Over 1,100 people filled a sold-out ballroom in Kansas City on Sept. 20 to listen to a man who has saved the lives of countless children and speaks out on behalf of those waiting to be born.

Dr. Ben Carson, world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, thanked the Vitae Foundation and its donors for standing up for women and their unborn babies. 

“Thank you for caring for those who can’t speak for themselves. Someone has to do that!” Carson told the overflow audience of pro-life supporters. 

As the only pediatric surgeon who has successfully separated Siamese twins who were joined at the head, Carson has traveled the world to share his experiences and to learn from others. He told an interesting story about being at a conference in South Africa with the director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who said to him, “Our job is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” 

Carson said that inspired him to share a story with the ACLU leader about a woman who came to him at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore who was 33 weeks pregnant. She was on her way to Kansas to get an abortion because her baby had been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, or water on the brain.

“Fortunately, I was able to talk her out of the abortion,” Carson told the crowd. “The baby was born, and we were able to operate successfully.” 

After the applause from the audience died down, Carson continued his story by stating he asked the ACLU director if he spoke on behalf of that baby.

“That baby was 33 weeks gestation, which means that baby could survive unassisted outside its mother,” Carson told the audience. “But [the ACLU director] kind of hemmed and hawed and just couldn’t really come up with an answer.” 

Later on that evening, the two men were eating dinner together, and Carson wanted to continue the conversation. He tried to make it easy on the ACLU director by asking if his organization would speak out on behalf of babies who are born at 24, 25, even 26 weeks gestation who are using ventilators and are receiving maximum life support.

“We’d definitely advocate for those babies,” the man told Carson.

Carson responded, “The one that is several weeks further along and would be viable with no life support outside the mother’s womb, you would have trouble defending, but the one who is immature and needs a lot of assistance, you don’t have any problem defending that baby?”

The director said, “I realize that doesn’t make any sense. … I believe a mother has a right to kill her baby until one second before it’s born.”

Carson told the audience the current ACLU leader admitted he would never say that publicly. 

“That’s the kind of mentality we face in this nation,” he said. “The fact is that we can sit around and talk about ancient civilizations and call them barbaric, yet we sacrifice little babies. We’re no better than they are. We may be worse. Millions upon millions of innocent little human beings who have no chance of defending themselves are placed in the safest environment that God could place them in, and we found a way to go in there and murder them.” 

Before Carson’s keynote address, Vitae Foundation Vice President Anne Carmichael shared some good news with Vitae’s supporters.

“Year to date, we have saved 512 babies in the greater Kansas City area and 3,207 babies across the country. Together with our donors, the pregnancy help centers and our high velocity media strategies, we are winning!” 

International evangelist Reinhard Bonnke saw hundreds of people come to Christ and healed on the final night of the Good News crusade in Orlando, Fla., while he also announced his ministry’s plans to hold more evangelistic meetings throughout America next year. Bonnke and Christ for all Nations President Daniel Kolenda used the Saturday night gathering, which drew more than 12,000 people to the Amway Center, to reveal plans of another crusade in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-17, 2014, followed by other cities yet to be announced.

“After that we will go in rapid succession, crusade after crusade after crusade—and God is with us,” Bonnke declared. “Our God is able. He is capable to bless America with salvation like never before. We don’t look into the past; we look into the future. And the gospel is our nation’s future, in Jesus’ name.”

Kolenda later added, “This is only the beginning of a movement that I believe will go from state to state. … God is turning the tide, and we are going to see the kingdom of God push back the darkness.”

In typical Bonnke fashion, the 73-year-old evangelist mixed a bold gospel message with real-life stories of his conversations with unbelievers, skeptics and atheists.

“In Germany, they ask me, ‘Can’t you preach a little softer?’” he said. “But I’ve experienced [the gospel’s power]. I speak from experience. And because I know it works, that’s why I preach the way I preach. It works. … I am a living piece of evidence that there is power in the blood of Jesus.”

Bonnke used Revelation 3:20 (“Behold, I stand at the door and knock …”) as his centerpiece text, challenging the enthusiastic crowd to allow Jesus to enter their hearts and kick out “the wrong partner—the devil.”

“Where the devil subtracted, Jesus will add to you,” he declared. “You will leave this arena, this Amway Center, as someone who has been saved, washed and [will have] blessings added every day.”

On Saturday, the Good News Orlando meeting concluded as it did the previous night—with almost a dozen onstage testimonies of Jesus healing various ailments, from removing cataracts to alleviating severe asthma to unfusing joints.

“I’m not a teacher—I’m just an evangelist—but I want to teach you divine arithmetic,” Bonnke told the crowd. “Jesus turns minus into plus. He turns negative into positive. He turns failure into success. He turns hell into heaven and bondage into freedom. This is the story of the gospel!”

Elizabeth Simmons, a freelance journalist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., came to Orlando for the Christ for all Nations (CfaN) Good News crusade on her own dime and with a twofold agenda.

Not only did she want to help hundreds of thousands of Times-Union readers discover Jesus through her news reports Friday and Saturday, but she also came to support her spiritual mother, Elizabeth “Bebe” Brown, who came to Orlando with a friend from Tennessee.

Brown, whom Simmons has known for two years and credits with helping her turn her life around for Jesus, is physically blind and came to Orlando believing for her healing.

“Faith—it’s all about faith,” Simmons said. “We need to not limit God and start believing that He will do what He said He is going to do. I love God with everything I am and I have. I know He can save and He can restore, and that’s what we’re believing for.”

Bonnke and his CfaN team held its initial Good News crusade on Friday night in front of more than 10,000 at the Amway Center.

Since 1987, 75 million souls in Africa have come to salvation through the ministry of CfaN. Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke says God is ready to pour out the same blessing on the United States.

“We have seen God do so many mighty things in Africa,” he says. “But I know that he is the same God, and He will shake America. America shall be saved. America will be saved, and this is the day of salvation.”

Bonnke isn’t naïve. He knows well the moral issues that America faces—abortion, same-sex marriage and discouragement, among many. He hears the negativity daily about how America has lost its soul.

But Bonnke isn’t buying it.

“This is not the day of damnation; this is the day of salvation,” he says. “Do you know what Satan hates about us as human beings? He hates the image of God in us. He wants to remove it and replace it with his own image. He’s got a big sledgehammer, and he tries to flatten the Spirit of God. So many people suffer under those hammerings of sin, and they don’t know how to help themselves.

“Drug addiction, alcoholism, immorality—it’s blow after blow after blow until the image of God is almost gone. But Jesus intercepted that hammer for us. He stops the devil if we seek refuge in Him. He will deliver you from bondages, compulsions, fears and tears … only Jesus saves.”

CfaN President and CEO Daniel Kolenda says there is only one thing that can remove the spiritual darkness that has engulfed America.

“The United States will be saved only through a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirt,” he says. “I see the seeds of a movement of evangelism and the Holy Spirit that will sweep across the nation from sea to shining sea. Our nation is in desperate need of revival. The solution won’t come from the White House, and it won’t be fixed through the polls. It will only come from Jesus.”

And Bonnke unashamedly has a word for so-called “Sunday Christians” and backsliders.

“I don’t know why they always have to slide away from Jesus,” he says. “They cheat like the world, tell foul jokes just like the world—everything just like the world. I have a question for them: Why can’t you slide away from the devil? Jesus’ arms are wide open, and He’s ready to save you now.”

Grammy Award-winning artist Israel Houghton opened the crusade and brought those at the Amway Center to their feet with traditional favorites like “I Am a Friend of God” and “Mighty to Save.”

Audiences have once again shown their loyalty and support for Kirk Cameron as the results are in from Unstoppable, which proves that audiences will head to the theater for quality projects, even on a weeknight.

The estimated $2 million earned at the box office (unaudited numbers via Rentrak) would rank the film first or second for Tuesday night, rivaling the Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle Prisoners, which came in at $2.1 million.

On Tuesday, actor and producer Kirk Cameron debuted Unstoppable: A Live Event With Kirk Cameron in more than 700 select movie theaters across the country through NCM Fathom Events, in partnership with Provident Films.

More than 150,000 tickets were sold for Unstoppable, in which Cameron was linked in live to theaters from the Vines Center at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Select locations added additional showings the same evening due to overwhelming demand.

Due to the demand and a large number of sold-out shows, an encore presentation is now scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. local time in more than 660 movie theaters. Select theaters are already sold out or near sold out in many markets, including Springfield, Mo.; Tulsa, Okla.; San Antonio, Texas; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Bakersfield, Calif., among others. Ticket and theater information are available at unstoppablethemovie.com.

Interest from audiences and media outlets grew stronger after it was discovered that both Facebook and YouTube initially blocked the trailer for Unstoppable, labeling it “unsafe” and “abusive.” Cameron’s supporters immediately rallied online support, and the incidents were resolved.

Cameron calls Unstoppable his “most personal” project to date, as he invites audiences to join him on a powerful, visual journey to better understand the biggest doubt-raising question in faith: “Where is God in the midst of tragedy and suffering?”

Cameron is best known for his memorable role as Growing Pains‘ Mike Seaver, a cultural icon of the ′80s, with his mullet hairstyle, cool glasses and wisecracking comebacks. More recently, he enjoyed much success with the No. 1 grossing inspirational film of 2008, Fireproof, and his recent documentary Monumental. Cameron and his wife, Chelsea, live in California with their six children.

The anointing at the altar was strong. Words of wisdom were flowing. People were getting healed. We were seeing a genuine outpouring. The Holy Spirit’s manifest presence was undeniable. God was using Mark (not his real name) to set the captives free.

But Mark wasn’t free—and he wouldn’t admit it. Mark was like one of the Sons of Thunder who wanted to call fire down from heaven to consume the people who rejected Jesus (Luke 9:54). He frequently threatened to rebuke those who didn’t live up to his standards. He had dreams and visions of people dying because they wouldn’t come to church. His behavior was controlling, impatient and self-righteous.

When Mark’s co-laborers confronted him, he suggested they were the problem. He said they didn’t have enough faith to live on the edge like he was; that they weren’t sold out to God like he was; that they weren’t fasting and praying enough like he was; that they just weren’t holy enough like he was. So he cut off relationship with those co-laborers and took his spiritual gifts somewhere else.

And that’s sad, because the gifts followed him out the door, but so did his ugly character flaws that could ultimately hold him back from his prophetic destiny.

Mark is not the only one I’ve run into who had a powerful anointing and especially poor character. And he’s not the only one I’ve run into that justified that poor behavior with a powerful anointing.

Religion Is Ugly, But Character Matters

Some believe that just because they can prophesy an accurate word, God doesn’t mind their angry outbursts at home. Or because people are slain in the Spirit when they lay hands on them, God is pleased with the way they treat their friends. Or because a gift of healing is present, God is giving them a pass on that drinking problem, sexual sin or whatever else is hidden behind closed doors.

That’s called religion.

And it’s ugly.

Character matters.

No, we don’t have to be perfect to prophesy a perfectly accurate word. We don’t have to have a flawless character to minister at the altar. We don’t need to be absolutely sinless to lay hands on the sick and see them recover.

To suggest so would also be called religion.

And that would be ugly.

Nevertheless, character still matters.

So, what am I saying? We need to stop confusing gifts and callings with maturity and character. God can use a stubborn mule to prophesy, and he can use a stubborn believer to prophesy too. That doesn’t mean God endorses stubbornness, which is like the sin of idolatry (1 Sam. 15:23). It just means that God needed a vessel to deliver the prophetic word to a person who desperately needed to hear it. That prophecy—or powerful altar call or gifts of healings or working of miracles—isn’t about puffing up or glorifying the vessel. It’s about edifying the church and glorifying God.

You Can’t Earn Spiritual Gifts

Good character doesn’t earn you spiritual gifts and anointings, and poor character doesn’t remove them, at least not overnight. The Holy Spirit distributes the nine spiritual gifts—word of wisdom, word of knowledge, gift of faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues—to people as He wills (1 Cor. 12:4-11). It doesn’t have anything to do with our will, nor does it validate our character.

By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). The Greek word for gifts in this verse is charisma, which means “a gift of grace, a gift involving grace” on the part of God as the donor. This verse is often applied to God’s free grace to sinners, but I believe it can also apply to spiritual gifts and ministry callings.

If God called you into ministry, He isn’t going to revoke that call or the gifts that go with it the first time (or even necessarily the 10th or 20th time) you act out or sin. Ultimately, it’s we who turn our backs on our ministry when we repeatedly disobey God like Saul did. God is so slow to anger and abounding in mercy (Num. 14:18) that it may seem like we’re getting away with our poor behavior and behind-the-scenes sin. God is just giving us space to repent.

A Space to Repent

God gave King Ahab and Jezebel space to repent. After the prophetic showdown on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the false prophets, Ahab went back and told Jezebel what happened (1 Kings 19:1). The wicked monarchs should have repented right then and there. They didn’t repent, but they didn’t lose the kingdom just then, either. Ahab went on to record two victories against the Syrians in battle (1 Kings 20). The gifts and callings were still there.

Ahab should have recognized the mercy of God in operation—and that he was merely a vessel God was using to bring His will to Israel. But prideful Ahab missed the mark and still didn’t repent. Instead, he went on to let Jezebel frame innocent Naboth so he could take his vineyard (1 Kings 21). Only then did Elijah deliver a word of condemnation to Ahab.

But God still gave Ahab another way out, sending Micaiah the prophet to warn him what would happen if he went into battle with Syria again. Prideful Ahab would not listen—and was killed in battle. Soon Jehu would rise up and destroy Jezebel and their entire family. But our long-suffering God gave them plenty of warnings before that happened.

I believe God is giving warnings to many spiritually gifted people with character issues and private sin in this hour. Sometimes he sends people to confront them in love about their behavior. Other times He shows them through His Word. Still other times the conviction of the Holy Spirit comes.

I pray that all of us would learn to discern God’s loving correction in our lives, because when we ignore Him over and over and over and over and over again, we wind up deceiving ourselves (James 1:22)—and we think just because we are anointed and prophesying accurately that God is pleased with what we do when we’re not on the platform. God’s grace to grow up is available to us all. Our part is to meditate on His Word, set our hearts to obey and thank God for the grace to do it. Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Making of a Prophet. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

With multiplied thousands of Christians praying on Friday, Henry Blackaby, 78, was found safe. He was missing for 29 hours.

The Southern Baptist minister is best known for his book Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, which sold more than 7 million copies and is available in 45 languages.

“He has been found!” his son Richard Blackaby posted about 9 p.m. Friday. “Doctors are checking him to see if he is OK, but he is safe. THANK YOU for your prayers!”

The family was concerned because Henry Blackaby has Type 2 diabetes and hadn’t taken insulin in more than 24 hours. Richard posted a prayer request on Twitter that went viral.

According to Fox, Wes Agnew, the administrative pastor at First Baptist Church, said the 78-year-old was first spotted at a tobacco store in Perry, Ga., about 90 miles south of metro Atlanta. Fox 5 reported that Blackaby was later pulled over by authorities in Tifton, Ga.

A statement on the family’s website reads, “The Blackaby family would like everyone to know that Henry has been found and is safe. His health concerns are being addressed and we will keep everyone posted with the news. We wish to express to everyone our appreciation and gratitude for the prayers and concern over the last 29 hours. Henry has taught us that we can experience God in the good and the bad times. We thank God that we have experienced his grace, peace, and faithfulness in these times.”

However, there’s been no official statement on where Blackaby was during those 29 hours. According to the Baptist Standard, Annie’s Link—an email that former personnel of the Southern Baptist Convention Home Mission Board receive—has said, “His health concerns are being addressed, and we will keep everyone posted with the news.”

Henry and Marilyn Blackaby served in churches in California before serving 18 years in Canada, where they saw many new churches begin. They raised their five children in Canada. It was also at that time that God taught the Blackabys the truths concerning walking with God that would eventually become the basis for the best-selling book Experiencing God.

Raised in that environment, all five children sensed a unique call of God into ministry. Their oldest son, Richard, currently serves as president of Blackaby Ministries International and resides in Greenville, S.C. Thomas Blackaby is the former senior pastor of North Sea Baptist Church in Stavanger, Norway, and now is director of international ministries for Blackaby Ministries International. He and his family reside in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Melvin Blackaby is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ga. Norman Blackaby is a professor at Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas. Carrie Blackaby-Webb is a career missionary serving in Germany.

Jesus knew who would betray Him, but we don’t always see betrayals coming. Sometimes it’s a blindside—but then again, shouldn’t we expect it?

After all, Jesus said that in the end times many “will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matt. 24:10, NKJV). I believe it often happens in that order. Someone isn’t going to betray you unless they first take Satan’s bait of offense. And no betrayal stings worse than a knife in your back wielded by someone who was supposed to have your back.

Shakespeare’s tragic play Julius Caesar makes it clear how the bitter act of betrayal seeks to harm its victim. We remember Caesar’s words: “Et tu, Brute?” Jesus put it another way: “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:48). And David explained, “Even my best friend, the one I always told everything—he ate meals at my house all the time!—has bitten my hand” (Ps. 41:9 MSG).

When Trust Is Betrayed

People outside your inner circle persecute and malign you—but they can’t really betray you because betrayal implies trust. People inside your inner circle—those you’ve trusted and invested yourself in—can and sometimes do betray you, then persecute and malign you to disguise their dirty deeds. Sometimes they repent, but usually not until later—much later. Of course, we have to forgive them whether they repent or not.

The Holy Spirit once reminded me of this truth after a blindside betrayal. I started getting calls from people telling me someone who had walked out on the ministry was now making “offhand” comments about me. The Judas was savvy enough not to come right out and speak condemning words, but anyone who could read between the lines could smell the stench of gossip. Because I’ve been betrayed a number of times, it caused me to go into prayer for my persecutor. That’s when I heard the Holy Spirit remind me of His Word with a rhythmic phrase that’s so easy to remember: “If you want God to vindicate, don’t retaliate!”

That made me smile. In an instant, the Holy Sprit began to bring to my remembrance the times I’ve handled betrayal His way—and then saw the fruit of walking in His Word in this area of my life. The Word of God says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:19-21, NKJV).

Sermon on the Mount Liberty

That verse will liberate you if you will heed it. Need more? Consider the liberty in these words from the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matt. 5:43-46).

I learned all of this early in my Christian walk because I came into the faith after two major, life-changing betrayals—my husband abandoned me, and soon after, I landed in jail on a false accusation (of which I was eventually cleared)—that turned my world upside down and put me on a path seeking God. I was taught immediately that God is my vindicator, and I have seen this truth play out over and over and over again in my life.

Hear me on this. When you are betrayed, you have two choices: You can sink to your hater’s level and enjoy the temporary satisfaction of attacking them in the same spirit that attacked you, or you can decide to move in the opposite spirit—the Spirit of Christ—and allow Him to prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies (Ps. 23:5). I’ve discovered that when I do things God’s way, He restores what the enemy stole and promotes me to another level of influence. It happens every time. You just have to hang on to the Word and move on with your life—forgiving your betrayer, opening your heart to receiving God’s healing, then forgetting what lies behind and expecting God to move on your behalf.

Hold Out for God’s Vindication

Recently I appeared on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural show talking about some of my betrayals and how God restored my life, but the radio broadcast offers even more details. On the radio, I told the story of leaving a publishing company and how I was sorely betrayed and persecuted on my way out the door—and even years later. Many people there thought I was in rebellion and deceived. I chose not to retaliate and waited for God to vindicate. I forgave them. He healed me. He promoted me—and then one of the sweetest vindications came nearly four years later through a phone call from an elderly woman still inside the organization who told me, “I am so proud of you. Everyone thought you were deceived, but God has confirmed you. You followed God out of this place, and look where He has taken you!”

Beloved, don’t try to defend yourself. Don’t try to make people understand your side of the story. Don’t engage in conversation with other people about the betrayal. It doesn’t matter what people think. It matters what God thinks. And if God wants to show them the truth, He will do it. Trust God. Let Him pull the knife out of your back. When you refuse to retaliate, God will vindicate! Whether you see that vindication immediately or it takes years, hold on to these words from Romans 8:33-37:

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at   [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Beyond Ahab and the eunuchs, Jezebel had at least 850 false prophetic puppets to manhandle. These 850 prophets came from two different camps in Israel—they were the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah, sometimes called the prophets of Jezebel. Queen Jezebel’s false prophets were wrapped up in a religious system that spoke contrary to the will of God, while Jehovah’s prophets were hidden in caves for fear of their lives.

Indeed, ironic is the fact that Queen Jezebel was executing the true prophets of God as if they were false prophets (1 Kings 18:4) while the false prophetic puppets were being pampered and eating prime rib in the palace (v. 19).

God clearly mandated that false prophets be put to death (Deut. 13:1-5) along with people who adopt idolatry or lead others into this spiritual adultery (Deut. 13:13; 17:2-7). Yet Ahab stood by as Jezebel massacred the true prophets of God under false pretenses to protect her puppets, so it’s no wonder she was murderously mad when Elijah executed true justice against her misaligned mouthpieces (1 Kings 18:40).

But who were these 850 false prophetic puppets? How did Jezebel and religion work together to drive a sinister agenda—and how can we apply that to modern times?

False Prophetic Camps Rising

There are prophetic cults rising in the body of Christ that are deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:13). And should we be surprised? The Bible warns of false prophets over and again. Just as true prophets travel and minister in companies, wouldn’t it stand to reason that false prophets would too? If you need further evidence, just read 1 Kings. There you will find two companies of false prophets: the Baal prophets and the Jezebel prophets. In fact, you’ll only find three types of prophets mentioned in the Old Testament: the prophets of Baal, the prophets of Jezebel and the prophets of Jehovah.

Baal is a god of prophetic divination. This spirit leads people into idolatry through the guise of religion just like it led the Israelites into idolatry when Moses was on the mountain talking with God. Remember when the children of Israel made a molten calf as an idol to worship? That was the spirit of Baal (Ex. 32:8). Prophets of Baal, then, offer prophetic utterances that lead you into idolatry. These were among Jezebel’s puppets. Not much is said about the function of these prophets in the Bible, but it’s clear they were helping Jezebel forward her false religious agenda or she wouldn’t have kept them on her payroll.

What is idolatry? It’s when you put something above God in your life. It’s when you are more devoted to something than God. That could be a job, a relationship, money or a whole host of other things. You still see these “prophets of Baal” in the church today. They tap into the idolatry in your heart and prophesy what they find there through familiar spirits. Listen now, if you go to a meeting and a prophet announces a special prayer line for all those who sow $1,000 in exchange for a financial breakthrough, a powerful prayer life, a restored relationship or anything of the like, then you are in the midst of Baal’s camp. The Baal prophets network together and invite each other to their churches to merchandise their own sheep. They join together for mega-fundraisers that leave the sowers with empty pockets that won’t be filled with anything other than the wrong motives they came to the altar with.

The Prophets of Jezebel

The spirit of Ashtoreth influences the prophets of Jezebel. Ashtoreth was the pagan god Queen Jezebel served and was known as a seducing goddess of war. This is a different camp than the Baal prophets—and with a different motive. The prophets of Jezebel prophesy smooth, flattering words to manipulate and control, and they ultimately seduce you into immorality and idolatry (Rev. 2:20). If that doesn’t work, they transition into warfare mode and prophesy fearful sayings to control you.

When you hear prophetic judgments and curses that are clearly not coming from the heart of God, you are dealing with one of Jezebel’s modern-day prophets. Just like Queen Jezebel released fearful death threats in the Old Testament (1 Kings 19:2), New Testament prophets consumed with the spirit of Jezebel continue to release fearful death threats in the form of judgments and curses that are not from God. Ashtoreth and Baal were married. So these spirits often share one another’s characteristics. We must discern what we are dealing with. The prophets of Jezebel were puppets, probably among her messengers of doom.

The Prophets of Jehovah

The third type of prophets, of course, are Jehovah’s prophets. In the New Testament, these are the Melchizedek prophets. New Testament prophets are not serving under the order of Aaron. They are serving under the order of Melchizedek just as Jesus did (Heb. 5). Jesus, our prototype prophet, will not tolerate the spirit of Jezebel (seducing spirits that lead you into immorality and idolatry), nor will He condone Baal worship (idolatry). If Jesus doesn’t tolerate these spirits, we should not tolerate them either. We must first look to our own hearts to purge ourselves of any common ground we may have with these wicked spirits. Then we can begin to confront these dark powers and set captives free from the grip of deception. Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at  [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

You know King Ahab and you know the 850 false prophets that ate at Jezebel’s table, but are you familiar with Jezebel’s eunuchs? You can read more about this in my book, Jezebel’s Puppets.

The cast of the Jezebel spirit’s demonic puppet show includes eunuchs, but who are these spiritual servants, how do you recognize them and how should you respond once you’ve identified them in your midst? Discerning and dealing with Jezebel’s eunuchs is part and parcel of defending against the work of this wicked spirit. If Jezebel can’t flow through you, she’ll settle for making you a eunuch.

The word eunuch comes from the Hebrew word saris, which is related to the word for “castrate.” Jezebel wants to spiritually castrate you—strip you of your power. She does this by working with religion to skew your identity in Christ and convince you that you can’t exercise your authority in Him because you made a mistake last week. So you begin speaking death instead of life over yourself—speaking the enemy’s plan rather than God’s plan—and essentially releasing word curses against your own life. Spiritually weakened, Jezebel has you right where she wants you.

Who Are the Eunuchs?

Eunuchs were stigmatized in society—and they are still stigmatized in the church today. God commanded that any descendants of Aaron with a defect could not approach to offer the bread of his God. That included a “man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch” (Lev. 21:18-20). We can now approach God’s throne of grace boldly thanks to the blood of Jesus (Heb. 4:16). But Jezebel is still deceiving saints to serve as eunuchs.

Biblically speaking, eunuchs were often found in the households of kings, particularly to work in women’s bedchambers. Eunuchs, for example, were appointed to keep the harem of virgins for King Xerxes (Esth. 2:3). Eunuchs were permitted to work in female bedchambers because they had essentially been emasculated. We know there were eunuchs in Jezebel’s household (2 Kings 9:32).

There is plenty of information online about Jezebel and her eunuchs but not a lot of Scriptural backing for the revelations. Some like to say eunuchs are Jezebel’s spies, students or spiritual children, but there’s no evidence of that in the Bible. These anecdotal descriptions can lead people into error as they pursue a witch hunt for Jezebel’s eunuchs.

The Role of Eunuchs

All that said, Scripture indeed confirms that Jezebel had eunuchs. One clear role of a eunuch as laid out in Scripture in relation to Jezebel is an attendant (2 Kings 9:32). In this way, Jezebel’s eunuchs were her servants. These eunuchs worked for Jezebel’s comfort. Practically speaking, they knowingly serve Jezebel’s purposes either because they want to or because they are seduced and deceived. In other words, eunuchs are aligned with Jezebel—sometimes by choice and sometimes by fearful duty—and may execute her evil wishes. 

Think about it for a minute. Serving in someone’s bedroom puts you about as close as you can get to a person and gives you access to intimate details of their life. Some modern-day eunuchs thrive on this close relationship with seductive Jezebel. Others are trapped through their own insecurities and fears—they need Jezebel because they don’t know who they are in Christ. Either way, we need to learn to rightly discern Jezebel’s eunuchs in our midst.

I knew a woman who served as Jezebel’s eunuch. Maggie was the church administrator with delegated authority she craved. The Jezebelic pastor told her she could go anywhere they went, so she had intimate details of their lives that gave her a greater sense of worth and elitism. Maggie was essentially serving in Jezebel’s bedchamber. She worked overtime to make this Jezebelic pastor look good—even at her own personal expense—because she was seduced by a thimbleful of power he gave her.

How do you recognize a modern-day eunuch? Eunuchs help forward Jezebel’s agenda. Sometimes people mistake those flowing as eunuchs with those flowing in a Jezebel spirit. You need the Holy Spirit to show you the difference, but the bottom line is that eunuchs don’t hatch the controlling, seducing plans. Eunuchs merely help Jezebel execute her wishes.

Dealing With Eunuchs

I attended a church that was super-focused on the spirit of Jezebel, and eventually Ahab and eunuchs. Anyone who was friendly with a person the leadership labeled a Jezebel was called out as a eunuch and shunned. This is a sad approach. If someone really was flowing in a Jezebel spirit and had “spiritual children” and “students” who were spying for them, godly spiritual leadership would seek to deliver them from this spirit’s clutches rather than trying to chase them out of the church.

If you discern one of Jezebel’s eunuchs in your midst—someone who seems to be on assignment for someone flowing in this wicked spirit—take caution. Remember, eunuchs are Jezebel’s servants and have a somewhat intimate relationship with her. Whatever their motivation or however they got trapped in Jezebel’s witchcraft, eunuchs may be deceived or may be looking for a way of escape.

Take the situation to God in prayer and seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit. You could be the Jehu that gives them the boldness to throw Jezebel down. In other words, by reaching out with bold truth in love to one who is serving the Jezebel spirit’s purposes, you could help them break free from this evil influence. Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at   [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

We talk a lot about Jezebel, but this wicked principality relies on Ahabs to maximize its authority and propagate its immorality and idolatry.

King Ahab isn’t who many spiritual warriors have made him out to be. There’s no lack of checklists online that offer the characteristics of Ahab. But many of them base their revelation off experience rather than Scripture. Practical experience is helpful, but we should base our understanding of how spirits named for biblical personalities flow primarily based on Scripture. Everything else is anecdotal and while it can sometimes be helpful it’s not always accurate.

Let’s set the stage: King Ahab seemed hell-bent on provoking God from the moment he took the throne. His first recorded move was to marry Sidonian King Ethbaal’s daughter Jezebel and serve her gods (1 Kings 16:31). Ahab did more to provoke God to anger than any other king before him (1 Kings 16:33). He not only broke the second commandment by worshipping Baal, he also broke the third commandment by building wooden images, a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria (1 Kings 16:32)—all to please Jezebel.

Like the puppeteer she was, Jezebel manipulated Ahab through his lusts and emotions. Ahab wore the king’s signet ring and sat on the throne, but Jezebel was pulling his strings. So how do you recognize an Ahab spirit—and steer clear of false accusations that damage relationships? Know this enemy from Scripture. Here’s what we know:

1. Ahab Empowers Jezebel
Ahab stood by and watched while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4). It wasn’t as if Ahab was an Old Testament New Ager who worshipped this, that and the other god. Ahab made his choice of gods clear when he did nothing to protect Jehovah’s true prophets, or come against Jezebel for massacring them. Jezebel was a persecutor of God’s followers. She wasn’t content with Jehovah as a god among many gods. She wanted to murder anyone who pledged allegiance to God and God alone. And she used her position in Ahab’s kingdom to execute her will as he worshipped her gods. She manipulated his authority to carry out her agenda. Ahab empowers Jezebel by giving her the authority to flow freely.

2. Ahab Financially Supports Jezebel
Ahab was sold out to Jezebel and her will. He seemed loyal to Jezebel and Jezebel alone. When Elijah defeated the 850 false prophets at the Mount Carmel showdown, Ahab ran back and told Jezebel. He also footed the bill to keep Jezebel’s prophets living in luxury. Jezebel’s prophets were on the state payroll and lived the high life—all in exchange for telling Jezebel what she wanted to hear. Jezebel employed 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, according to The Dakes. Even if feeding them only cost $15 a day, which is a low estimate, keeping these false prophets on the payroll would cost the Kingdom of Israel $12,750 a day. That’s $89,250 a week, $357,000 a month, and nearly $4.3 million a year. Ahab financially supports Jezebel’s murderous agenda.

3. Ahab Uses Jezebel to Do His Dirty Work
Of course, Ahab realized certain benefits by allowing Jezebel to usurp his kingship. Indeed, Jezebel gave him what he wanted to placate his lusts, including setting up innocent Naboth and having him murdered so a depressed Ahab could stake claim to his vineyard (1 Kings 21). Ultimately, serving Jezebel and her gods instead of the God of Israel cost Ahab his life and the lives of his sons. Ahab uses Jezebel to do his dirty work.

4. Ahab Is Not a Lover of the Truth
Ahab was a lover of Jezebel, a lover of himself, a lover of power—he did not receive the love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:10). Not only is Ahab not a lover of the truth, he makes an enemy out of anyone who tells him the truth or who stands for God. After God sent a famine to the land of Samaria, Ahab called Elijah a “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:7). Elijah set the record straight, telling Ahab he was the one who was troubling Israel “in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals” (1 Kings 18:18). After Ahab stole Naboth’s vineyard, the Lord sent Elijah to deliver a message to him. “So Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’” (1 Kings 21:20). And let’s not forget Micaiah. He wouldn’t prophesy what Ahab wanted to hear and it landed him in prison (1 Kings 22).

5. Ahab is Covetous, Idolatrous and Rebellious
Earlier, we discussed how Ahab broke the second and third commandments. But he also broke the tenth commandment. He coveted what belonged to his neighbor—he coveted Naboth’s vineyard and used Jezebel to get it for him. We know that Ahab was rebellious against the Word of God because he consistently broke the law. And, of course, idolatry was the sin that opened the door.

6. Ahab Is Emotionally Unstable
Ahab was an emotional mess. When he didn’t get his way, he wore his emotions on his sleeve. Ahab was sullen and angry, for example, when Naboth wouldn’t sell him his vineyard (1 Kings 21:14). He manifested with insecurity, which is why he kept the “yes-men” prophets around him (1 Kings 22) and why he allowed the strong-willed Jezebel to usurp his authority. Ultimately, Ahab catered to his emotions rather than to his spirit. He was led by the lusts of the flesh rather than the Spirit of God.

7. Ahab’s Repentance Is False
False humility is one thing. False repentance is another. When the Lord sent Elijah with a word of condemnation to Ahab, he appeared to repent but it was false. Elijah prophetically spoke these words, “Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’ And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wallof Jezreel.’ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field” (1 Kings 21:21-24). How did Ahab respond? “He humbled tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his bod, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning” (2 Kings 21:27).

Although the repentance put off God’s judgment, Ahab’s heart really didn’t change. It’s like the kid who says he’s sorry because he got caught but goes out and does the same thing again. Ahab rent his garments but not his heart. We know this because Ahab did not forsake his idols, he did not return Naboth’s vineyard to its rightful heirs, and he did not bring Jezebel in order. He went on in the next chapter to put Micaiah in prison because he wouldn’t prophesy according to the party line. Ultimately, actions speak louder than words. Ahab remained Jezebel’s puppet until the day he died.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at   [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.