TOXIC TRIO
I used to follow some of
the teaching ministries of the megachurches
until I realized I wasn’t getting the results they promised. After studying the
Bible on some of the major demons, I could see that some of these mega
preachers were operating under the influence of what I call the toxic trio:
Leviathan, Jezebel, and Balaam. Leviathan
is the father of pride and is like a snake; Jezebel is a charming spirit, and Balaam manipulates for money.
Job 41 tells us many
characteristics of Leviathan. A Leviathan spirit is arrogant. And sometimes Leviathan
is called a snake. A snake can be very quiet, and a master of camouflage. A
cobra could be right in front of you, and
you might not even see it for quite a long time
until it rears its ugly head and becomes obvious.
Sometimes the term
“Leviathan” is translated “crocodile.” I watched crocodiles when I lived in
Africa. They appeared slow moving, lying on the water’s edge or napping in the
grass, lubberly. I watched one crocodile barely raise his eyelids to get focused
on the exact position of a young wildebeest on the far bank. Then with a sharp
whiplash of the tail, he slid his
reptilian body into the water. He was hidden for a time as he crossed unseen, then
with a violent thrashing, he launched with unbelievable power, up out of the river,
his open mouth dripping water. Then with a sharp snap, he closed down on the
wildebeest’s leg. The crocodile pulled the struggling beast into the muddy
water then began to roll, over and over until the wildebeest’s leg twisted off
and tore away from its body.
Leviathan seen in a
preacher’s actions and words, twists the truth to make it fit their agenda.
They wind a good tale to tear believers apart from each other.
Some of the most
pious-looking, soft-spoken, affable preachers are not as humble as they might
seem. They convince themselves that they
are right. Pride blinds them from being able to take correction from their constituents, and they think they are above the
law. They become unbudgeable.
Job 41:15-17 says: “His scales are his pride, shut up
together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to
another, they stick together, that they cannot be
sundered.”
Job
41:33-34 says the spirit of Leviathan “is made without fear. He beholdeth all
high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.”
One of the things
Leviathan does is twist or pervert the
truth. Isaiah 27:1 says: “In that day the Lord with his sore
and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that
crooked serpent.”
We see that a Leviathan spirit has a big
ego, and feels that he or she is beyond reproach. But to entice followers in
the church, a Leviathan spirit often collaborates with a Jezebel spirit, the smooth-tongued, delightful,
charming spirit. Jezebel is oh so convincing. In a man or a woman, the Jezebel spirit is the one who promises the
world. “Follow me, and I will give you
everything your heart desires.” A Jezebel tells you he or she has all the
answers.
In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel saw
that her husband was sad. He had a problem,
and she was going to be his savior to get that problem solved.
“Jezebel his wife
came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no
bread?
“And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy
vineyard for money; or else, if it please
thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not
give thee my vineyard.
“And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now
govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be
merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite” (vv. 5-7).
The thing Jezebel didn’t
tell her husband is that she planned to kill Naboth to get the vineyard! Some
of the mega preachers will tell you they will get you prosperity and long life
and many blessings, but they neglect to tell you what they have done to get
your attention in the first place and that the prize is not what you think it
is.
Then there’s the spirit of
Balaam. Balaam would do just about anything for money. In Old Testament times,
people paid the prophets to speak what they, the people, wanted to hear. In
Numbers 22 we see where King Balak wanted Balaam to condemn the Israelites.
Balak sent his men with money for the message they wanted to hear. Balaam was a
God-fearing man so he prayed to God about what he should do.
In this blog I’m not trying to say that all mega
preachers are bad. But as a Christian believer, watchman, and writer, God
requires me to warn His people sometimes, wake them up and tell them to open
their eyes and ears to the truth. Balaam
was not a bad person. But money got the best of him. He tried his best to wait
on God, but he slipped up. God told Balaam, “IF” the messengers came back in the morning, he could go with them.
But Balaam was already counting his gold. Instead of waiting for the
messengers, he conveniently left out the “if” and jumped up and went with them.
Jezebel entices people by
promising great things, but she or he colludes with Balaam to find a way to get
paid for it. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, the TOXIC TRIO of Leviathan, Jezebel, and Balaam are bringing even more than
triple trouble to the body of believers. Please consider this and take heed to
yourself if you have been caught up in a crocodile’s jaws.
Love, Carolyn
LIFE LESSONS
* * * !!! WINGS: A JOURNEY
IN FAITH
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