Overcoming When You Feel Overwhelmed

5 Steps to Surviving the Chaos of Life

Jentezen Franklin

• Publisher: Chosen Books
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780800799830
• eBook ISBN: 9781493435814
• Topic: Theology & Religion

It Is Time to Tackle the Things Trying to Overrun Your Life

Do you feel stuck in a mess? Are you wondering how you got to this place and trying to make sense of it all? Don't give up!

In Overcoming When You Feel Overwhelmed, New York Times bestselling author Pastor Jentezen Franklin offers five life-giving steps to help you

· get up, get out and get free
· walk into the destiny God has prepared for you

Jentezen pulls back the curtain on the enemy's tactics to hinder your spiritual growth, distract your attention and keep you from living to your fullest potential during this critical season of prophetic history.

If you find that every battle you're fighting has gotten more difficult to conquer--if you are paralyzed and don't know which way to go--remember God doesn't call you just a survivor. He calls you an overcomer.

Part III

Get Up, Get Out, Get Free

The closer we get to the Second Coming, the stronger the enemy’s assaults against us. The first time the devil came on the scene, he arrived in the form of a serpent. Hundreds of years later, when the apostle Peter wrote about him, he described the devil as a roaring lion. By the time the book of Revelation was penned, the enemy was referred to as a dragon. Note the progression.

Today, we’re fighting an enemy with more brawn, scathing wit and stamina than mere venom, razor-sharp claws and fiery breath; we’re dealing with the spirit of the Antichrist. In this third part of the book, I pull back the curtain on a group of manipulating spirits that are attacking the Body of Christ. They come from the dark spiritual legacy of one of the most wicked people who ever lived: Jezebel. These forces are determined, yet they are also already defeated—overwhelmed by the cross, the blood of Christ and the power of His resurrection.

As we will talk about more in these remaining chapters, you and I were not born to be defeated. We will encounter problems this side of eternity, but God has destined us as overcomers. We can overcome the enemy’s assaults. We can get up, get out and get free, because ultimately, we were born to win.

8
The Overwhelming

Jezebel, a cruel queen and ruthless murderer, may have lived thousands of years ago, but her manipulative and deadly tactics are very much alive today through her “spiritual children.” Before I tell you about them and the things that they attempt to do, I want to look at a little background on Jezebel herself.

Let’s pause for a second first, however. If the name Jezebel is throwing you off and you’re really hoping this book is not a misogynistic witch hunt looking to judge a certain type of woman, you can breathe easy. It’s nothing like that. In fact, don’t get hung up on her gender. The spirit of Jezebel is an equal opportunity spirit. It can operate within both men and women, young and old.

Jezebel’s legacy is mentioned three times in the Bible. First, 1 Kings 18 relates this wicked queen’s massacre of the prophets of the Lord. Second, Matthew 14 talks about Queen Herodias, her spiritual descendant, who manipulated the death of John the Baptist. Third, Revelation 2:20 mentions “that woman Jezebel,” another daughter of this spirit, in the letter written to the Church at Thyatira. In this last Scripture, the spirit of Jezebel is shown as one of the predominant spirits that will attack the Church in the end times. And as I write these words, that invasion is currently underway.

An Ancient Spirit

Here’s where the invasion began. Jezebel ruled as queen of Israel, along with her husband, King Ahab, from 874–853 BC. She was a tyrant who worshiped multiple false gods and decimated anyone who opposed her, including the prophets of Israel. When Jezebel turned her attention to the prophet Elijah, he became so afraid that he fled and found refuge in a cave. There, overcome with such despair, he begged God to let him die.

Jezebel’s reign ended in her death. Elijah’s successor, Elisha, witnessed her end as she was thrown out a window and trampled by a horse. Then her lifeless body was eaten by a pack of wild dogs and was unidentifiable after that. All that remained was her skull, her feet and the palms of her hands (see 2 Kings 9:30–37).

Queen Jezebel was quite dead in a physical sense, but her legacy continued across the generations that followed, and in fact continues to this day. We see it in action in Jesus’ day, when the gospel author Luke wrote about how John the Baptist, in the spirit of Elijah, arrived on the scene to announce the coming of Jesus (see Luke 1:13–17). What happens to John as the forerunner of Christ? The spirit of Jezebel attacks him!

John the Baptist had called out King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, and the outraged king had thrown him in jail. The king’s wife was so embarrassed at the open rebuke of sexual immorality that she conspired against John. During her husband’s birthday feast, she arranged for her daughter to dance a provocative number before the king and his guests. Herod was so entranced that when the girl took her final bow, he jumped to his feet and exclaimed, “I’ll give you whatever you want, up to half of my kingdom! Anything at all!” The girl didn’t ask for a Tesla chariot or a Louis Vuitton satchel or a courtyard apartment. She asked for what her mother advised: “Tell the king you want the head of John the Baptist” (see Mark 6:14–29).

This is a biblical instance of Jezebel’s spirit at work. We don’t wage war against flesh and blood. We battle with unseen enemies like this wicked spirit.

Approximately a thousand years after Queen Jezebel died, the book of Revelation was written. This prophetic work launches with letters addressed to seven churches. In these passages, Jesus describes characteristics, good and bad, that illustrate what the Church will look like during the end times. Some of these churches are lavished with compliments. Others are called out for their despicable behavior. Some are both applauded and admonished.

In Revelation 2:19–28, addressing the Church of Thyatira (labeled in some translations as the “Corrupt Church”), Jesus actually mentions the offspring of this wicked queen:

I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

“He shall rule them with a rod of iron;

They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels”—

as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.

This text serves as a warning to us today that even though Jezebel has been dead for almost three millennia, her spirit is very much alive.

Purpose Killers

You may or may not have given much thought to Jezebel’s wicked kids before now. Yet every single day, they fight to manipulate your heart and mind. Just as Queen Jezebel brought depression and discouragement to Elijah, the same is happening to the Body of Christ today. Her spiritual children strive to entice and enslave you. They long to see you quit. They work night and day to torment you and keep you from fulfilling the purpose God has for you. And to rob you of peace.

Who are Jezebel’s kids? They are these tormenting and manipulative spirits:

• Fear
• Discouragement
• Depression
• Lust

In the rest of this book, I’m going to expose how the enemy is using these spirits to try to keep you and me from overcoming whatever is trying to overwhelm us. I’ll also arm you with a battle plan destined to help you win. These pages will equip you with the knowledge you need to be on alert, and with biblical stories and confessions you can use to overcome when it feels as if you are overwhelmed. God’s Word will work if you work it!

As you read the pages ahead, know that I am not glorifying the problems the enemy is magnifying in these end times. I am giving you an opportunity to be on high alert. Much of what Jesus taught indicates that these predominant spirits will try to influence our thinking, our emotions and our heart, soul and mind. The moment you shed light on these spirits and drag them out of the darkness of your own struggle’s privacy into the light of God’s Word, you begin to overcome.

The evidence of Jezebel’s wicked legacy at work is all around. That legacy is chilling. We see it in the fact that suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. It’s reported that around the world in 2019, 1 in every 100 deaths was by suicide.1 Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death globally, ahead of road injury, tuberculosis and interpersonal violence.2

We see this spirit ravaging almost a quarter of the U.S. population alone through anxiety disorders, the most common mental illness in America.3 This spirit also dominates men and women addicted to pornography and is trying to snuff the life out of the 4.8 million people trapped by or forced into sexual exploitation.4

Let’s get personal. The effects of Jezebel’s legacy can keep us up at night with panic attacks and fear of the future. Chaining us to addictions and unhealthy dependencies, her children can paralyze us from forward movement. They can even manipulate us in small ways, like when we spend more time running through what-if scenarios in our head instead of submitting our worries to God, or when we allow negativity to dominate our thought life.

Fear, discouragement, depression and lust may show up in different ways, but they have a united motive: to hinder the children of God from what they are called to do and who they were created to become.

Recognizing this is especially important right now, as we approach the Second Coming of Jesus. The enemy is on high alert because he knows he doesn’t have much time. He will use any means necessary to hinder your spiritual growth, distract you from what’s most important and use fear or other unruly emotions to keep you as far away as possible from living to your fullest potential.

But wait! God hasn’t left us unarmed and hopeless.

Though the enemy seeks to destroy, his intentions alone don’t guarantee an accomplished mission. Let’s not forget how Jesus ended the letter in Revelation 2: “But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (verses 25–26).

If you’re struggling in any of these four areas, you can have authority over this Jezebel spirit and her wicked children. Incredible victory can flood your life. But first, it’s time to kill the legacy. Cut it off at the roots. Jesus uses strong language when it comes to these spirits. “Kill their influence—completely cut it out of your life,” He says in effect, because He knows they will kill you.

You have to stop these spirits from operating in your life in their embryo stage, because if you let them grow and you feed and shelter them, they will captivate your heart, destroy your mind and turn you away from everything good in your life.

Whether you are suffering in silence or out loud from these overwhelming spirits of fear, discouragement, depression or lust, God has not left you alone to fight the enemy and his hordes that try to overwhelm you.

There’s power in the blood of Jesus—enough power for you to overcome.

9
Face Fear with Faith

While I was writing this book, I tested positive for COVID-19. I had all the symptoms of the disease. I experienced aches, chills, headache, a loss of taste and a high fever. As miserable as those symptoms were, what seemed worse than the virus was my fear of it. Every cough, every ache, every spike in temperature triggered dread that I was getting worse. I remember the incessant questions that kept me up at night: It’s hard to breathe. Should I go to the hospital? Will I need a ventilator? Am I going to make it?

The fear was real. I had been quarantined alone for several days. There were times when I would wake up in the middle of the night and my mind would race down the road of negative possibilities. I thought of every worst-case scenario you can imagine. There’s a part of me that is embarrassed even to tell you this. I mean, I’m a pastor! I’m supposed to be a pro at battling fear, right?

Wrong. Whether you’re a pastor or not, we all wrestle with fear. My fear of COVID-19 was a moment of crisis that forced me to make a decision. In moments like that, we must all decide whose report we will believe.

Get Your Mind Right

We find this important question in Isaiah 53:1: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” In other words, what’s the state of your belief system? Is it steady and stable, resting on the promises of God no matter the circumstance? Or does it teeter, depending on how you feel in the moment? Are you quick to turn up the volume on negative what-if questions and worst-case scenarios, as I did during those midnight hours when I was stricken with COVID-19?

As you read through this book and become more aware of the signs of the times, determine on what or whom you will set your mind. If you’re not careful, you can become trapped into paying more attention to the bad reports than to what God says. The key to overcoming in overwhelming times is to renew your mind by feeding on a diet of prayer, worship and meditation on God’s Word.

The commandment the Bible gives most often is “fear not,” and it’s typically coupled with God’s promise “for I am with you.” If you allow it, however, fear will stop you from fulfilling the assignment, the mission, the purpose and the dream God has put you on this planet to accomplish. But if you plug into the power of the One who helps us overcome fear, you will see the greater truth that “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Power, love and a sound mind come from one source: faith.

In overwhelming times, one thing is certain: You’re going to live either by faith or by fear. No matter what we see going on around us, we need to close our eyes and listen with our hearts. We need to choose to see the greater truth of God’s presence. For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Much Ado about Nothing

Mark 5:21–43 tells the story of a twelve-year-old girl, the daughter of a temple leader, who died from an unknown cause. When Jesus came into the house where she lay, an uproar of grief surrounded Him. The...

Table of contents

• 1Half Title Page
• 3Title Page
• 4Copyright Page
• 5Dedication
• 7Contents
• 9Acknowledgments
• 11Introduction
• 23Part I Destined to Overcome
• 43Part II 5 Steps for Overcomers
• 125Part III Get Up, Get Out, Get Free
• 213A Special Invitation
• 215Notes
• 219About the Author
• 221Back Ad
• 222Cover Flaps
• 223Back Cover