If you ask any child of God what the strongest force in the world is, they will tell you that it is love. In ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐:๐-๐, Godโs 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 ๐๐ฑ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐:๐๐, the Bible states, โ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐; ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐๐, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฑ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ค๐๐ฒ, ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ’๐ฌ.โ 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 Lordโs sovereignty. And rest assured, when you say โnoโ 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!
๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ: โHeavenly 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 Jesusโ name!โ
#๐๐จ๐ฒ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฒ #๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐
Watched TB Joshua 