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. I
saw these demon spirits clearly in the megachurch set-up, but you will see them
in many other categories of life as well.
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. I’ve come upon rattlesnakes a few times and
not known they were there until I was right up on them!
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. Then when they see something, they
can move amazingly fast! In a movie, 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 underwater as he crossed, 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. That’s gruesome, but a leviathan spirit is just
that gruesome when it targets one of us.
A Leviathan spirit loves to be in a position of authority, telling
his or her version of truth. When we look closer, we see that the truth has
been perverted and twisted in some way. They make something sound kind of true,
but there’s always a vicious motive, and often a lying spirit is a Leviathan’s
companion. The Leviathan’s motive is to tear people up and abuse them without
the victims even knowing it. They also work to tear up the body of Christ, humiliating
some people, and praising others, all to split us up.
Some of the most pious-looking, soft-spoken, likable 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 fellow
Christians, 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.”
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 and that pleasures await if you will just follow.
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! People operating under a Jezebel spirit are
usually delightful in public, but horrific when you get to know how they really
operate. They will tell you they will get you prosperity, 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.
Remember, this spirit of Jezebel works in social categories, businesses, health
institutions, and so many other areas besides the religious organizations.
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. People under the spirit of Balaam do the
same thing today. 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.
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, seeking the
money above the will of God.
Leviathan is a power-monger, twisting the truth for it’s own
pleasure, which is to tear apart and devour all that is godly. Jezebel entices
people by promising great things. Balaam’s priorities are money and celebrity. The
TOXIC TRIO, Leviathan, Jezebel, and Balaam bring more than triple trouble to
the world today. But we can spot them, and God promises that they will be taken
down, and we can be a part of it.
Love, Carolyn
LIFE LESSONS * * *
!!! WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH
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