God's Faithfulness - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 27, 2022

God is repeatedly described as faithful in the Bible. Moses called Him faithful in Deuteronomy 7:9. The Psalmists lauded Him for being steadfast in Psalm 119:90. Paul did the same in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 1:9.

Yet many of us struggle to understand what that means. This is because we've seen our fellow human beings fail to be faithful in all manner of situations.

Yet, there's a part of us that yearns for faithfulness, desiring to see it in others as well as in ourselves. The reason is that at our core, we know what faithfulness is. We experienced it when we were with the Lord before He sent us to this earth for His purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). Having known it in the beginning, we want it now.

And God wants us to know that we can bask in that faithfulness right now if we choose to walk with Him. For He is faithful to those who choose to become His sons and daughters. He is calling on each of us to make that choice. Doing so requires us to equally be faithful to Him. To choose Him over everything else and be loyal even when it hurts.

This might sound like a difficult task, but once we experience God's faithfulness, He teaches us how to be completely faithful to Him. And only then can we be completely faithful to somebody else.

There's another reason why we need to be familiar with the concept of God's fidelity to His children - satan is very familiar with it. The devil knows that if God's children are ignorant of God's faithfulness then they will be ignorant of the power and protection this provides them. When that happens, satan is can create chaos in their lives and prevent them from enjoying the fullness of life that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.

As we close out 2020, let's turn to the Bible and see the many examples of God's faithfulness. He promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations and that's what happened. Through Jesus Christ, He promised His disciples they would receive the Holy Spirit and that happened with evidence of speaking in other tongues.

Now, look at your life and identify how God has been faithful to you over the years. Think of the bad things you thought would come but they never did. Remember how certain things happened smoothly after you fasted and prayed. Consider the fact that you made it to this day when so many others unfortunately didn't.

God has been faithful. God is faithful. God will be faithful to the very end. Don't let the devil blind you to this reality and the security it provides to the children of the Lord. He who called you unto Himself is faithful and He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Again, on Jezebel - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 23, 2022

We recently looked at Jezebel and learned that she is not one whose example we want to follow. She was a Biblical queen who married Ahab, King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Described as an idolater and witch in 2 Kings 9:22, she had God's prophets killed, arranged the murder of a man who refused to sell her husband his vineyard, and threatened to kill Prophet Elijah.

She seduced with beauty and wealth, all symbolic of the kingdom she came from. Understandably, many would aspire to be like her. What these people didn't realize was that the elegance she represented came with the false gods she served. And by delving deeper and deeper into this idolatry, the citizens of Israel walked further away from their God.

To be fair, Jezebel cannot be blamed for the Northern Kingdom turning to false gods and idols. That started long before she arrived on the scene. Using her influence and power, she ensured that God's prophets were hunted and killed (with the knowledge and sanction of her husband), resulting in the 100 remaining prophets hiding in caves (1 Kings 18:4). The prophets and priests of her gods on the other hand, were well fed and feted in a time of severe famine (1 Kings 18:19).

In this way, she led more and more people from serving God. Imagine living in a land where food and water were scarce, only to learn the queen had food and drinks for those who worshipped her false gods. As such, the nation largely turned away from the Lord and eventually, only 7000 remained who hadn't honored other gods (1 Kings 19:18).

Let us not think such is impossible in our day and age. Instead, guard against being seduced by the deceptive image Jezebel presents, thinking that following in those footsteps will produce certain desired results. Remember that the Jezebel spirit aims to cause people to rebel against God. This is not achieved through brute force at first, so the strategy may not be immediately obvious. The Jezebel spirit subtly encourages others to stop obeying the Lord in order to achieve a form of success that is separate from God's word. One compromise at a time.

We are commanded in Isaiah 8:20 - Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Whatever does not have God's light belongs in the darkness. It is something we should not approach. In order to recognize a rebellious Jezebel-type and identify the absence of God's light in them, we must become familiar with God's word in the Bible. The more that happens, the easier it is to recognize His voice and recognize what does not align with it. In that way, His faithful children can flee from what seeks to separate them from the Lord and the fullness that comes from living in His light.

This way, Jezebel's end will not be our portion for she was pushed out of a window and her remains were stripped by dogs with only her skull, hands and feet found (2 Kings 9:35-37). This had been prophesied by God's prophet, Elijah, in 1 Kings 21:19-24. As God cannot lie, His word came to pass.

May we each ask the Lord for the spiritual fruit and gifts which lend to spiritual fullness. That we may be in tune with God Almighty and stay far away from Jezebels and the spirit they carry, IJMN, Amen.

PS: If you're wondering what happened to Jezebel's husband, Ahab, the Bible records him as having done more evil than all the kings that came before him (1 Kings 16:30). 1 Kings 21:25-26 states, "[t]here was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel." He was cursed by God to die and did so in a battle. The men cleaned Ahab’s chariot at a pool in Samaria where prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked his blood from the chariot. These things happened as the Lord had said they would (1 Kings 22:38).

Please find the first Jezebel post here - Jezebel: An Introduction - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 20, 2022

Jezebel: An Introduction - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 20, 2022

What do you know of Jezebel? She was a Biblical queen who married one of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel - Ahab. A non-Israelite, she did not worship Jehovah and in fact, brought the gods, idols and practices of her nation, entrenching them in her husband's land. She was a devious woman and was identified as an idolater and witch (2 Kings 9:22). She murdered God's prophets, so much so that at a point, only 100 remained and they hid in caves (1 Kings 18:4).

She schemed to kill a man simply because he refused to sell his inheritance - a vineyard - to her husband (1 Kings 21). Jezebel also threatened Prophet Elijah's life after he killed 850 of her false prophets (1 Kings 19:2). Her promise to kill the servant of God sent him running into the wilderness in fright (1 Kings 19:3). Her reputation for evil was enough to scare the prophet though he was a courageous man who spoke God's word - palatable or not - boldly.

Given the modern love for villains, it's no surprise that the term 'Jezebel' doesn't carry as strong a stench to it anymore. There are even websites named after the sadistic queen and nowadays, being a 'Jezebel' seems to have a bit of a 'cool' edge to it. Yet, God used Jezebel and her story as a warning to those of us who would come many centuries after she lived. A cautionary tale to not follow in her footsteps so as not to end up like her. In fact, the main issue Jesus had with the Church of Thyatira involved a 'Jezebel'. Revelation 2:20 - Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

We shall examine this queen, paying close attention to the hallmarks of individuals with a similar attitude - the Jezebel spirit. These individuals can be male or female, young or old. Their end is always the same - they are cast down from their high place and trampled underfoot (2 Kings 9:33). They exemplify what happens to those who do not walk in the fear of the Lord, are murderous, thieving, rebellious, who worship other gods and lead people away from the Lord.

May the good Lord Almighty guide us as we turn to this study at the end of the year. May we submit to Him and be stripped of the parts of ourselves where we have allowed the Jezebel spirit to take root and dwell, IJMN Amen.