[Note: this was written by the wife–not by the husband!] –J. B.

Today I want to talk about a major reoccurring problem in the churches of America and Christianity in general. This is the problem of feminism and the Jezebel spirit. Have you ever wondered how church boards make the decisions they do and why many men have seemingly lost their voice in the church as opposed to women? These days if you have a patriarchal family configuration in your home – you must certainly be in the minority. This is what I wish to discuss. In approaching this issue, I feel that very strongly God wants his people to reveal the abomination of bad feminism in the church and in the American household.

First off I feel as though I need to define feminism and then focus on the Jezebel spirit. Feminism is basically (according to Wikipedia) a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Now I don’t want to give off the idea that I think all femininity is bad, but only to disclose why the feministic spirit that is rampant in the church today is emasculating pastors. Also, “bad feminism” is a direct contradiction of several Scriptures including Ephesians 5:22 and 24. Primarily, let’s talk about Ephesians 5:22: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Here Paul is instructing wives to submit or serve their husbands in everything they do. This is a major commandment that demands our attention. So many women today subvert their husband’s authority, and instead of doing as their husband dictates on a matter, they will argue and fuss until their husbands give in, just so the husband won’t have to hear any more nagging. I have seen this time and time again just as the saying goes, “If Momma ain’t happy – ain’t nobody happy.” Unfortunately, that saying paints the correct picture. The Bible even speaks about being a nagging or ill-tempered wife. Proverbs 21:9 to be exact. Now, you may be thinking, What does this have to do with feminism? Well, I’m glad you asked, because frankly when you see the trend of this kind of situation, you see the woman “wearing the pants in the family.”  It’s remarkable how dull the American church is to this occurrence. (I know of many a pastor and leader in the church being de-maned – or shanked of his authority and rule! Some have been fired or kicked out of church because they didn’t meet expectations. But wait, I’ve jumped ahead a bit.) Let’s look back at Ephesians 5:24: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Interestingly enough, Paul remarks about first off how the church is to submit to Christ. Let’s talk about the Jezebel spirit. Jezebel was a queen who subverted the authority of her husband and ultimately was the power behind his throne. Her husband Ahab was stripped of his power over his own household and his kingdom. Sacrifices and offerings were made to the god Baal and this displeased the Lord terribly (1 Kings 16:31). Not unlike the women in today’s churches, who totally neglect what Peter says to the church, how women are supposed to be known for their “gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Pet. 3:4). This verse just seems to be disregarded with many of today’s women in the church. Think of some of the names you hear: Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Juanita Bynum, etc. When you see these women what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you see them submitting to their husbands or being covered with a gentle and quiet spirit? Do you see them dressed in inexpensive clothes and loving their husbands? OR do you imagine Abraham’s wife wearing earrings and make up and selling books on buying shoes, or making a pretty penny off of selling Christian literature?! NO!!!!!!!!!! You don’t see any of that! Now, I don’t wish to totally undermine these ladies’ ministries – but just to have readers honestly evaluate what a born-again woman is supposed to look like in her household and in the church.

In the New Testament, Paul introduces or writes about a problem occurring, where women were in a church meeting and were obviously disrupting the meeting in a way that was improper. Paul remarks, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1 Tim. 2:12).

How many women in the church today are “being silent”? I say very few – VERY FEW!!! I don’t know who to blame first: the women who disregard their husbands’ advice and rarely keep their mouth shut till they get home from a church meeting; or the weak-spined husbands who let their wives walk all over their church services.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that women can preach and prophesy, but that men are supposed to be the ones that lead the church. What would happen, ladies and gentlemen, if all of a sudden women were to start submitting to their husbands, and stopped usurping the authority of the pastor? I TELL YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN – REVIVAL!!!! But again, I want to talk about what the “Jezebel” spirit is like. Well, let’s look at the woman “Jezebel.” She tried to kill the prophets, sacrifice to false gods, and take total control away from God. Be careful because this kind of spirit loves to seize all power over a situation with their words, fits of rage, false emotions or emotional tirades, accusatory statements, demeaning facial expressions and tones of voice, smooth sounding words and speech, overall manipulative behavior, etc. The list is endless, friends. Unless someone confronts these women with the truth and stands firm in Christ’s patience, these women will run all over you and make sure that “their will be done” instead of God’s will be done. They pray prayers of their own selfish will and these one-sided prayers carry demonic power. Also, these controlling Jezebel women will talk in circles, almost non-stop about anything and everything. Have you ever been in a conversation with these type of women? Undoubtedly, you’ll have to have wondered whether or not they tire of talking or run out of things to talk about. Silence makes them very uncomfortable and they feel they must control the conversation. The overall Jezebel spirit promotes mainly the spirit of rebellion. The Bible makes it clear that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Sam. 15:23). The woman in this Hell-bound position will even get words of knowledge or revelations from familiar spirits. It goes without saying, this is an UGLY spirit that will talk sweetly to you one minute, and stab you in the back the next. Unfortunately, women (and sometimes rarely men) subject to this spirit, really believe – through demonic deception – that they are doing the will of God. Additionally, it may seem almost funny at times to watch these people turn on the waterworks – cry and cry tears until they get their way. Self-pity plays a big role here. She will try to draw sympathy from you for her cause…always. Watch out for these witches in disguise.

So after saying all this, what can one do to be protected from Jezebel spirits and spirits of bad feminism? First off, PRAY. Whenever you find yourself having to confront a Jezebel spirit, make sure you’re prayed up and on your guard against being easily manipulated. If you find yourself being prayed for by her (especially aloud), ask the Lord to rebuke her self-willed prayers. Secondly, don’t fall prey to her roller coaster emotions and comments where she’s trying to draw sympathy for herself. Thirdly, don’t let her use guilt to prod you into some action that she desires. Fourthly, always speak the truth and be bold against lies. These women will go to great lengths to control you and eventually kill your spirit.

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For those who want to dig deeper, see this article here. We are “complementarians.”