A couple of weeks ago, I had just got home from a trip that night, exhausted I fell asleep. In the middle of the night I halfway awoke and heard the word “Rabshakeh.” Then I fell back asleep. When I finally awoke in morning, I remembered that name. Then I remembered a prophetic word that my pastor, Jane Hamon, shared for the Jewish New Year last September on the spirit of Rabshakeh. I found the word on the Elijah List. During the last weeks, I had been feeling a lot of pressure, and it just wouldn’t release.
Realizing I just couldn’t shake it, I called Dr. Sandie Freed, who is known for deliverance and knowledge of these types of spirits. She started to explain Rabshakeh to me and how it attacks you, and she prayed for me. Wow, what a difference. I have felt like others in the body of Christ, especially prophets, were being hit by the same spirit.
Written below I have both Jane Hamon’s and Sandie Freed’s descriptions of the spirit of Rabshakeh, how it attacks you and how to break free.
Dr. Sandie Freed wrote a prayer at the end to help break its power off you.
Jane Hamon: The Rabshakeh Assignment
“God’s power will cause an inactive, incapacitated, weak and limited church to burst out with a renewed hope and confidence which activates ‘divine reversals’ in every circumstance.”
I had a dream where a spiritual assignment was sent against a godly leader. The enemy’s name was Rabshakeh, and he was coming to spread poison on the back of the leader and then take a rod and beat that leader’s back, driving the poison in and breaking the person. (The back represents the place of a man’s strength. Isaiah 22 talks about the burden in the valley of the vision. The back was where Jesus was beaten so that we can receive our healing. But the enemy wanted to beat Him down, afflict Him with poison, rob healing and destroy Him.) But before Rabshakeh could complete his mission of destruction, we alerted the authorities, who captured him. They then led us out and put rods in our hands to beat his back!
What does this dream have to do with the story of the besiegement of Jerusalem? It turns out that Rabshakeh was not the name of a reggae band but rather was the emissary of Sennacherib, his mouthpiece sent to demoralize Hezekiah and his armies, trying to get them to give up, lay down their weapons and surrender the city. He tried to convince Hezekiah and his leaders that God had forsaken them and would not save them.
His name means “chief prince” and may well be a demonic assignment against true reformers and leaders today. Rabshakeh filled the air with accusations against who God is, against who the leaders are and about the impossibility of their situation. Understand: He was seeking to spread poison and get in their heads so they would be beaten down and submit to giving up and being overthrown. Don’t let the enemy get in your head! He will convince you that all your works of righteousness and reformation have been for nothing, and that in the end, God will abandon you and not hear your prayers. Is it possible to be pregnant with reformation and not bring it forth? Is it possible to be pregnant with your miracle answer and it be aborted or stillborn because you give up?
Dr. Sandie Freed: Overcoming the Spirit of Rabshakeh
I want to encourage the body of Christ concerning the spiritual warfare we are in right now. Though we are in a season of great breakthrough, the enemy remains relentless in attempts to discourage us and wear us out. There is much witchcraft affecting God’s leaders as well as hopelessness, despair and physical illness. Much of the witchcraft is coming through false accusations fueled by the evil messenger, the Accuser. Let’s look to the Word for more clarity concerning what many might be facing right now.
King Hezekiah and Rabshakeh:
I am reminded of the attack upon King Hezekiah who was at one time surrounded by the Assyrians. The Assyrian king sent a type of spokesman, (he was also known as a chief cup bearer or “chief of the princes,”) Rabshakeh (his name is also spelled Rabshekah), to attempt to convince King Hezekiah to withdraw and/or make a treaty with them. King Hezekiah was determined not to make a treaty with this enemy; however, he was facing insurmountable odds. Thus, Rabshakeh attempted to threaten and mock Hezekiah by getting on the wall and speaking to the people, including some of the king’s inner circle.
Rabshakeh proved to be an evil, blasphemous, prideful messenger who hurled malicious, mocking threats against Hezekiah. And not only that, he boldly blasphemed God in the presence of all the Jews. Rabshakeh purposefully degraded Hezekiah in front of the people so that each one would lose respect for their king and run away in fear.
Rabshakeh hoped to cause the Jews to no longer trust their king and, therefore, desert Hezekiah and join the Assyrians. And, moreover, he tried to shake their faith in the one true and living God! He spoke to the people in their familiar native language rather than Aramaic so that each person could easily understand what was said. Bottom line: Rabshakeh intended to completely discredit King Hezekiah and God’s ability to deliver them.
Hezekiah was facing great pressure! The words and actions from this evil messenger began to wear him down. He needed to hear from God; what was he to do? This is what King Hezekiah said:
“‘Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy. For children have come to birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth'” (Isa. 37:3).
Interestingly, the word “trouble” is the Hebrew word for our word “narrow.” Hezekiah was crying out and saying that he was in a tight place, a narrow place. His strength was gone, and he compared this narrow place to the times a mother is about to give birth to a baby, and there was no strength left for the push!
Believers, many of you are about to give birth to God’s destiny for your life, and you are in a narrow place. Every baby in the birth canal experiences a narrow place, but the fulfillment of destiny comes with the push.
Satan knows that if you quit pushing, you can’t birth! The enemy has targeted your promises; evil messengers are speaking familiar, witchcraft words right now. Don’t allow familiar spirits and familiar words to infiltrate your thought life. Don’t allow them an exalted position on the “wall” of your mind! The devil knows what words you are familiar with, so don’t let the familiarity of fear, rebellion and accusing words influence your actions. The enemy is attempting to speak to others so that they will abandon their leaders and abandon their post. If you are a leader in the body, stand your ground! God will undergird You with His strength. Let’s be on guard against a rebellious spirit attempting to seduce you into apostasy, sin and fear. Submit to God; resist the enemy, and he must flee!
Believer, hold on to your promises. You may feel pressed in on every side, but God promises to renew your strength as you rise up and push.
God promised Hezekiah a victory, and the Assyrians fell at God’s hand. Take some time and read 2 Kings 19. It’s an amazing account about the faithfulness of God. Precious ones, be encouraged today; God is silencing your accuser.
(Pray this out loud.)
Father God:
Thank You for the Word of the Lord that promises us that You are always on our side. Thank You that You say that You make all things work together for our good. Lord, when the enemy attempts to rise up against us, You raise up a standard against him!
Today is the day for breakthrough. I declare that I am not weak; I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might. I stand my ground today. I resist the enemy, and He must flee. Thank You for breaking off the threats and words of my accuser. The assignment of Rabshakeh and witchcraft is broken off my life. I am victorious in every narrow place. I am not distressed or troubled, but rather, at peace and encouraged in You. I declare that I will birth vision. I declare that I will rise up and birth destiny in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
