Can you identify a charming individual with a hidden motive?

Do you feel powerless or lacking influence in a certain aspect of your life? Are your efforts not producing the desired outcomes? If so, it might be time to address some unresolved issues. You might have unknowingly tolerated a "Jezebel."

The Bible (Kings I and II) tells the story of a woman named Jezebel, who employs seduction, flattery, and manipulation to control and exploit her husband, a king, for her own benefit. Her servants were eunuchs, which in the Hebrew narrative symbolically highlights how a seductive personality can strip men of their potency and turn them into servants. 

The New Testament refers to a story from the Old Testament concerning the dangers of tolerating Jezebel. This warning is recorded in Revelation 2:18-23:

“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”

There is an opportunity to resolve loose ends if someone is caught in a web of hidden motives leaving a victim feeling powerless and unproductive. If you find yourself feeling that way, it might be necessary to reconsider or end certain unhealthy relationships. You may have tolerated someone with Jezabelic traits, which left you without power of making decisions on your own and having an influence. Perhaps you allowed yourself to be manipulated by a charming individual, causing you to compromise resulting in frustration and unproductive efforts. 

You can request the Holy Spirit to examine your heart for any compromise you were left with a seductive persona. This could be a woman or a man displaying Jezebel-like characteristics. If you discover that you are "in bed" (engaged in an inappropriately close relationship) with "Jezebel," you can repent and seek the Holy Spirit's assistance in ending such a relationship, or making necessary adjustments. 

If a family member displays Jezebel traits, leaving the relationship might not be an option. In such situations, you can ask God for wisdom in establishing and maintaining suitable boundaries.