In the previous two articles we talked about what I call “The Leech Spirit”. This spirit seeks out the strong and is sent on assignment to suck the life out of people and derail hopes and dreams. People who have the leech spirit usually have very little emotional maturity and rely on others, similar to how a child relies on the breast of it’s mother so helplessly, in order to survive and make it. In doing so they bring a lot of unnecessary drama into their target’s life which usually ends up making them a part of their sad life. If this spirit is not identified quickly and dealt with accordingly, then it can cause a lot of damage to marriages, ministries, and people in general. Today we will finish this discussion talking about this spirit and how it works.
THE LEECH SPIRIT & THE SPIRIT OF BETRAYAL
One of the dangers that you have to really watch out for when you’re around someone with the leech spirit is betrayal. These people love to hang onto every word you say, carefully taking mental notes of the content coming forth, and try to find some way to re-communicate it to others in a twisted way which throws you under the bus but somehow (at least in their minds) helps them. These kinds of people love to pit people against each other so that others who are stronger and more mature than them suffer loss. In a really sick way, this makes them feel better about themselves because most of the time they hate themselves. They hate who they are, they hate who they’ve become, so they try to befriend the people they envy so they facilitate a little bit of scuff on their image. This is sick, it’s demonic, but it really goes on. It happens all the time. Some people only feel good when others get hurt, and some people will help facilitate that hurt if they have to, in order to feel a little bit better today.
JONATHON: OUR BIBLICAL EXAMPLE OF THE LEECH SPIRIT & THE SPIRIT OF BETRAYAL
If you recall, in the biblical account of Jonathan (son to King Saul), this man came up in revival in Israel, at a time of great excitement and expectation after Samuel emerged to anoint the first king of Israel. Jonathan was always side by side with his father, the strongest of Saul’s children, the clear heir to the throne. That is until David came along. As soon as David emerged Jonathan didn’t attack him, he didn’t put him down, he didn’t try to outshine him. He befriended David and began to partner with him for kingdom exploits. Sound familiar?
David was the heir apparent in the spirit to the throne of Israel. Jonathan was the heir apparent in the flesh to Israel. Although Jonathan clearly communicated his love and allegiance to David, he also continually sided with the man who was trying to kill David. He kept going back and forth between the two kings for how it best suited him.
This is what someone who carries the spirit of the leech or betrayal does. They vacillate back and forth between various alliances and partnerships while only ever fully committed to themselves. You can count on them for one thing: doing what’s best for themselves, no matter what’s right or what’s best for others. This is the game which Jonathan played and eventually He lost his life for it. He died with his father Saul in battle right after his father consulted with the witch of Endor and ate her bread (1 Sam.28).
Now it’s worth noting that David did not ascend the throne until Saul was judged and taken out by the Lord, as He promised He would. But it was not just Saul that was taken out, it was Jonathon that was taken out too. It’s not just your enemies that have to be dealt with in order for you to rise up in your kingly anointing, but it’s the friends who have partnered with the enemy in your life. It’s those who have the leech spirit, who have manifested the spirit of betrayal.
JONATHAN’S GENERATIONAL LEECH SPIRIT
As is the case with many evil or familiar spirits, they often find a foothold in a family line and follow the different family members down generationally. I believe in the case of Jonathon we can clearly see this spirit passed down generationally. I believe we can clear see this spirit in Saul’s family line.
It started with Saul. Saul was made king, but because of his rebellion and disobedience he had the kingdom torn from him by the Lord and given to David (1 Sam.15:28), a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam.13:14). Instead of Saul humbling himself and using his great wisdom and experience to help God’s choice for the next king of Israel, He drew David close with words of flattery, even the reward of one of his daughters for a wife (1 Sam.25:44), only to order a spear to be driven through his heart in the middle of the night (1 Sam.19:11-14).
Saul’s daughter Michal, first wife to David, seemed to carry something on her as well which was at war with what God was trying to do through David. When David returned from recapturing the ark from the Philistines He danced before the Lord until all of his clothes came off (2 Sam.6:14). Michal despised him for it, publicly criticizing his undignified act. This is typical of the religious and critical spirit which is very unfruitful spiritually. Interestingly, Michal was never able to conceive natural children of her own (2 Sam.6:23). It’s quite possible her family line affected this reality so that although she was joined to David she could never be fruitful with him and share in his blessing.
If you recall in the story of Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, He was carried away quickly from the capitol as a little boy (2 Sam.4:4) because his handmaid knew what happened to the king’s family in ancient times when a new king took the throne with a new royal line. It was common custom for kings to slaughter entire families of the previous regime to ensure that there would be no challengers for the throne. As the handmaid fled the city she dropped the young boy leaving him permanently cripped for life.
As the story goes, when David found out that there was indeed an heir which was left to Jonathan, a man whom He loved (2 Sam.1:26), he immediately reached out to Mephibosheth and sought to show him the kindness of God (2 Sam.9). David showered him with blessing, gave him a seat at his table like one of his own children, and truly showed him the love and compassion of the Lord. But it wasn’t too long after this that David’s son Absolom rose up against him and started a civil war in the kingdom. Guess who sided with Absolom and forgot all about David’s generosity? That’s right, Mephibosheth (2 Sam.16:1-4).
Now I will say that there is controversy as to what really happened here in this story of Mephibosheth’s betrayal. Some believe that Mephibosheth’s servant Ziba was telling the truth when He brought news to David of Mephibosheth’s treachery (2 Sam.16:1-4). Others believe that because Mephibosheth had not taken care of himself from the moment David left Jerusalem to the moment he returned that He was in mourning for David, the true King. Some believe that He didn’t betray David and that it was indeed a lie told by his servant Ziba (2 Sam.19:24).
David doesn’t help us with knowing the truth either because He doesn’t vindicate one person’s story over the other. He just commands Mephibosheth to quit “speaking of these matters” and says for Mephibosheth’s land to be divided up evenly between him and Ziba, even though Mephibosheth neglected to receive the gift saying that having David restored to the throne was enough for him (2 Sam.19:29-30). Either way I think the story still fits perfectly with our subject matter today, for the leech spirit is both a friend and a betrayer to it’s target.
It is very hard to know whether this person is for you or against you, just like how David must have felt about Mephibosheth. It seems to me that Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathon, had passed down the same leech, and He exhibited many of the same traits of his father. Like his father before him Mephibosheth looked to be very slippery with his alignments. He seemed to find himself allied with different kings at different times, and you also see the drama following him which is indicative of the leech spirit. The drama that came from Mephibosheth and Ziba’s opposing stories David wanted no part of. He told him to be quiet and just divide the land between them. This indicates to me that David didn’t really trust either of them and didn’t want to get sucked into their drama, into their, “he said she said” game, which was wisdom in this case.
CONCLUSION
So beware of this spirit that attaches itself to people whom the enemy sends on assignment into your camp. Like Saul they will shower you with flattery, even reward you with gifts, but will try to put the spear through your heart the first chance they get because competition controls them more than love and honor. Like Jonathan, they will make their love and affection for you known, but they will partner with your enemies and go back and forth between the two of you for as long as it benefits them. Like Miphobsheth, they will gladly take your hospitality, eat your food at your table, but in the end you won’t really know if they’re your friend or foe.
Beware of this spirit. It always appears as a friend but keeps the dagger near. It will suck the very life from you, your marriage, your finances, and everything that you’ve built thus far if you let it. Be determined to not make all of your decisions with your heart. Let your knowledge, your experience, and your wisdom do some of the thinking for you. And if you recognize any of these traits in the people who you’ve let into your inner circle, again I say beware! You can’t afford to have people in your inner circle who add unnecessary drama to your life and drag you down. Not if you’re really going somewhere and you really want to build something amazing for the kingdom. Be wise with your relationships and learn when to release people to the Lord. It will be best for you and best for them in the long run. Wisdom has taught us this. Heed the lesson from Wisdom today!
In His Service,
Stephen Powell
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