Enemy at the Gate

But this time around, if you want a title for this,

teaching it's Enemy at the Gate, Enemy at the Gate,

and the reason I titled it that way was because

there's a common enemy that priests, prophets, and kings face.

So there's a common enemy of priests, prophets, kings,

and it's Jezebel.

Jezebel.

And Elijah faced Jezebel.

Jehu faced Jezebel.

Theatria of the Church in Thyatria faced Jezebel.

Ahab the King faced Jezebel.

Priests, prophets, and kings at some point,

as they begin to come into their own, will face Jezebel.

And therefore, if priests, prophets, and kings,

and that is who we are, have a common enemy at the gate,

at some point it will show itself up in a congregation

and will try to harm.

And so today we just want to expose it and undo it.

So it is a spirit that influences...

Jacob, how can you call it a spirit when it was a real person in the Old Testament

and a real person in the New Testament?

Because Jesus addresses Jezebel in the New Testament as an influence

and it's coming through a person that is affecting, destroying a congregation.

Samar... okay, you're fine there, right?

That is affecting and destroying a congregation.

The name of the person in the New Testament church was Jezebel.

Nobody names their daughter Jezebel.

Like, nobody in Vancouver would name their son Maple Leaf.

It would be as absurd as that.

And by the way, they lost yesterday to the Canucks.

But that's another story. I don't want to bring that up with Evan sitting here.

But the point is this, that nobody names their daughter Jezebel.

So in the New Testament, when Jesus is addressing the church and is pointing at Jezebel,

what he's trying to say is there's an influence like the Jezebel in the Old Testament

that is at present prevalent in your church and it's destroying you.

And if you don't take charge, I will both destroy her and I will hold you accountable.

So it is a spirit.

And it is one of the few spirits that has this ability to come against priest, prophet, and king

and undo a kingdom or undo a people, undo a congregation.

It is a genderless thing, so it works through men and women.

But we have to account for the fact that it works easily or easier through women,

though because it's a spirit, it does not, gender doesn't matter.

So it can use me to harm you, it can use me to harm us, it can also use you.

And it can attack you, it can attack me, it can attack the church.

One caution I want to bring up as we talk about this is it's very possible when we talk about topics like this

that you may think I'm talking about you or you may hear me use a word that I may have used

when I spoke to you yesterday or the day before or a week ago and you may begin to think,

oh, Jacob is referring to me.

I want you to be absolutely confident that when I prepared this message it was ages ago

and it doesn't reflect anything that has happened in the last little while.

So you've got to be free of that condemnation that maybe he's saying something about me.

I'm not.

Yeah, but if you feel like that, shake off the condemnation and then see if there's any need for conviction.

Shake off the condemnation and see if there's any need for conviction.

Because this topic might always bring up something in me that kind of matches Jezebel

and at times like that, shake off the condemnation, seek conviction.

So that's one caution.

The second, one of the reasons, I spent almost a sleepless night asking God,

why do you want us to talk about this?

Because I got notes on priests.

I heard what Derek spoke last Sunday and it was his, yeah, I was just going to say that his passion came through.

It was very good.

And I mentioned that to him and I was really blessed hearing that.

I was thinking we'll go along the same line.

So why come up with this?

And right from last night, I've been struggling with this.

And one of the things God is saying is I want you to know where you are.

Therefore, I also want you to be aware that because of where you are,

these things are going to happen and you need to take charge of it.

So where we are is Psalm 114.

Psalm 114.

Psalm 114.

Let me read the first verse from King James, the second verse from the message,

and then the seventh verse to give you an idea of where we are.

So I'd like to say that Acts 29 has come out of Egypt

and has come out of people with strange language or strange foreign ways.

As in God is saying, listen, I brought you to a place where I pulled you out of bondage

and I brought you to a place where you're no longer like the culture around you.

And he's never said this, at least to me, about us before,

that I've brought you out of a place of bondage.

It doesn't mean that there are no places of bondage in our lives,

but he's taught us how to work ourselves out of bondage.

Anybody and everybody in this congregation has the ability or the help

or the knowledge and the access to the Holy Spirit to come out of bondage.

It is possible in this church. So that's one.

The second part is that I have removed you from a people of strange languages,

as in you are no longer a part of the culture.

And one of the things Jezebel does is she brings confusion

so that you don't know what to embrace and what to resist from culture.

But that we'll talk about later.

So these are two things that God has already done.

And then he goes to verse two.

I want to read verse two from the message to give you an idea of what God is saying.

Hey guys, see, sometimes when I use words like, listen to what God is saying,

I actually mean it.

And I stand before God before I say this in the congregation.

Because to say that God is saying something when he actually didn't say it

or when Jacob dreamt it up is a dangerous thing for Jacob himself.

Leave alone for the rest of us.

So when I say this, it comes across casually, but it's not casual.

It is almost like a...

How best to put it without sounding boastful?

It's almost like a direct word from God saying, listen, this is your present status.

And so the second word is there from the message, puts it this way.

And this is God saying it to us, not to me, to us.

Here's what he's saying.

You have become a holy land for me.

You have become a place of holy rule.

You have become a holy land for me.

You have become a place of holy rule.

In the Psalm 114 verse 2 says, Judah has become a holy place for me to dwell.

Psalms 114:2

And Judah has become a place for my holy rule.

He's brought us to that place.

He thinks like this.

From his perspective, he's already thinking of us like this.

From our perspective, we don't.

Or we struggle to.

One of the easiest ways to believe things is to start thinking like it.

You don't believe things by exerting faith first.

You believe things by thinking like God.

Once you begin to think like God, then faith is very easy.

Which is why I said look at the message because I go over every verse

and trying to see is there anything else that you want to say.

Acts 29 became holy land for him.

Israel the place.

Sorry, Acts 29 became holy land for him.

And Acts 29 became a place of his holy rule.

Then verse 7.

Verse 7 says, tremble earth.

You're in the Lord's presence, in the presence of Jacob's God.

Tremble earth.

As in earth.

Take note.

This group of people, I dwell amongst them.

Start trembling.

Because what I'll do through them will shake the earth.

These are terribly boastful presumptuous things if they were not from God.

Delusional.

But tremble earth.

Because this is a place of my presence.

With these people, and he's talking about this group of people and any other people connected.

It will spread. It is like the body.

Pain here and you feel it here and here and here and here.

I don't know how it spreads.

This is where we are at.

It's very hard to accept on a normal day except when we're talking like this.

But I'm hoping we can think like this.

Thinking like this helps you believe it.

This is where we are at.

This is the...

We won't get through this today.

Even though the Chinese congregation is not coming.

Because I can only go till 2.30. How much further can you go?

Mei is not here.

She's got a football game this afternoon.

So here's the thing guys.

There's something...

Some of you who have been here for 10, 15 years used to hear this word a lot in the past.

Present truth.

Present truth is the truth that God is revealing at this time to the church.

It is not new truth.

It is old things that he's picking up and revealing.

It's like a parent who got a whole lot of gifts for the kids for Christmas.

When a kid thinks they only got a car and then after they break the car a plane comes out.

After they break the plane a camera comes out.

It's like old truths that are being revealed presently.

This is the present truth.

This is where we are at.

If you're able to receive it, great.

If you're not able to receive it, grapple with it.

Wrestle with it.

If you're a leader, you don't have a choice.

You better receive it.

Because otherwise you won't be able to walk in it.

So given that as our present condition, this is why this is a great time for you to join this church.

In fact, we should charge you.

But because of a time like this, Jezebel is also presently active to thwart this.

Jezebel is presently active to thwart this.

Thwart what?

Thwart the presence of God.

Choke out the life of God.

Use me.

Use me or use you.

Attack me or attack you.

Therefore an exposure of the enemy is a good idea.

Any questions on that before we go on?

Any questions on that before we go on?

The way Jezebel works is attack the congregation and in the process affect individuals.

Or attack leadership and in the process affect individuals.

Or attack leadership and in the process affect individuals.

The great thing about the Bible being a historical record of what God did is that we know the strategy the enemy uses.

Therefore these are the two methods that Jezebel uses, both in the Old and the New Testament.

Attack the congregation as in seduce through false ways and teachings the congregation so that you can compromise the congregation.

Or attack the leaders and gain influence with them so that individuals are affected.

These are the two ways Jezebel always works.

Any questions?

And this spirit has, one of the odd things about this spirit is, I don't even want to call it a spirit.

I want to call it something larger than just an ordinary spirit.

Let's call it a power.

This power has the ability to give tremendous strength to individuals to defy God, to defy the people of God and defy priests, prophets and kings.

Which all of us are.

It empowers like crazy.

It allows a person or a group of people to go against God's plans, God's people and God's appointed leaders.

It has the ability.

It has the ability.

Some of the things we have to be careful of in the Bible, and I'm going off topic here.

The Antichrist spirit, Legion, Jezebel,

There's one more.

Forgot.

Leviathan.

Antichrist spirit, Legion, Jezebel, Leviathan.

These are four powers that are pretty powerful.

And all four have the ability to cause a person or a group of people to defy God, to go up against the things of God, the people of God, the leaders of God, with a defiance that is humanly not natural.

They can say things that are pretty strong, that we wouldn't do with our parents or with our bosses or with anybody.

They are pretty strong with that.

Just be aware of that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So Jezebel is out to destroy kingdoms.

So Jezebel attacks leaders or a people as a whole or goes after a people as a whole.

Can I seduce an entire group of people to compromise?

Can I bring them into a place of sexual immorality, that or idolatry?

The two things that the Jerusalem Council said, do not engage in to the Gentiles.

Those were the prevalent sins at that time that the church spoke out against.

Now it can be something else.

It is this inability to resist or say no to secular culture and the things of culture around us.

And so if I can get an entire congregation, then Moses and Aaron or Joshua and Caleb are singled out.

They don't have much play now because now the entire congregation is ready to stone them.

Or they go after leaders.

In Thyatira, Jezebel had influence with leaders.

In Revelation 2 it talks about it.

Because it is impossible in a fledgling church and the New Testament church that was set up then for a woman to have that much influence,

where she was now seducing with her teachings people into immorality and idolatry.

Unless there was room with the leaders.

So it's not after individuals.

It is after, if it is ever after individuals, it is to destroy a people.

Jezebel in the Old Testament brought a nation to apostasy.

You're talking about God's chosen nation.

Think of the enormity of what we're dealing with.

As much as God's presence and his influence is in the nation,

as much as God's presence and his holy rule and his holy resting place is this congregation and the connections beyond this congregation,

we must also be aware of the present reality of a power called Jezebel who is active now.

I wouldn't bring this up if it was something in the future.

I'm talking about it because it's important now.

This is, what is it when something doesn't fit in the flow of things?

It starts with anomaly.

This is an anomaly in terms of the teaching.

But it is because it's the present reality and it must be exposed and violently taken care of.

It had the power to bring a nation that Yahweh chose for himself to a place of absolute apostasy.

It had the power to ruin the king of that nation

and it had the power to cause the prophet of the nation to flee and to resign and to disappear.

So Jezebel, what is the point of this teaching then?

It is to make us aware. So once you're aware, you're guarded.

And then, when necessary, take a stance together.

Where? In the church?

Not really because when we say in the church, we think of a Sunday morning.

In your lives, in your marriages, in your homes, in your interactions with each other, in my interactions with you,

in your interactions with me, in your interactions with leaders, in leaders' interactions with you.

In terms of what and how we discuss teachings, what and how we discuss people around us.

This is a time when this will be very active and I'm cutting its head off.

That's part of my responsibility, right?

At least, the Book of Acts and Paul in his epistle says so.

So if you go to Acts 16, 16, that's one of the places in the New Testament where you see the beginning of this.

In Acts 16, 16, you find that there's a woman with a spirit of divination.

Divination is the ability to extract and foretell the future using other supernatural powers.

The spirit of divination is also called Python.

And why was it called Python?

Because Python was a mythical serpent that had the ability to predict the future through a process called the

That had the ability to predict the future through a priestess in Delphi, which was where Paul now finds himself.

And this girl who has the spirit of divination is walking around the city saying these are men of the Most High God.

And she's trying to predict the future under the power of a spirit of divination.

And in that place were caves and these were called the Caves of Delphi.

And there was a priestess who operated under the power of this python and began would speak.

So the spirit of divination is also in the Bible.

I'm not pulling out this from any Greek mythology or anything in the Bible.

It's called the spirit of Python.

The spirit of divination in 1 Samuel 15, 23 is the same as rebellion.

Divination is as unto.

Yeah, witchcraft and divination are the same thing.

Witchcraft is as unto rebellion.

Rebellion is being an authority to oneself.

That's what the basic definition of rebellion is.

Being an authority to oneself.

You see that in Isaiah 30 verse 1 and 2.

Isaiah 30:1

So one of the things we have to be careful of during this time is that let me speak from just my perspective.

I have to be careful not to be an authority unto myself.

And it's easy for someone who leads a congregation to become an authority unto himself.

So I've got to be careful of that.

It applies to you too, but I don't want to, with this message I have to be careful.

I've been pleading with God, Father, let this message not condemn.

So that's why I'm using myself as an example, though I prefer using you as an example.

So one of the things I have to guard against is being an authority unto myself.

Because the moment I'm an authority unto myself, I come into a place of rebellion.

I come into a place of rebellion against God and rebellion against what is biblical and rebellion against...

I don't have to rebel against the body, but I see the body as less important to me.

Because I'm the guy who decides what needs to happen and who are you to tell me.

So we've got to guard against this at this present time.

And just as Jezebel comes against a congregation, you think Jesus isn't smarter.

What do you think he's doing now? Building up a congregation so that the individuals are preserved.

That's what we're doing.

Just as Jezebel comes against a congregation to target the individual, what do you think Jesus is doing now?

He's teaching us together as a congregation to build up the individual so that we're not taken.

I'm not an authority unto myself, I'm here to serve.

So just as Jezebel attacks a congregation to hunt down individuals,

so Jesus, what do you think he's doing right now?

Building up a congregation, teaching a congregation so that each individual can be built up.

And once that happens, we are reinforced against such evil.

And that's why even though it's great that house churches meet and do their things,

times like this on a Sunday are important for the house churches to meet together and get common direction.

Because sometimes people wonder, why can't we just stay in house churches? Not you, others wonder.

One of the things that happens with the Spirit is it distorts or silences the voice of the prophetic.

It restricts the liberty of the Spirit.

It depletes resources in a church, both manpower and money.

I'll explain how.

So it distorts and silences the voice of the prophetic.

It either distorts by bringing in...

Guys, one of the things that happens with this power is it sees if it can be tolerated,

not paid attention to, so that it slowly begins to permeate lives.

So whenever the prophetic happens in this church for the next little while,

let's wait and see if it's accurate.

Let's wait and see if it's accurate.

Because this church is prophetic.

And what do I mean by this church is prophetic?

All I mean is most people who come to this church learn how to hear God.

And at the end of the day, hearing God is what makes us able to convey the heart and the will of God.

So this church does that quite naturally.

It's almost like if you come into this congregation, it's natural for you to at some point begin to behave like that.

But with that, that's why this power targets churches like this,

because this power wants to see if the prophetic can be distorted.

Can the will and the desire and the words and the heart of God that is being conveyed on the spot to people

changing their destinies around in a second, because that's how God works, proceeding word.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, instantly turning lives around.

Can I contaminate this, pollute this, make this river muddy,

so that what comes out of it becomes more and more difficult to fathom?

Because you don't know if it is sanctified flesh speaking or really the Holy Spirit speaking.

You don't know if it is just a whole bunch of words that are put together or there's something concrete in it.

You don't know whether it's a key that is meant for a particular door or a set of keys that leaves you as immobile as you were before you started.

We must get sharper at a time like this, because the Spirit will try to dull us.

Sharper in your hearing, sharper in the words you speak, being concise in the words you say,

so that what comes out is helpful.

If I say stuff that you have to take home and say,

my God, I'm sure there was a nugget there, but to find that is going to take me a year, then I'm not doing you any good.

Show me also the message.

Sitting here under my nose and texting each other.

What he is saying, I was sitting here just like that.

Should I read it out?

Sure.

I think you guys should go back to the unholy side.

Restricting the liberty of the Spirit.

I think I need to drink some water.

Restricting the liberty of the Spirit.

Restricting the liberty of the Spirit.

Taking away the freedom that people have with their Father.

It's a redefinition of liberty in the Spirit.

Most people think liberty in the Spirit is not being legalistic, being non-legalistic.

That is the right direction.

But getting to a place where you have liberty in the Spirit is having the freedom that one should have with their Father.

With their Father who happens to be majestic God.

And that is the desire of the Holy Spirit.

Why did he first come into your life as soon as you got born again?

So that out of you will come an intimate cry saying what?

I'm a father.

Not in that tone, but that was what was supposed to come out first.

And so this power tries to restrict the freedom that one has with the Father.

So what do we do?

We go exactly the opposite way.

One of the best things to do when something attacks you is go exactly in the opposite Spirit.

And then it depletes resources in a church.

As in it has us spend a lot of time taking care of the church.

It has us spend a lot of time taking care of the church.

It depletes resources in a church.

As in it has us spend a lot of time taking care of or addressing things that aren't important.

And so you end up depleting manpower and resources.

And at a time like this we need to gather in and distill and prioritize.

And I give you my word I'll do that because I'm responsible for that.

And I've got enough people to help me with it.

One of the mistakes I'm making, and I've got to be careful about this in the future,

and I just want to say it out loud so that it's confessed and done,

is I said some weeks ago that when people from other parts of the world come into this congregation

and spend a week or so here, they are usually changed.

They go back with a different hunger, thirst, desire, perspective of who God can be amongst the people

and how God can be.

And this is true. I've seen it in the last six months over a few lives.

But we also have to be careful of people that we invite

because some of them come to spy on our freedom as it says in Galatians 2, 4 and 5.

And in the end it leaves us poor or not richer.

It's like opening your treasures like Hezekiah did to people you don't need to show your treasures to.

We've got to be a little more careful. And I made a mistake there.

So I've got to be a little more careful on that one.

Do you believe it's during the difference?

One, the Spirit of God keeps telling you, don't make this mistake, don't make this mistake,

don't make this mistake, and you make the mistake, and then you realize you made the mistake.

So that's the easiest way.

The second one is realizing after the person leaves that, ah shucks, this was not beneficial.

This was fault-finding.

There's no fruit out of it.

At the end of the day, there should be fruit if people come here, the intent is fruit,

and if there's no fruit, if it is fault-finding, then it was not very helpful.

But God always stops us before.

And please, we've got to understand this.

When God tries to stop us, He makes it loud enough.

A lack of hearing won't prevent you from hearing God's warning.

This is a great thing about hearing.

When it comes to warnings, a lack or an inability to hear never prevents you from being warned.

Because God will use every method possible to warn you, but you don't catch on, like I didn't catch on.

I saw it right off, but I was too full of myself.

Pride is what usually prevents it, eh?

Why did Hezekiah open all his treasures and show the Babylonian envoys?

Pride, pride in what? Look what God has done with us.

It is still, look what God has done with us.

The boast is still in God, but in the process that pride enters, look what God has made us as a congregation.

Look, we are the holy place He dwells in and rules from.

And the moment that begins to take over, it's such a fine line.

On one hand, we've got to think it, believe it, acknowledge it.

On the other hand, we've got to not let pride take over.

It is a fine line, and God will warn every time, eh?

What does the word Jezebel mean?

Jezebel means lacking covering.

Lacking covering. Odd.

Even though she was Ahab's wife, she lacked covering or was unhusbanded.

She was a priestess, so her ability to be someone who was into witchcraft was natural,

because her father was a guy called Etbal, the priest king of Sidon.

So she was skilled in sorcery and divination.

You can read about that in 2 Kings 9, 22, and 1 Kings 16, 31.

And what's her main way of entering things?

Her main way of entering things? Influence through alliances.

Influence through alliances.

So the method of entry is this toleration.

Just a little thing wrong here.

It's this thing of let it be.

Permitted.

So guys, over the next few months, let's be more intolerant of things in terms of truths,

biblical ways of operating, words, thought.

Ways of functioning. Let's be more intolerant, not permissive.

Just to be on our guard.

Be a little more circumspect on how you weigh things and allow things and disallow things.

And allow me to be more intolerant too of things in the congregation and in your lives.

Give me the freedom to be intolerant of things that come into the congregation and come into your lives.

Because when it comes into a congregation, it's not some thing that's out there. The congregation is us.

So we've got to be, allow me to be a little intolerant.

As in, come on, Evan.

Time to shift your thinking.

Be intolerant.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

Pardon?

This is what I have to deal with?

The Thyatiran judgment of...

Happy birthday, Pawan.

What happened? Did you just doze off?

Derek, what's happening there?

He broke the pew?

Violence against Jezebel.

The Thyatiran judgment of Jezebel tells us a lot, eh?

God is so violent. Jesus, let me make God a little more personal.

Jesus is so violent against Jezebel that you almost think, where's the kind God we know?

He says, listen, if you continue with her, I'll put you on a bed of pain and sickness.

That's what he says.

If you continue in your union with her, I'll put you on a bed of pain and sickness.

And if you continue, despite that, I will kill your children.

He's talking to the congregation.

Let's read just so we know we're not pulling this out of nowhere.

Let's go to Revelation 2.

Verse 18. Let's see. Let's read from...

Verse 20 onwards.

But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,

and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

So this is something God has against the church.

Why is he now telling us this ahead of time? So that he doesn't have to take a stance against us.

I have this against you, that you tolerate, as in accommodate, as in let be, as in give permission, as in not mind.

You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,

so there is a degree of false prophecy in teaching that seduces people to do...

that seduces people to do things that is wrong.

Verse 21. I gave her time to repent.

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

So can you try during this time to walk in greater purity?

That blazing purity becomes important to you.

That he who, like it says in some scripture, he who steals should stop stealing.

He who watches porn should make an attempt to stop watching porn.

He who engages in sexual immorality in terms of thinking should stop.

This is a time when you doing that will benefit all of us.

Blazing purity would be a great idea.

It's fun when a congregation learns how to beat these powers together.

There is nothing like the one man called Christ, the body, and one man as in the corporate man.

There is nothing like when the church aligns itself with the purposes of God.

It is so hard to beat a church like that. So hard.

Because it's not dependent on an individual here or a Daniel there or a Noah here.

The whole Christ, the body, becomes what functions like this.

And then it goes on to say, I gave her time. Behold, I'll throw her onto a sickbed.

And those who commit adultery with her I'll throw into great tribulation.

Unless they repent of her works. There's always room for repentance.

And I'll strike her children dead. Why?

So that the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart and I'll give each one of you according to your works.

So he's pretty violent in his...

The severity of judgment exposes the evil potency of the spirit.

The severity of judgment exposes the evil potency of the spirit.

And so it sets a precedent for the church.

And just be aware of this. How it works guys is very simple.

Tolerance leads to...

In any area, this is not with regard to this topic.

Tolerance leads to a loss of fidelity or faithfulness.

Tolerance always leads to a loss of fidelity or faithfulness.

Once faithfulness or loss of fidelity happens then you begin to exert your license to practice things that previously you would not practice.

That results in some kind of a compromise or adulterous...

It adulterates what you're doing.

It ends up in some kind of a compromise.

And compromise over a period of time brings you to a place where you're no longer able to repent or you become unrepentant.

Because it's become part of your lifestyle now.

And once it comes to a place of unrepentance, being unrepentant, there's usually judgment that has to come in to bring you back to God.

So tolerance, whenever I tolerate something, and this is why blazing purity is so opposite of tolerance.

Blazing purity is being absolutely intolerant of that which is not pure.

That's why for us as a congregation to settle for purity ain't enough.

That's like 101.

So blazing purity...

Tolerance leads to a loss of fidelity.

As in now you're tolerating something and you're no longer faithful.

Loss of fidelity results in a license to do things you would not have otherwise done.

Taking that license then brings compromise or adulterates the purity that you had.

That leads over a period of time, compromise leads to an unrepentant heart.

Unrepentant hearts usually have to be dealt with judgment before they turn back.

It is a biblical flow of things.

That's why the severity of this judgment exposes the evil potency of the spirit.

Because Jezebel's influence is horrible in a church.

And we'll have to take a stance against it, I'll have to take a stance against it.

I'll be aware of it, I'll plead with God to make me aware of it.

Any questions? What in this is not practical?

Anything that you want to ask that will make it more practical?

Okay, let's then go through this list and it will make it as practical as I can make it.

The rest we'll deal with tomorrow, next time.

Here are the things we need to be aware of.

If we are aware of this, we should be able to do well.

Jezebel needs a weak Ahab to function.

Jezebel needs a weak Ahab to function.

Ahab means uncle. Ahab does not mean father.

Ahab does not even mean husband. Ahab means uncle.

When an uncle is the head of your house, usually it's a problem.

Jezebel needs a weak Ahab to function.

And so, if you are placed in charge of things right now,

beat your family, beat your child, beat a small house with one or two people,

I know grammatically that's incorrect, or beat a mega church like this,

that I'm Passover.

I can see you.

That's as far as it goes.

Regardless of how many are placed in your charge,

if you're weak, during this time,

Jezebel will make a play.

Because if you're not father-like over your charge, you're done. You're not done. Your people are done.

I didn't say general-like.

I didn't say apostle-like. I didn't say prophet-like. I didn't say teacher-like. I said father-like.

Over your charge, then your people will suffer.

So that's the first one.

It needs a weak Ahab

in place to exert control, to force compliance, to open doors.

It needs a weak Ahab.

We may not be weak Ahabs, but we can have days of being weak Ahabs.

At this present time, let me go King James on you,

gird up your loins so that there are fewer and fewer weak Ahab days.

Next one.

It silences the prophetic voice through accusation,

resistance, intimidation.

It silences the prophetic voice through accusation, resistance, intimidation.

It silences the prophetic voice

through accusation, through resistance, through intimidation.

So be more receptive and weigh the prophetic word that goes out over the next three months,

over your lives personally, over us as a corporate body.

And sometimes in the Kingdom, be aware of this.

Neutrality is resistance.

This is super important.

In this Kingdom of God, neutrality is resistance.

You want biblical evidence?

Choose who side you are on today.

If you are with Yahweh, well, say so.

If you are with Baal, say so.

And what's the next line?

1 Kings 37?

It says, and the people said nothing.

Neutrality is resistance.

That is why we need to weigh it.

Once we weigh it with the Holy Spirit, with the word,

going and asking the person, considering context, after all that.

And it's a laborious process. Weighing is a laborious process.

Which is why nobody wants to weigh things.

But neutrality is resistance in the Kingdom.

Choose this day who you will serve.

It was a constant cry from the prophets in the Old Testament.

Sometimes...

Okay, let me put it this way.

Regardless of how powerful an anointing a person may have

to prophesy or be prophetic,

it is always very difficult, requires tons of faith,

has absolutely no context, no point of reference,

is stepping into the unknown, walking on water each time,

afraid that you might be getting it wrong.

Not getting it wrong, getting it completely wrong.

Speaking on the behalf of God, daring to speak on the behalf of God,

knowing that you will be held to a standard that is twice

what someone else is held to.

Waiting to see if it is fulfilled or not.

Making adjustments if you have to.

In the Old Testament, they used to get stoned.

This is what happens when you speak or I speak.

When you look at the pain God goes through to reveal an invisible,

inaudible voice through a person for your benefit, neutrality is resistance.

Receptivity is needed during these times.

I'm going to finish this party.

It's 1.03. I'll try and do it in 10 minutes.

And then we'll let all this go.

Just so you know how, what a concession I'm making.

It silences a prophetic voice through accusation, resistance or intimidation.

It is intimidating when there is neutrality.

I was in Nashville, I was prophesying on someone and they seemed pretty neutral.

I must be getting this completely wrong

and I'm telling the guy, you need to go to Switzerland.

If you go to Switzerland, God will give you that nation.

You'll be able to confound people who know Zwingli and this and that and the other.

Your simplicity will undo their sophistication.

God is willing to give you that nation.

I'm looking at his face, I've never met him before.

I'm thinking to myself, my God, he could just come back with chocolates.

And then after he leaves, the pastor comes and tells me that the guy was born in

and spent the first part of his childhood in Switzerland.

Before leaving he said, I know that word is true because he has no idea that I was born in Switzerland

and that I grew up there.

For me it was like a sigh of relief.

It is intimidating to speak on behalf of God over a person.

It is intimidating.

One of the things that happens in this congregation is that because people may do things well

and do things effortlessly, we do not realize how intimidated they actually are.

It is intimidating for Betty to go up there.

There was a time when she couldn't lift her elbows.

It is still intimidating for Jane to lead worship.

But we'll move on.

I just want you to be aware of this.

Be kind.

Be kind during this time.

How are we supposed to be kind in this situation?

By being receptive and not neutral.

Okay, next one.

It depletes resources.

During this season, ask God twice before you give your physical strength or your financial strength away.

Just ask twice before you give your physical strength or your financial strength away.

Just ask God one more time, Father, am I really supposed to do this?

One of the things Jezebel did is she seated at a table and it must have been a big table.

400 profits of Baal and 450 profits of Asherah.

And they ate.

850 people eating breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I didn't know whether they do tea.

But that's three meals, man.

850 people every day.

Ahab began to lose money.

Suddenly after I read this, I thought, okay, I've got to go over and reconsider some of the things that I'm promising

because I've got to make sure that this is the right time for things.

Ask twice. Ask twice.

Personally, corporately, ecclesiastically, whatever.

I was thinking of asking Heidi if we could, given all the travel that's happening with the US, I was going to ask Heidi,

Hey Heidi, do you think we can invest in a private jet?

And Heidi sent me this response, which Brandon, can you put on the overhead?

Heidi sent me this response.

So I texted Heidi saying, Heidi, please, do you think it would be good to invest in a private jet?

Did you email it or?

Yeah, I emailed it to Ax29.ca.

Oops, let's move on because when it comes up, let me know.

Okay.

Yeah, so she sent me.

So that took care of my dreams immediately.

So there's no latitude there.

The question was serious. I mean, every second week I've got to fly all the way there, but it didn't go.

It didn't work.

All righty, moving on. Next point.

You can take that off. Good.

Yeah.

This one, it manipulates.

One of the things this power does is it manipulates and pampers

the petulant, the petulant

fostering immaturity

on a diet of milk and emotions.

So one of the things this power does is it makes a church pamper those that are petulant.

Oh, Ahab, why are you so sad? Want that piece of land? Don't worry, Auntie will get it for you.

It's this immature behavior is catered to, encouraged, pampered.

Ahab is the poster child for petulant behavior, sulking.

And we've got to be careful that we don't do that during this time.

No pampering of petulant behavior because it fosters immaturity.

It fosters immaturity. So who decides what's petulant and what is immature?

That is an important question too, because what you may think is immature may be something I'm really struggling with.

I have to be careful that I don't dismiss what you're struggling with as immaturity.

This just makes a better father out of you, eh?

Because a child may be petulant about some silly thing because he's been bullied about it for the last three days.

And you're not aware of it and so you don't address it the right way.

So that's one thing.

No, because they just don't have a clue.

They have the right to be petulant.

Can this apply to non-believers too?

I'm saying non-believers are behaving according to their default.

Let me finish this.

This is a horrible one guys. Be very careful of this one.

It frightens you out of the presence of God.

It frightens you out of the presence of God.

It frightened...

You know, I still try to wrap my head around it.

How does a man who was laughing at 850 prophets...

How does a man who just saw fire fall from the sky and burn up wood that was soaked many times over...

How does a man like that immediately begin to run one day later?

There is no greater display of power besides the Red Sea parting than Mount Carmel.

How does a man go from that to running for his life and resigning and retiring in one day?

There is something so powerful about this spirit.

You guys need to be aware of what we are dealing with.

This is not...

So one of the things we have to understand as a congregation, as individuals,

is that it will try to frighten you out of the presence of God through circumstances,

through things that are pressing on you.

It will try to frighten you out of the presence of God.

And what is God saying?

Hey guys, I brought you out of bondage.

Hey guys, you are now my holy place of resting.

You are also the people who I roll through.

And so, listen to this, he says in verse 7,

tremble earth because these people are mine.

And what does Jezebel want to do?

Tremble people because this earth is mine.

It frightens you out of the presence of God.

I can't tell you what a clue and what strength God is giving us with some of these sentences.

The other thing we need to realize is it doesn't flee unless resisted.

It doesn't flee unless resisted.

It doesn't flee unless resisted.

So this is the first step towards resisting this power that paralyzes priests, prophets and kings.

Two more statements and we are done.

Two more statements and we are done.

It incites.

It incites.

It won't take the front roll and challenge you.

It will incite him to challenge.

It will incite him to challenge.

It won't challenge.

It provokes you to challenge.

It provokes you to rebel.

It provokes you to teach false.

It provokes you to stir up, foment rebellion.

It provokes you to slander.

It provokes you to accuse.

It provokes.

This is why Jesus found it extremely evil and said be absolutely intolerant of it because you are being tolerant of this.

The congregation is being affected and I am going to do something about it.

It incites.

You know what happened when Satan incited David, right?

A plague hit 23,000 died.

It incites.

David at, when Satan incited David to take a census and 23,000 died in a plague.

It incites and it steals inheritances.

It steals inheritances through false accusation.

This is, and this you got to help me.

It steals inheritances.

Naboth had a vineyard.

It was his heritage.

It was in his family.

Jezebel gets people to witness falsely and takes away his inheritance.

And gives it to Ahab.

It steals inheritances through accusations.

Protect me in this.

When you hear accusations that you know are not Jacob, don't stay silent.

Don't encourage it.

Rise up and speak.

Yeah, rise up and speak.

If there's some truth to it, you must bring it to me and say, hey Jacob, they said this.

So I'm aware.

Then I can either choose to address it or be proud and not address it.

But when things are said of me or of other leaders here, or of forget leaders about anyone here,

then this is the time when you need to speak and not encourage it.

There was a leader from another church, from Pastor Mike's church that I was driving home one day.

And the leader started talking about Pastor Mike.

I kept listening, kept listening.

I said, oh really?

Okay, really?

And so they spent about 25 minutes telling me about Pastor Mike.

Pastor Mike was a good friend of mine.

And then I called Pastor Mike and said, I just want you to know that this person was saying this about you.

So he called that person and me home.

And he turned to me and he said, I thought he was going to deal with the person.

He turned to me and he said, why is it that you listened to it for 25 minutes and didn't stop it?

Why didn't you suggest to the person that the person come and talk to me?

Why did you keep encouraging the person to talk?

I'm sitting here saying, you're telling me that I'm wrong?

I was so agitated that I got up and left and I didn't speak to Pastor Mike for six months.

Then one day I realized who was right and who was wrong.

And I went and apologized to him and then went to his church and told the church why I was missing for six months.

It steals inheritances through false accusation.

Be careful.

Not just mine, yours too.

False accusations.

If there's truth in the accusation, we'll deal with it.

If there's false, do not allow it.

This whole thing that we practice here of guys being careful how they travel with girls and all.

Why, why, why take all the trouble so that we don't end up giving any room for anyone to have any accusation thrown against them?

And I would rather be prudish than prove wrong.

It's worth it, guys.

Last point.

Only Obadiahs and Jehosh can deal with Jezebel.

How does Obadiah deal with Jezebel?

He was a guy who used to work for Ahab who would see that Jezebel was targeting priests and he would take them.

He took 100 of them, put 50 in a cave, put 50 in another cave and fed them bread and water and kept them safe.

Prevented them from being killed.

That's how Obadiah does it.

He gives refuge to people who are being attacked by Jezebel.

So that's one way of dealing with it.

These are the only two ways you can deal with Jezebel.

No other way is possible.

Every other way is tolerant.

Even Obadiah is actually being tolerant.

He's just creating a hospital for people to be, he's creating a refuge for people to be safe.

He's not doing anything against Jezebel.

You can only save 100 priests at a time.

You can't feed more.

He didn't have that kind of money.

He was just a commander, nothing else.

And then there's Jehu.

The only way to deal with Jezebel, which we won't talk about today, is to come violently against Jezebel.

Violently against her.

So that at the end of the day, all she is, is a bunch of bones stripped bare by dogs and dung on the ground.

Dung.

That's what the Bible says.

That she's been reduced to flesh eaten by dogs and a heap of dung.

That is a violence that should meet this power.

Such an intolerance, because it's a power that comes to destroy what Christ has paid with his own blood and put together.

It comes to destroy it.

It rips it to shreds and goes.

And if you think, and this is again going to sound pompous,

if you think that knowing this, I'm going to tolerate it in this church, you're so wrong.

And God help me not to tolerate it.

You should have the same attitude.

For me, it's both a responsibility and an attitude.

And so it is for you.

Any questions? I'm done.

In dealing with Jezebel, guys, it's impossible to deal with Jezebel active in a congregation or in a person without bruising the person.

Hear me again.

It is impossible to deal with Jezebel acting in a congregation or through a person without causing some bruising or harm to the person.

After you've dealt with that, you may have to spend a lot of time helping the person recover.

But it is not possible to deal with this power if it begins to use you without bruising you.

You will be bruised in the process.

So best not to allow it, right?

Okay.

Jesus says to the church in Thyatira, for those of you who have in part taken in activities with Jezebel,

I want to say to you that I have a reward for you.

And here's my reward for you.

You will shepherd nations.

You overcome this power.

He says to anybody who overcomes, I will give authority to shepherd the nations.

I'll give you a scepter and a rod to shatter to pieces those that oppose my kingdom.

And I will give you the authority to shepherd nations.

There is a reward to overcoming this power.

We are at a place called Psalm 114, verse 1 and 2.

Psalms 114:1

I have brought you out of bondage.

I have removed you from the foreign languages around you.

You're no longer secular.

I have drawn you to myself.

You speak my language.

You understand my mother tongue or father tongue.

I also have made you my holy place.

And this is a place from which I will extend my holy rule.

So tremble, Earth, for the God of Jacob is under midst.

Let's pray.

Father, we don't need to pray to you.

We need to pray against this power.

So can you quickly show how?

Father, if a wolf comes in sheep's clothing, we as sheep recognize that wolf.

It is exposed.

So we expose this power.

We recognize where you brought us.

We also recognize this power is presently active, trying to gain footholds in this church, footholds in lives.

And we expose it in the name of Jesus Christ.

We expose it in the name of Jesus Christ.