During a deliverance session at Awakening House of Prayer I heard the Lord say something I had never heard before: “Bind the jackal spirit.”
I hesitated for a moment because I was not familiar with that demon, but I obeyed. I took authority over the jackal spirit, commanded it to cease and desist its operations against the woman, told it to leave her home and stop its harassment in the name of Jesus.
That night, she wasn’t jarred awake at 3 a.m. like most other nights. She slept soundly for the first time in a long time. I decided to study out this jackal spirit because I believe in attaining Scriptural backing for what I hear in the Spirit.
Since the spirit world is more real than the natural—and since spiritual things often manifest as natural things—I decided first to seek understanding on what a jackal is. What I discovered intrigued me: a jackal is a mix of a wolf and dog. Jackals are nocturnal opportunistic omnivores and predators. Although they are expert hunters, scavenging jackals often eat leftovers from what larger animals kill. Their howl pierces the air.
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“When it comes to hunting, jackals also work together. Several pairs, for instance, may take turns tiring out and dragging down a gazelle,” according to PBS. “And many jackals may band together to scare a cheetah away from its kill, so they can feed on the scraps. To coordinate such activities, jackals have a large vocabulary of calls that they use to communicate. Yips, growls, hisses and howls all have a place in the jackal language, each sound designed to warn away strangers or welcome friends.”
Understanding Jackal’s Motives
Are you getting the picture of how this spirit works? Let me break it down for you. A dog in Scripture is a symbol of the religious spirit (Phil. 3:2). A wolf is a symbol of a false prophet (Matt. 7:15). The Bible offers us clear warnings of both these evil doers, and the jackal has characteristics of each.
Mythology gives us a hint into the spirit realm—since mythology is essentially describing spirits that were worshipped or feared in ancient days. Myths feature jackals as sorcerers (false prophets). The Egyptian god Anubis is among its most ancient. This jackal-headed god is a spirit of the underworld who acts as a guide to the dead. This is clearly demonic.
Merriam-Webster also defines “jackal” as “a person who performs dishonest or base deeds as the follower or accomplice of another.” That certainly speaks to the false prophet aspect of this spirit. We see jackal mentioned 15 times in Scripture and it’s almost never good.
In his distress, Job called himself a “brother of jackals and a companion of owls” (Job 30:29). Psalm 44:19 speaks of being crushed in the place of jackal and covered with the shadow of death while Psalm 63:10 speaks to those who fall by the sword being a portion for jackals. The habitation of jackals is mentioned several times and it’s not a place you want to live. It speaks of desert places and destruction.
A jackal spirit, then, will usually attack at night and is associated with the spirit of death. It’s a mutt spirit, in a sense, as it’s a wolf mixed with a dog or a wolf mixed with a fox. A jackal spirit sets out to deceive (false prophet), operates in the realm of witchcraft (sorcery), and works to steal your liberty (religious spirit). The jackal spirit wants to bring you into desert places, destruction and ultimately death. It works to wear you out with its nocturnal attacks, fearful voices and howling imaginations.
Overcoming the Jackal Spirit
Ultimately, you overcome the jackal spirit like you do any other spirit. You submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). In this case, you do that by pleading the blood of Jesus over your life, taking authority over jackal’s operations, including witchcraft, and claiming Psalm 91.
You must be careful not to give heed to lying voices attacking your mind, not to isolate yourself in a wilderness place while you are under jackal’s attack, and to constantly remember who you are in Christ. Beware the jackal may come against you after an onslaught of other spirits that have left you wounded or left you for dead as the jackal is a scavenger spirit that comes in after the main attack.
Pray this prayer to help overcome the jackal spirit: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your protection. I repent for any open doors in my life that allowed the jackal spirit in. I break the powers of every nocturnal spirit; I bind every false prophetic voice trying to speak into my life; and I command witchcraft to cease and desist its operations, in the name of Jesus. I thank you, Lord, that I am free from the jaws of the jackal. I know who I am in Christ and He is in me. I submit myself to You and resist every manifestation and attack of jackal, in the name of Christ. {eoa}
