The Hidden Spirits within Vashti
The Book of Esther
A few months ago, and now during the 13 days of fasting, as
I was reading the book of Esther, the Holy Spirit ministered to me about the
life of Vashti. I pondered as to what possessed her to behave the way she did
that caused her to loose her royalty and the abundance that came with it. As I
continued to read the whole chapter 1, not once, not twice but several times my
spirit was moved and I knew God was trying to show me what Vashti was hiding
from everyone but that ONLY God saw. God has
a way to reveal many things that we also hide from the world, but not to harm
or cause us shame, but to release us from bondage that keeps us from being the
Esther he intended for us to be. The
more I went back to read chapter 1, the more revelation I received by the Holy
Spirit. As I pictured her life, I imaged that she also had to go through a
process of beautification, the bible speaks that she was beautiful, pleasant to
the eyes of men and even women. She was given power and authority to rule over
the maidservants and over all who served in the palace, she played an important
role – she was The Queen, the First Lady. I imagined she was envied by many
women who had wished to be in her position. I imagined her constantly being
praised and honored, commented about her outer beauty, her clothes, her
jewelry, her royal crown. {Charm is deceitful,
and beauty is vain, Proverbs 31:30} Everyone was in a her beg and
call, what ever Queen Vashti wanted, Queen Vashti received.
I want to add in my own opinion; Vashti was not only
beautiful but was also very good in hiding her past. I could imagine that she
wanted to start a new life and leave her past behind and maybe her intentions
were pure and wanted to bring hope to other women who must have been where she
was in her past before becoming a Queen, but she lost herself in all this attention
and being in the spotlight and that was what cost her, her downfall.
My point of view as I understand it, Queen Vashti became
conceited, arrogant, self-seeker, self-centered {adds up to} The
Spirit of PRIDE – {Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace}
following along the spirit of pride was The
Spirit of DISOBEDIENT- {See how each of you
is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me. Jeremiah
16:12} she was rebellious and
refused to respect and obey the kings orders and refuse to submit to authority
and also added The Spirit of
DIVISION, { Proverbs 6:19 A false witness who breathes out lies, and one
who sows discord among brothers. }she caused strife and gossip
among the women she associated with. It
seems to me that Vashti was a very bitter
woman, she must of carried a lot of anger from her past that eventually exposed
itself and rejected the role that was expected from her, unfortunately for her the
outcome of her decisions caused her to be replaced and banned from every coming
in front of the king.
Reflecting on the decisions that caused the lost of Vashti
role as a queen, I saw that very reflection in my life, the things that were
hidden within Vashti was also hidden within me and God was exposing those very things that kept me in
bondage. He needed me to understand that
he could not use me until I was set free from the very bondage that made Vashti
loose her royal place in the kingdom. Not everyone would admit to this because
of shame and being judge, but in order to be fully set free, the lies and
hidden ugliness has to be exposed, for then true freedom will manifest the beauty within.
Each of us as woman has had and will have to face the
consequences of our decisions and those actions that come with hidden
intentions. To me, all these hidden agendas
almost cost me my marriage, my family and friends, I was removed from ministry,
lost the trust of my spiritual parents, but I thank God that I had to go
through this painful journey in order for God to bring me to a place of
submission to Him and to those under authority and with true obedience and most
of all become a GOD pleaser, not a people pleaser. {We must obey God rather than men! Acts 5:29}
This wakeup call taught me to surrender, accept, repent and live with
transparency with everyone.{ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey
it, and repent. (Revelation 3:3 } Preparing and keeping myself
always under the full armor of GOD, praying and interceding at all time,
equipping myself with the Word of God to discern what is and what is not of
GOD. Feeding my spirit, protecting and
guarding what has been deposited in me by God and allowing the Holy Spirit to
guide me into the front lines of this spiritual warfare that is going on right
now in the spiritual realms, knowing that at any given time, the enemy will
come and vomit his unpleasant lies and will distort the Word of God and use it
against the purpose of God in my life, my marriage, my children and to the
ministry I will soon serve in. I thank
God for his Grace, his Love, and his Mercy. I now can say I am walking in true
Freedom, and in order for me to continue
to walk in true freedom, I have to keep myself under the mantle of humility and
continue to keep God the Center of my Life. {Proverbs 22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth
and honor and life.}
Heavenly Father, I thank you for Your Good News, which has
freed me from the bondage of sin and ignorance. Let Your constant Word be the
sword and armor in my life. Amen.
Written on 1/16/2013
by Maribel Castillo
