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Q: “Could you please explain just what a “Jezebel Spirit” is. I sometimes get confused because there are some women being classified as having a “Jezebel Spirit” who I believe are actually discerning the spirit behind something. I don’t know what to do because I sense that if I say anything I will also be labeled as having this spirit because I am a woman.”

      A: Your question is very valid. First of all, the Bible does not mention a “Jezebel Spirit,” which makes it a label more than a spiritual truth. Granted, Jezebel was a real person in the Old Testament and it speaks of a Jezebel in Revelation 2:20. When you study the person Jezebel in the Old Testament, she was an idolatrous, pagan woman who wielded a lot of influence in her time because she was a queen, but there were also other wicked queens such as Athaliah, but I don’t see her name being used in a similar way. The Jezebel in Revelation was an actual woman who was seductive and claiming to be a false prophetess that was leading people astray into physical and spiritual fornication.

      The problem with making up our own terminology about spiritual matters is that it leaves it open for various interpretations and abuses. For example, if we are going to create a “Jezebel Spirit” based on the wickedness of a couple of women who were seductive, controlling, and who encouraged fornication, then it would be proper to have a “Balaam Spirit” as well. After all his name was used in Revelation 2:14. Like Jezebel, he promoted false doctrine that lead the children of Israel to commit fornication.

      The problem with the label of “Jezebel” is that it is directed solely at women and I have seen where certain men have used this to threaten, bully, and silence women who have legitimate concerns or who have truly discerned something. Granted, there are women who have a powerful (wrong) spirit, but it is not a “Jezebel Spirit,” but one of witchcraft, seduction, and idolatry. The aforementioned spirits can also plague men, but I don’t hear men using that same label to identify such wolves.

      There are strong women of faith, but they often feel stifled because they know if they try to warn or share what they are discerning, that they are going to be quickly labeled as a troublemaker, a woman with a “Jezebel Spirit.” However, the first and foremost test in the kingdom of God is whether the message is of God, not the gender or the instrument He uses. In order to determine what is of God, we must discern the spirit, not judge someone based on how he or she comes across or how the person affects us, allowing us to quickly dismiss them because they don’t agree with our personal narrative.

      One of the men who wrote an article about this “Jezebel Spirit” was downright hateful, angry, and accusing towards women. I don’t know the other side, but it appears a woman greatly upset him. My first impression of the man was that he was in a wrong spirit and had an axe to grind. The woman or women he directed the article towards could have been in a wrong spirit, but two wrong spirits do not make a right spirit. I would like to talk to the woman or women whom he directed the article towards so I could discern what was really going on before making a judgment and I would also avoid using the unscriptural label.

      We often forget that whether male or female, we are all in a fallen condition, capable of being tempted by the flesh, taken captive by the world, and enslaved by Satan. We are all prone to be deceived and used by Satan to do his bidding. We need to quit labeling others because that is how the world operates. We need to discern the spirit and test the message to know how to respond to what is being said, and if the spirit is wrong, we must be quick to instruct and challenge in a meek way to avoid improperly judging and condemning others.