If you ask any child of God what the strongest force in the world is, they will tell you that it is love. In 𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟑:𝟒-𝟖, God’s Word gives us an extensive explanation of what love stands for. And sometimes, we tend to forget one of its greatest enemies: jealousy.
Jealousy is not as innocent as we think. It is not simply wishing for what others have. If we constantly feed on it, it leads to a vicious cycle of comparison and dissatisfaction. It is a tool satan uses to make us sad and disappointed upon realising that we do not have what our neighbour has, yet what you are feeling right now is as a result of your focus! If you focus on what you are lacking compared to others, it is only natural to feel left out, forgotten by God.
Nevertheless, in the book of 𝐄𝐱𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐬 𝟐𝟎:𝟏𝟕, the Bible states, “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐱, 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬.” Although we have needs as human beings, and we need resources to make it in this world, this command is essentially for our own good!
Indeed, if we have a look at the story of Abel and Cain, it is easy to understand that jealousy will draw us towards destructive behaviours. It will make us foster resentment, there will be no more room left for love to take root, and God cannot reside nor encourage a covetous heart. Envy also reflects a lack of gratitude, because no one can deny that the Lord has not blessed us already! Every day, He gives us a million reasons to be thankful, but we will never be able to appreciate any of them if we do not stop comparing ourselves to others as if life is an endless competition.
Therefore, if you want to be happy and feel content, shift your perspective and acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty. And rest assured, when you say “no” to jealousy, you stop the devil from manipulating you with his lies, and you will find that thankfulness is a path to a more abundant and fulfilling life!
🙏 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫: “Heavenly Father, I pray for Your strength and guidance to overcome jealousy. Help me focus on Your blessings and teach me how to cultivate a heart of gratitude. Lord, do not let me forget about Your daily goodness, so I can fight against any negative feeling, in Jesus’ name!”
#𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐲 #𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞
Watched TB Joshua 