent. This is because those who have "crossed over the line" are characterized by their absolute refusal to tolerate the sense of their own sinfulness.

I commented that George, blessed by guilt (for making a deal with Satan), managed
to turn away from becoming evil, because he was willing-at least to a rudimentary degree-to tolerate the sense of his own sinfulness, he was able to reject his pact with the devil. Had he not borne the pain of "the guilties" he experienced over the pact,
his moral deterioration would have continued. More than anything else, it is the sense of our own sinfulness that prevents any of us from undergoing a similar deterioration. As I have written elsewhere: "Blessed are the poor in spirit," Jesus began when the time came for him to address the multitudes. What did he mean by this opener? . . . What is so great about feeling down on yourself-about having this sense of personal sin? If you ask that, it might help to remember the Pharisees. They were the fat cats of Jesus' day. They didn't feel poor in spirit. They felt they had it
all together, that they were the ones who knew the score, who deserved to be the culture leaders in Jerusalem and Palestine, and were the ones who murdered Jesus.

The poor in spirit do not commit evil. Evil is not committed by people who feel uncertain about their righteousness, who question their own motives, who worry about betraying themselves. The evil in this world is committed by the spiritual fat cats, by the Pharisees of our own day, the self-righteous who think they are without
sin because they are unwilling to suffer the discomfort of significant self- examination. This is why Jesus said: Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God”.

Unpleasant though it may be, the sense of personal sin is precisely that which keeps our sin from getting out of hand. It is quite painful at times, but it is a very great blessing because it is our one and only effective safeguard against our own proclivity for evil. Saint Therese of Lisieux put it so nicely in her gentle way: "If you are willing to serenely bear the trial of being displeasing to yourself, then you will be for Jesus a pleasant place of shelter.

The evil do not serenely bear the trial of being displeasing to themselves. In fact, they don't bear it at all. I could not, for instance, detect a hint of self-recrimination
in Bobby's parents. And it is out of their failure to put themselves on trial that their evil arises.

The varieties of people's wickedness are manifold. As a result of their refusal to tolerate the sense of their own sinfulness, the evil ones become uncorrectable grab bags of sin. They are, for instance, in my experience, remarkably greedy people. Thus they are cheap-so cheap that their "gifts" may be murderous. In The Road Less Traveled, I suggested the most basic sin is laziness. In the next subsection I suggest it may be pride-because all sins are reparable except the sin of believing one



is without sin. But perhaps the question of which sin is the greatest is, on a certain
level, a moot issue. All sins betray-and isolate us from-both the divine and our fellow creatures. As one deep religious thinker put it, any sin "can harden into hell":

Also, from Marilyn von Waldener and M. Scott Peck, "What Return Can I Make?"

• . . There can be a state of soul against which Love itself is powerless because it has hardened itself against Love. Hell is essentially a state of being which we fashion for ourselves: a state of final separateness from God which is the result not of God's repudiation of man, but of man's repudiation of God, and a repudiation which is eternal precisely because it has become, in itself, immovable. There are analogies in human experience: the hate which is so blind, so dark, that Love only makes it the more violent; the pride which is so stony that humility only makes it more scornful; the inertia-last but not least the inertia-which has so taken possession of the personality that no crisis, no appeal, no inducement whatsoever, can stir it into activity, but on the contrary makes it bury itself the more deeply in its immobility.
So with the soul and God; pride can become hardened into hell, hatred can become hardened into hell, any of the seven root forms of wrongdoing can harden into hell, and not least that sloth which is boredom with divine things, the inertia that cannot
be troubled to repent, even though it sees the abyss into which the soul is falling, because for so long, in little ways perhaps, it has accustomed itself to refuse whatever might cost it an effort. May God in his mercy save us from that.

A predominant characteristic, however, of the behavior of those I call evil is scapegoating. Because in their hearts they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at anyone who does reproach them. They sacrifice others to preserve their self-image of perfection. Take a simple example of a six-year-old boy who asks
his father, "Daddy, why did you call Grand-mommy a bitch?" "I told you to stop bothering me," the father roars. "Now you're going to get it. I'm going to teach you not to use such filthy language, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap. Maybe that will teach you to clean up what you say and keep your mouth shut when you're told." Dragging the boy upstairs to the soap dish, the father inflicts this punishment
on him. In the name of "proper discipline" evil has been committed.

Scapegoating works through a mechanism psychiatrists call projection. Since the evil, deep down, feel themselves to be faultless, it is inevitable that when they are in conflict with the world they will invariably perceive the conflict as the world's fault. Since they must deny their own badness, they must perceive others as bad. They project their own evil onto the world. They never think of themselves as evil; on the other hand, they consequently see much evil in others. The father perceived the profanity and un-cleanliness as existing in his son and took action to cleanse his son's "filthiness." Yet we know it was the father who was profane and unclean. The father projected his own filth onto his son and then assaulted his son in the name of good parenting. Evil, then, is most often committed in order to scapegoat, and the people I label as evil are chronic scapegoaters. In The Road Less Traveled I defined evil "as the exercise of political power-that is, the imposition of one's will upon



others by overt or covert coercion-in order to avoid . . . spiritual growth" (p. 279).
In other words, the evil attack others instead of facing their own failures. Spiritual growth requires the acknowledgment of one's need to grow. If we cannot make that acknowledgment, we have no option except to attempt to eradicate the evidence of our imperfection. Ernest Becker, in his final work, Escape from Evil (Macmillan,
1965), pointed out the essential role of scapegoating in the genesis of human evil. He erred, I believe, in focusing exclusively on the fear of death as the sole motive for such scapegoating. Indeed, I think the fear of self-criticism is the more potent motive. Although Becker did not make the point, he might have equated the fear of self-criticism with the fear of death. Self-criticism is a call to personality change. As soon as I criticize a part of myself I incur an obligation to change that part. But the process of personality change is a painful one. It is like a death. The old personality pattern must die for a new pattern to take its place. The evil are pathologically attached to the status quo of their personalities, which in their narcissism they consciously regard as perfect. I think it is quite possible that the evil may perceive even a small degree of change in their beloved selves as representing total annihilation. In this sense, the threat of self-criticism may feel to one who is evil synonymous with the threat of extinction. How this is so will become clear as we go more deeply into the subject of narcissism.

Strangely enough, evil people are often destructive because they are attempting to destroy evil. The problem is that they misplace the locus of the evil. Instead of destroying others they should be destroying the sickness within themselves. As life often threatens their self-image of perfection, they are often busily engaged in hating and destroying that life-usually in the name of righteousness. The fault, however, may not be so much that they hate life as that they do not hate the sinful part of themselves. I doubt that Bobby's parents deliberately wanted to kill Stuart or him. I suspect if I had gotten to know them well enough, I would have found their murderous behavior totally dictated by an extreme form of self-protectiveness which invariably sacrificed others rather than themselves.

What is the cause of this failure of self-hatred, this failure to be displeasing to oneself, which seems to be the central sin at the root of the scapegoating behavior of those I call evil? The cause is not, I believe, an absent conscience. There are people, both in and out of jail, who seem utterly lacking in conscience or superego. Psychiatrists call them psychopaths or sociopaths. Guiltless, they not only commit crimes but may often do so with a kind of reckless abandon. There is little pattern
or meaning to their criminality; it is not particularly characterized by scapegoating. Conscienceless, psychopaths appear to be bothered or worried by very little- including their own criminality. They seem to be about as happy inside a jail as out. They do attempt to hide their crimes, but their efforts to do so are often feeble and careless and poorly planned. They have sometimes been referred to as "moral imbeciles," and there is almost a quality of innocence to their lack of worry and concern. This is hardly the case with those I call evil. Utterly dedicated to preserving their selfimage of perfection, they are unceasingly engaged in the effort to maintain the appearance of moral purity. They worry about this a great deal. They are



acutely sensitive to social norms and what others might think of them. Like Bobby's
parents, they dress well, go to work on time, pay their taxes, and outwardly seem to live lives that are above reproach. The words "image, appearance, and "outwardly" are crucial to understanding the morality of the evil. While they seem to lack any motivation to be good, they intensely desire to appear good. Their "goodness" is all
on a level of pretense. It is, in effect, a lie. This is why they are the "people of the lie."

Actually, the lie is designed not so much to deceive others as to deceive themselves. They cannot or will not tolerate the pain of self-reproach. The decorum with which they lead their lives is maintained as a mirror in which they can see themselves reflected righteously. Yet the self-deceit would be unnecessary if the evil had no sense of right and wrong. We lie only when we are attempting to cover up something
we know to be illicit. Some rudimentary form of conscience must precede the act of lying. There is no need to hide unless we first feel that something needs to be hidden.

We come now to a sort of paradox. I have said that evil people feel themselves to be perfect. At the same time, however, I think they have an unacknowledged sense of their own evil nature. Indeed, it is this very sense from which they are frantically trying to flee. The essential component of evil is not the absence of a sense of sin or imperfection but the unwillingness to tolerate that sense. At one and the same time, the evil are aware of their evil and desperately trying to avoid the awareness. Rather than blissfully lacking a sense of morality, like the psychopath, they are continually engaged in sweeping the evidence of their evil under the rug of their own consciousness. For everything they did, Bobby's parents had a rationalization-a whitewash good enough for themselves even if not for me. The problem is not a defect of conscience but the effort to deny the conscience its due. We become evil by attempting to hide from ourselves. The wickedness of the evil is not committed directly, but indirectly as a part of this cover-up process. Evil Originates not in the absence of guilt but in the effort to escape it.

It often happens, then, that the evil may be recognized by its very disguise. The lie can be perceived before the misdeed it is designed to hide-the cover-up before the fact. We see the smile that hides the hatred, the smooth and oily manner that masks the fury, the velvet glove that covers the fist. Because they are such experts at disguise, it is seldom possible to pinpoint the maliciousness of the evil. The disguise
is usually impenetrable. But what we can catch are glimpses of "The uncanny game
of hide-and-seek in the obscurity of the soul, in which it, the single human soul, evades itself, avoids itself, hides from itself.*

*Buber, "Good and Evil", p. 111. Since the primary motive of the evil is disguise, one of the places evil people are most likely to be found is within the church. What better way to conceal one's evil from oneself, as well as from others, than to be a deacon or some other highly visible form of Christian within our culture? In India I would suppose that the evil would demonstrate a similar tendency to be "good" Hindus or "good" Moslems. I do not mean to imply that the evil are anything other



than a small minority among the religious or that the religious motives of most
people are in any way spurious. I mean only that evil people tend to gravitate toward piety for the disguise and concealment it can offer them.

In "The Road Less Traveled" I suggested that laziness or the desire to escape "legitimate suffering" lies at the root of all mental illness. Here we are also talking about avoidance and evasion of pain. What distinguishes the evil, however, from the rest of us mentally ill sinners is the specific type of pain they are running away from. They are not pain avoiders or lazy people in general. To the contrary, they are likely
to exert themselves more than most in their continuing effort to obtain and maintain
an image of high respectability. They may willingly, even eagerly, undergo great hardships in their search for status. It is only one particular kind of pain they cannot tolerate: the pain of their own conscience, the pain of the realization of their own sinfulness and imperfection.

Since they will do almost anything to avoid the particular pain that comes from self- examination, under ordinary circumstances the evil are the last people who would ever come to psychotherapy. The evil hate the light-the light of goodness that shows them up, the light of scrutiny that exposes them, the light of truth that penetrates their deception. Psychotherapy is a light-shedding process par excellence. Except for the most twisted motives, an evil person would be more likely to choose any other conceivable route than the psychiatrist's couch. The submission to the discipline of self-observation required by psychoanalysis does, in fact, seem to them like suicide. The most significant reason we know so little scientifically about human evil is simply that the evil are so extremely reluctant to be studied.

If the central defect of the evil is not one of conscience, then where does it reside? The essential psychological problem of human evil, I believe, is a particular variety
of narcissism.

NARCISSISM AND WILL

Narcissism, or self-absorption, takes many forms. Some are normal. Some are normal in childhood but not in adulthood. Some are more distinctly pathological than others. The subject is as complex as it is important. It is not the purpose of this book, however, to give a balanced view of the whole topic, so we will proceed immediately to that particular pathologic variant that Erich Fromm called "Malignant narcissism”.

Malignant narcissism is characterized by an un-submitted will. All adults who are mentally healthy submit themselves one way or another to something higher than themselves, be it God or truth or love or some other ideal. They do what God wants them to do rather than what they would desire. "Thy will, not mine, be done," the God-submitted person says. They believe in what is true rather than what they would like to be true.



To a greater or lesser degree, all mentally healthy individuals submit themselves to
the demands of their own conscience. Not so the evil, however. In the conflict between their guilt and their will, it is the guilt that must go and the will that must win.

The reader will be struck by the extraordinary willfulness of evil people. They are men and women of obviously strong will, determined to have their own way. There
is a remarkable power in the manner in which they attempt to control others.

The overcontrollingness of evil is well expressed through the Mormon myth in which Christ and Satan were each required to present God with his own plan for dealing with the infant human race. Satan's plan was simple (of the sort that most business and military leaders today would come up with): God had armies of angels
at His command; just assign an angel with punitive power to each human, and He would have no trouble keeping them in line. Christ's plan was radically different and more imaginative (and biophilic): "Let them have free will and go their own way," he proposed, "but allow me to live and die as one of them, both as an example
of how to live and of how much You care for them." God, of course, chose Christ's plan as the more creative, and Satan rebelled at the choice. The controlling nature
of evil is also treated at length by Marguerite Shuster in her unpublished dissertation, "Power, Pathology and Paradox" (Fuller Theological Seminary, 1977).

Theologians speak of evil being a consequence of free will. When God, creating us in His own image, gave us free will, He had to allow us humans the option of evil. The problem can also be envisioned in the secular terms of evolution theory. The "will"
of less evolved creatures seems largely under the control of their instincts. This leaves humans in the position of being either totally willful or having to seek new ways of self-control through submission to higher principles. But this still leaves us with the question of why some human beings are able to achieve such submission while others are not.

Indeed, it is almost tempting to think that the problem of evil lies in the will itself. Perhaps the evil are born so inherently strong-willed that it is impossible for them ever to submit their will. Yet I think it is characteristic of all "great" people that they are extremely strong-willed-whether their greatness be for good or for evil. The strong will - the power and authority of Jesus, radiates from the Gospels, just as Hitler's did from “Mein Kampf”. But Jesus' will was that of his Father, and Hitler's that of his own. The crucial distinction is between "willingness and willfulness.'

This willful failure of submission that characterizes malignant narcissism is depicted
in both the stories of Satan and of Cain and Abel. Satan refused to submit to God's judgment that Christ was superior to him. For Christ to be preferred meant that Satan was not. Satan was less than Christ in God's eyes. For Satan to have accepted God's judgment, he would have had to accept his own imperfection. This he could not or would not do. It was unthinkable that he was imperfect. Consequently submission was impossible and both the rebellion and fall inevitable. So also God's



acceptance of Abel's sacrifice implied a criticism of Cain: Cain was less than Abel in
God's eyes. Since he refused to acknowledge his imperfection, it was inevitable that Cain, like Satan, should take the law into his own hands and commit murder. In some similar, although usually more subtle fashion, all who are evil also take the law into their own hands, to destroy life or liveliness in defense of their narcissistic self- image.

"Pride goeth before the fall" it is said, and of course laymen simply call pride what
we have labeled with the fancy psychiatric term of "malignant narcissism." Being at the very root of evil, it is no accident that Church authorities have generally considered pride first among the sins. By the sin of pride they do not generally mean the sense of legitimate achievement one might enjoy after a job well done. While such pride, like normal narcissism, may have its pitfalls, it is also part of healthy self-confidence and a realistic sense of self-worth. What is meant is, rather, a kind of pride that unrealistically denies our inherent sinfulness and imperfection-a kind of overweening pride or arrogance that prompts people to reject and even attack the judgment implied by the day-to-day evidence of their own inadequacy. Despite its fruits, Bobby's parents saw no fault in their child care. In Buber's words, the malignantly narcissistic insist upon "affirmation independent of all findings.

What is the cause of this overweening pride, this arrogant self-image of perfection, this particularly malignant type of narcissism? Why does it afflict a few when most seem to escape its clutches? We do not know. In the past fifteen years psychiatrists have begun to pay increasing attention to the phenomenon of narcissism, but our understanding of the subject is still in its infancy. We have not yet succeeded, for instance, in distinguishing the different types of excessive self-absorption. There are many who are clearly, even grossly narcissistic, in one way or another but are not evil. All I can say at this point is that the particular brand of narcissism that characterizes evil people seems to be one that particularly afflicts the will. Why a person should be a victim of this type and not another or none at all, I can only vaguely surmise.

It is my experience that evil seems to run in families. The person to be described in Chapter 4 had evil parents. But the familial pattern, if accurate, does nothing to resolve the old "nature versus nurture" controversy. Does evil run in families because it is genetic and inherited? Or because it is learned by the child in imitation
of its parents? Or even as a defense against its parents? And how are we to explain the fact that many of the children of evil parents, although usually scarred, are not evil? We do not know, and we will not know until an enormous amount of painstaking scientific work has been accomplished.

Nonetheless, a leading theory of the genesis of pathological narcissism is that it is a defensive phenomenon. Since almost all young children demonstrate a formidable array of narcissistic characteristics, it is assumed that narcissism is something we generally "grow out of" in the course of normal development, through a stable childhood, under the care of loving and understanding parents. If the parents are



cruel and unloving, however, or the childhood otherwise traumatic, it is believed
that the infantile narcissism will be preserved as a kind of psychological fortress to protect the child against the vicissitudes of its intolerable life. This theory might well apply to the genesis of human evil. The builders of the medieval cathedrals placed upon their buttresses the figures of gargoyles-themselves symbols of evil-in order to ward off the spirits of greater evil. Thus children may become evil in order to defend themselves against the onslaughts of parents who are evil. It is possible, therefore, to think of human evil-or some of it-as a kind of psychological gargoylism.

There are other ways, however, to look at the genesis of human evil. The fact of the matter is that some of us are very good and some of us very evil, and most of us are somewhere in between. We might therefore think of human good and evil as a kind
of continuum. As individuals we can move ourselves one way or another along the continuum. Just as there is a tendency for the rich to get richer, however, and the poor to get poorer, so there seems to be a tendency for the good to get better and the bad to get worse. Erich Fromm spoke of these matters at some length by saying: "Our capacity to choose changes constantly with our practice of life. The longer
we continue to make the wrong decisions, the more our heart hardens; the more
often we make the right decision, the more our heart softens - or better perhaps, comes alive! " (This marks the end of Excerpts from Scott Peck’s insightful book)

Closing Comments: It is clear reading all of the above that the person described as having been “possessed by the Jezebel spirit” has crossed that line between good and evil and is really overcome with evil. The distinguishing characteristics now seem to be their total inability to repent … since repentance will take them back across that line, out
of the clutches of the evil. The survival of the “evil spirit”- now consuming them, relies
on their NOT repenting, thus it guides them to go to extremes - to preserve it’s nest, extremes that dictate that “they are perfect and that any perceived wrongs are committed against them and not by them”, so there is really no reason to repent. Once firmly ensconced, this spirit viciously “guards it’s nest” fighting hard to avoid eviction – many times launching preemptive strikes. Family, friends, acquaintances and lovers are badly hurt and their lives so willingly sacrificed in order for this heinous (actually, “detestably ugly” would be a far better description) spirit to survive. Truth is twisted and “loved one’s” sacrificed to preserve “itself”. The “Jezebel spirit” is just one of many evil spirits, but certainly it is one of the more detestable and vicious one’s there are. Some people will raise their eye-brows and roll their eyes at “all of the above” – BUT anybody who has come into contact with it winces at it’s very mention! It is easy to dismiss topics such as these as fanciful dreaming of over stimulated imaginations, but, live through an encounter with the Spirit of Jezebel … only once, and you too will become a believer! If you are to utter a random prayer today, I suggest: “Lord, let me never encounter the evil embodied within the “Spirit of Jezebel” – please let me never be it’s victim”. We pray God answers your prayers. We know exactly what it is like, since we too have suffered greatly from this Spirit’s very vicious attacks! It was by God’s grace, and the love of His Son, our Savior, Jesus, that we escaped and that we continue to live free - from it’s evil.



ADDENDUM: A Roman Catholic experience: April 30, 2001 “The Jezebel Spirit”
“The other high-powered spirit that's moving very rapidly and in tremendous power in the Church today is what we call the Jezebel spirit. You've probably
heard of the Jezebel spirit. Jezebel is Satan's woman, so to speak, the flip side of Satan. Satan has this feminine dimension, but the irony of it is
that there is nothing feminine about Jezebel, not at all, because she is totally masculine. It's all deceptive, but she will try to imitate Mary
especially. She hates the woman, and in the Book of Revelation, we meet with her again. You'll see her in the Old Testament, but in the Book of Revelation, she shows up again. And so this battle is going to be very
much between these two women, led by Our Lady and led by Jezebel. Jezebel is very deceptive, and she moves in a feminine way many times. The way to spot her is she will always undermine authentic authority. If you're ever attempted to go against authentic authority, Jezebel could very well be getting her foot in the door. She has her foot in the door right now in the priesthood. She has her foot in the door at government level. She
is controlling authentic authority everywhere, and she is very, very dangerous.” Excerpt from Mother Nadine’s “Desert Warfare,” New Mexico, 1998

PS. If you have read “all of the above” and honestly admit that you are prone to some of these behaviors, if you are appalled at what you read, if you can look critically at yourself and your actions, habits and their consequences, if you truly feel sorry for things you have done wrong in your life, if you are able to apologize to others for hurts caused them,
If you can even begin to ask yourself the question: “Am I possibly giving this dastardly spirit any footholds in my life”? Then I have news for you, you cannot possibly be “possessed by this evil spirit of Jezebel” - for those that are can never be anything but proud and unrepentant, for they have convinced themselves that They and Their agenda
alone matters, and everyone else is wrong and unimportant. At worst you may, from time
to time, be influenced by it … and thus you have joined the ever-growing club! This spirit is running rampant in our modern society. You can help turn back it’s progress by participating in critical self-examination, repenting of evil, shunning selfish desires, embracing humility (spiritually and personally) and reaching out to liberate others you see falling into it’s liar. Withstand the temptation to manipulate and try to control the people and circumstances surrounding you, live by faith in God and His Son and rely on
the guidance and provision of the Holy Spirit ONLY … not the unholy spirit trying to convince you that you can manage the universe and the lives of those people around you - that’s God’s job. God knows your needs and the desires of your heart, and those of all of
the others around you. Trust God to balance everyone’s needs and bring about optimal solutions that meet everyone’s needs … not just your own. “Love others as you would have them love you …and love God above all else”! This advise was delivered to us all,
at great personal expense, by God’s Son, and is the recipe for defeating Satan’s plans and
all his operatives, including the spirit of Jezebel. We win this war by winning one battle
at a time, and every person liberated from fear and bondage is one more battle won.



May God Bless you, your family, your loved ones … and protect you all from evil.