I have obediently released a lot of strong warning words lately as I have received them, but I must be honest that they are certainly uncomfortable and unsettling to say the least. How does one honor leaders while at the same time not tolerating their compromise or mixture that have resulted in catastrophic consequences to the body of Christ?
One such incident of speaking the truth to an individual with the intent to bring healing and restoration to that person resulted in Saul’s Javelin being hurled at me this week along with a murderous spiritual bomb. It left me shaken but it was also resulted in an awesome time of revelation. So for that, I thank God for turning what they meant for evil into good.
After the spiritual death attack hit, I had tried casting out the spirit of Fear that left me visibly shaking like a leaf, but it refused to budge. I processed through forgiveness and received that peace that I had indeed forgiven from the heart but again, Fear refused to budge. It wasn’t until as I pressed persistently deeper into prayer instead of following the natural inclination to run & ignore the pain. I had to resist the habitual pattern to “be stubborn and push through” but instead vulnerably surrender in Jesus’ arms that it was revealed the heart trauma caused by the spirit of Bitter Murder needed to be healed. Just like releasing forgiveness doesn’t heal a stab wound in one’s chest, the heart wound needs to be healed or else the poison remaining within the wound after the blade is removed will cause a root of bitterness to grow in our own hearts. It was sitting in the presence of the LORD and allowing Him to minister Storge love, that familial nurturing affection, to me that the poison was removed and the wound healed. Without the landing pad present, Fear had no choice but to depart.
It took several hours of sitting in the LORD’s presence in the middle of the night receiving His gentle ministrations that the LORD revealed the difference between people carrying a Jezebel stronghold and a Saul stronghold. Although they carry a lot of similar personality profiles, coming from unhealed heart wounds, HOW you handle them are vastly different. Because of Ahab’s blatant disregard for God’s commandments and his lust for power, position, and pleasure, Jezebel was given her illegitimate authority in the Kingdom of Israel. In Revelation 3, we are commanded not to tolerate Jezebel with her fornications and adulteries (which I unpacked in “Jezebel’s Fornications” blog). She holds authority illegally and it is to be removed. Toss her and her witchcraft out.
Saul, on the other hand, was chosen by God and was anointed by God’s prophet. However, he lost his anointing when he chose to rebel against God’s commandments and walk in the power of his flesh. He still had a worldly position as King of Israel, but he was no longer a king in God’s Kingdom. Saul’s rebellion caused God’s favor and spiritual authority to withdraw. In its place, a tormenting spirit was sent BY GOD in its place. Saul’s rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft and his stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. God’s Kingdom was transferred to David, who was chosen because he carried a treasure within him – the Fear of the LORD.
Although those with a spirit of Jezebel or Saul carry many similarities, the difference lies within WHO gave them their position – God or Ahab – as well as what the ROOT is that leads to attempted (or actual) murder = witchcraft or bitterness. Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah. She also participated in child sacrifice. Bitterness results in a different kind of death – spiritual death that results from sin that isn’t repented of. If we refuse to forgive others form the heart, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us and therefore we are separated from His presence, and all the benefits eternal life brings.
Dr. Henry Wright from Be In Health Ministries teaches that a root & stronghold of Bitterness develops from unforgiveness, which then opens the doors to progressively stronger demons of resentment, retaliation, anger & wrath, hatred, violence, then eventually a spirit of murder (whether of the tongue or literal).
We see the scriptural precedent for this in the parable ending with Matt 18:35 that the LORD will hand anyone who refuses to forgive from the heart to demonic tormentors until their debt is paid in due. I certainly hope your debt is not one that has a death penalty, because we are not to pray for those whose sin leads to death! (1 John 5:16) It is only by them repenting that the tormenting disease caused by their bitterness will depart (Deut 7:12,15). That’s why so many people die of cancer despite coming for prayer. Anyone else notice how tumors look like roots???
David gave us the pattern for successfully dealing with rebellious Sauls. Depart from their presence but do not touch God’s anointed. Be patient as the tormenting spirit does its work and drives them to self-destruct in pride or to repentance if they humble themselves. Do not despise the process because it is in the caves and in the training grounds of hiding in Philistine land and the battles of Ziglak that the Davids are being polished to handle the weight of the Kingdom with maturity.
The danger of confusing the two could cause one’s destiny to be aborted. If we touch not Jezebel and do her no harm, Athaliah (Jezebel’s daughter) would have succeeded in finally killing Jehoash when he came out of hiding and was crowned king. (Or more likely, he would have never BEEN crowned king in the first place!) If the Davids destroy their Sauls because they give pride a place to flaunt their kingly anointing and think the Sauls should be cast down and trampled by the horses, God’s favor would be lifted off the Davids just like it first lifted off the Sauls.
The book “The Father Heart of God” by Floyd McClung Jr. outlines the Saul Syndrome on pg32-35. It’s worth purchasing and has so much meat contained inside for those who wish to develop intimacy with the Father from a pure heart! Simply put, the Saul Syndrome can be summed up by a cycle of:
– Disobedience
– Inferiority
– Independence
– Pride
– Fear of Man
The characteristics of the Saul Syndrome are unpacked more thoroughly in the book but in bullet form:
– Withdrawal or isolation, due to unforgiveness (not to be confused with self-preservation like David or consecration like John the Baptist).
– Possessiveness (MY Ministry! Not God’s ministry)
– Us vs Them (only with those we agree with)
– Manipulation (**which is a form of witchcraft, by the way!)
– Unteachableness (refusing godly correction & instruction, hard-hearted)
– Critical & Judgmental Attitude
– Impatience
– Distrust
– Disloyalty
– Ingratitude
– Unhealthy Idealism (idolizing programs & methods over people)
If we are NOT to touch God’s anointed Sauls and do them no harm, are you supposed to stay and continue being a victim, being wounded repeatedly? Absolutely not. Remove yourself from their leadership/kingdom to a place of safety or they may continue to throw more javelins that could eventually lead to death.
What many Saul’s are unaware of as they have their bitter tantrums is what they are surrendering as they hang onto that bitterness. When David left Saul’s Kingdom to run for his life, Saul also lost his healing minstrel, his armor bearer, one of his greatest military commanders that won the majority of the battles, and the support that came with David’s popularity with the people that praised David’s tens of thousands. Saul now had to stand on his own two wobbly, unanointed and unpopular feet, no longer able to siphon David’s anointing. Saul eventually became exposed for what he was – a hypocritical, powerless leader that was willing to compromise with witchcraft in an attempt to recover what he lost with David’s departure.
Last night (Nov 17/2019) at 0000, I was woken up with a verse fragment – “Don’t honor fools.” I found the complete verse in Prov 26:8 – “Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.” There were two things the LORD highlighted here.
1) We are to honor the position, but we aren’t to honor the fool. An example is when Jehu commanded Jezebel to be thrown out from her window, thereby to her death. Yet he commanded she be buried as she was a king’s daughter. He honored her position even though he did not honor her character nor tolerate her sin.
2) You cannot slay Goliath if you honor a fool. This is WHY God will be bringing down the House of Eli and the Saul’s in the Kingdom. Honoring a fool means you no longer have the ammunition to kill Goliath. The ammunition is the Stone. The Law of Moses was written upon the Stone tablets. Jesus Christ, the Word, is our cornerstone. Upon this Rock (stone), Jesus will build His Church – the foundation of the Ecclesia is the Law of Moses – God’s covenant with His people – that Jesus, Jehovah come in the flesh, gave face to face to Moses. The New Covenant is that the Law would be written upon our hearts and we would be given a new spirit. Although many people declare they have God’s Law written upon their hearts, a quick assessment of their lives will expose the truth.
A biblical fool refuses instruction, correction, and reproof. They refuse to hear the Law and in turn their prayers have become an abomination, leaving them powerless. Disciples of Jesus receive and grow their authority because they are in right-standing with the Law and can operate submissively under the authority of the Lawgiver. Fools refuse to instruct others on how to become great in the Kingdom of Heaven, which only comes from doing and teaching others God’s commandments. They keep the children of Israel in a constant state of fearful battle-mode which chews through resources without any progress/benefit and ties them up from being in building mode. Those who refuse to hearken to, do, and keep God’s commandments will end up being chased by one enemy and flee seven directions – the opposite of victory. We see that right now with the Goliath of the gender confusion agenda.
Enough is enough. The Davids are being sent in to not only unlock all the fearful Israelites from Goliath, a feat Saul couldn’t accomplish due to his own fear of man and lack of spiritual kingdom authority as he hid in his tent, but to also go after the plunder that the Philistines have been hoarding in their camps.
God will be restoring honor to whom honor is due – to those who will magnify the Law and more importantly Lawgiver and make the Law honorable again. It is the LORD who raises up and removes kings. Sometimes He raises them up as a savior, like King David, King Josiah and King Hezekiah. Others, he raises up to bring judgment upon the land for the iniquity of the forefathers, like Solomon’s son Rehoboam that resulted in the Divided Kingdom and King Ahab that resulted in 3 years of catastrophic national drought and famine.
We saw this same pattern in the United States with Presidents Clinton and Obama then President Trump. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that whatever is happening in the political public eye is what is also happening within the spiritual realms. Just as President Trump has declared it’s time to drain the swamp of D.C. government, so too the church swamp also needs to be drained. The swamps and marshes shall not be healed. They shall be given over to salt.
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