Tag: bible

Priorities

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

The government shutdown has shut me down. Though I wanted to post something online every day, there was always something new to deal with–not the least, the constant notifications of ICE presence in our community wrestling people to the ground and dropping tear gas canisters to disperse crowds that are protesting their use of excessive force. Obviously, a government shutdown has not impacted ICE agents paychecks or activities, but it has impacted everything else. Today, 42.5 million low-income seniors, children, unhoused, and veterans who depend on SNAP woke up to the reality that feeding themselves this month will be a challenge.

And what is our President doing? Posting on social media, of course. But he’s not posting about ending the shutdown or opening the SNAP contingency fund so that children will not go to bed hungry in the richest nation on the planet. No. He’s posting about how he has remodeled the Lincoln Bathroom at the White House in exquisite black and white marble with resplendent gold fixtures..

I was reminded of God’s displeasure (expressed through the prophet Haggai) about the peoples’ priorities. God asks, “Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses while this house (God’s temple) lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4 – Common English Bible)

After returning to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon and rebuilding the walls of the city, the people prioritized renovating their homes. Meanwhile, the temple was a pile of rubble and there was no sense of urgency about restoring it.

I sense the same misplaced priorities today–not just from the president, but from so many others in leadership. The temple of God, made up of the living stones of God’s holy people, is neglected and in ruins. And there is seemingly no interest in addressing the distress. No concern. No urgency. No regard.

Building a ballroom, renovating the Kennedy Center and paneling the Lincoln bathroom in marble while people suffer exposes the heart of this administration. Leaders may talk about restoring faith and promoting morals, but their actions (and inaction) reveal the truth: Their thoughts are not God’s thoughts; their priorities are not God’s priorities; their agenda is not God’s agenda.

God’s word to the people through Haggai was, ““Give careful thought to your ways.” (Haggai 1:7) It’s time to rebuild the living temple of God–not maintain the façades of success and glory because, in the end, the marble will crumble.

Mishandling the Word of Truth – Part 1

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God …accurately handling the word of truth”. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB)

It has been awhile since I have written a post. I was away, enjoying some wonderful time with my family in the beauty of nature. During that time, I tried to disconnect from the headlines, but even with the assistance of my energetic, always on-the-go grandchildren, I found it almost impossible. Not a day passed without some reminder of how our national fabric was being ripped apart thread by thread, and with each tear I felt an increasing dread about what kind of world my grandchildren would inherit.

What was particularly distressing to me was the ways in which Scripture was being distorted, used and abused to justify the mistreatment of migrants and asylum seekers and control women and the LGBTQ+ community. This “inaccurate handling of the word of truth” by (mostly) white men claiming to speak for God turned Scripture into a weapon of mass destruction aimed particularly at women–a far cry from the liberating message and actions of Jesus toward women.

The concern of these self-appointed guardians of “Biblical truth” went well beyond issues of healthcare and bodily autonomy. Their message condemned all women who were independent, opinionated, strong leaders–who chose to remain unmarried or childless–claiming that they were possessed by the “Jezebel Spirit”

Though I was familiar with the story of Jezebel, the Sidonian princess who became the influential (aka: manipulative) wife of Israel’s King Ahab and a staunch adversary of the prophet Elijah; and though I was also familiar with the strong condemnation of a female “prophet” in the Church at Thyatira identified as “Jezebel” in Revelation 2:20-23, I was unfamiliar with the phrase, “Spirit of Jezebel.” So I went down the rabbit hole. Here is what I discovered.

Nowhere in the Bible is there a reference to the “Spirit of Jezebel” or the “Jezebel Spirit.” And while the origin of the phrase is unknown, the name Jezebel has a long history as a racist and misogynistic slur. A Jezebel is a woman who is devious, manipulative, ambitious, immoral and idolatrous. The name was regularly applied to African female slaves by white slave owners who saw them as promiscuous perverts ruled by lust (referencing the Jezebel of Revelation 2 who led men into adultery and fornication). According to Graciella Ye’Tsunami, “Enslavers believed white women were “virtuous” in God’s eyes and therefore worthy of protection. Black women were painted as the exact opposite – sexual deviants worthy of violence. Roxanne A. Donovan adds that the stereotype of the sex-crazed black women was also used to justify rape blame (ie “she was asking for it’). `

In 1981, David Byrne of the Talking Heads collaborated with Brian Eno to write and produced a song by the title “The Jezebel Spirit.” In the song, the singer exorcises a demonic spirit from a woman possessed by “Jezebel.” The spirit is commanded to release the woman because “She was intended by God to be a virtuous woman. You have no right there. Her husband is the head of the house,” implying that she was promiscuous and had “ruled over” her husband.

Since 2016, dozens of books have hit the market about the “Jezebel Spirit” covering topics like what it is, traits that expose it, how to defeat it, etc. The target audience is likely to be conservative and charismatic Christians who have been influenced by the New Apostolic Reformation and one of its “prophets”, Lance Wallnau.

In August 2020, Wallnau posted a video on X where he described a dream he had. He said, “Kamala [Harris] was in an elevator with me that was going up, and I knew there was a Jezebel spirit, and this was before she ran for the primaries for President.” He later added, ““I knew that she was going to be the one the devil is going to try to use to take Trump out.” When Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for President in July 2024, Wallnau posted another video , warning that Harris, represents “the spirit of Jezebel, and in a way that’ll be even much more ominous than Hillary [Clinton] because she’ll bring a racial component and she’s younger.” The video has been viewed 1.4 million times.

On July 16, 2025, Charlie Kirk complained on his show that we are not living in the same country as in the 1980’s. As evidence, he pointed to young women that “are infected with the Jezebel spirit, that [have] no interest in getting married or having children, that [want] to be the boss of the relationship.” He has over 5 million Facebook followers.

Whether it is called the “Jezebel stereotype” or the “Jezebel Spirit” the trope persists–particularly for women of color. However, to say any woman has a “Jezebel spirit” is also to say she is dangerous and untrustworthy–under the influence of hell to seduce men to their destruction and to usurp their power and subvert God’s proper social order. At its core, referring to any woman as a Jezebel is an attempt to “keep women in their place.” The slur also inflicts spiritual and mental harm and invites others to inflict the same or worse.

In Part 2, I will introduce you to dynamic women of the Bible, who–if living today– might be accused of being possessed by the Spirit of Jezebel, but who were, in fact, filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Until then…

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 (NASB)

Dear Mike Johnson,

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Overnight, the House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act –and you, Mr. Speaker took a victory lap. I don’t understand. Back in 2023, in an interview with Sean Hannity, you said, “I am a Bible-believing Christian. Someone asked me today in the media, they said, “It’s curious, people are curious. ‘What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’” I said, “Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it – that’s my worldview. That’s what I believe and so I make no apologies for it.”

So, I picked up my Bible and read it. And I am curious. Mr. Speaker, Isaiah 58:10 says, “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” But you just passed a bill that cuts SNAP food assistance for low-income families. And Proverbs 14:31 says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” But your Big Beautiful Bill will take away healthcare for millions of poor and needy people. Where is the kindness in that? Does taking benefits from the poor to give tax breaks to the rich honor God? I think not.

Mr. Speaker, the Bible says, ““Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27 – ESV). You had the power to “do good’, but instead, you withheld it from those in need.

Please, stop rejoicing as if you have accomplished some righteous deed while your brothers and sisters are weeping. Oh, and by the way, the Bible says to a people who have forsaken God’s ways: “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:15-17)

Mr. Speaker, there is still time to “learn to do right.” The Big Beautiful Bill will return to the House for final approval. You have the opportunity to use your power to obey God and do the right thing.

I’m praying for you.

Finding Peace in Anxious Times

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t posted for over a week due to being out of the country. While I was away, I had enough access to the news from the US (tariffs, deportations, market collapse, etc), that I actually had “anxiety dreams”–something I had not experienced in years. I dreamt that I had been arrested for my blog posts. I dreamt that I wasn’t able to get back into the United States. I dreamt that the dollar was worthless.

It happened several nights in a row. And each morning I would awake, wondering if I would return to the same United States that I had left just a week before. The news cycle indicated that it was indeed different–and not in a good way.

I shared my dreams with my wife, who wisely reminded me that I needed to stay focused on God’s word and not on the circumstances that were out of my control. She has been using Psalm 90:1-2 as her daily focus and suggested that I pray that God would give me a verse as well. I did; and God did.

The next morning, I was awakened not with an anxiety dream, but with the voice of Jesus, repeating a phrase over and over. It was his last words to his disciples before leaving: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b) I’ve been repeating it daily ever since.

I was able to get back into the country. I haven’t been arrested (at least not yet). The shit show is still shitty as ever. (It’s the only word I have to describe it.) I have no illusions about the state of our democracy and the struggle we may face. But I think about those early church disciples and their “Roman Reality.” They faced opposition, and they experienced rejection. They were falsely accused; they were jailed; they were beaten; some even died. But they still spoke the truth and stood firm, and they even found joy together in the middle of their struggle, singing hymns in chains. I can imagine that they repeated Jesus’s final words as their morning mantra. And then they got out of bed and walked by faith.

Yes, Christ is with us. Always. Even to the end of the age. Yes. This age will end, and Christ will still be with us. Always. No matter what. Always.