Some people feel like they are living in a cave. Their fear or the fear experienced by others has isolated them from the life they once knew. 

As I considered what is taking place in our culture, I thought of Elijah, who had just come off the most powerful and God-affirming event of his life, a confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Immediately after that event, under a threat of death from Jezebel, Elijah became so fearful that he ran away and holed up in a cave. He stayed in the cave until God showed up. We are living in a moment of history when we need God to show up. When He shows up, the first thing He will deal with is our fear because fear stands in the way of faith.

We can mask our fear with a variety of responses like bravado, allowing ourselves to be shut down emotionally or choosing to whistle in the dark as we walk by something that scares us. Perhaps the greatest weapon Jezebel had was instilling a spirit of fear in those who defied her will. Paralyzing fear has become our greatest threat in this shutdown. When we are paralyzed, we are unable to move with God. Fear is a manifestation of the spirit of Jezebel. Today, that spirit demands the same compliance to its will, as was manifested thousands of years ago with Elijah. Its ultimate goal is to silence the voice of truth by instilling fear in the people of God.  

The Jezebel spirit manifesting in our day is about to experience the same fate as the biblical Jezebel, who was thrown down from a high and secure place by the very people she made into eunuchs to serve her agenda.  In the coming days, two things will happen. God will show up, and fear will be cast down. As this begins to transpire, our greatest act of courage will be to offer God our fear and receive back in exchange, the faith needed to walk out of our cave.