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| what jealousy can do to people |
For
we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with
some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by
themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12 (KJV)
Jealousy
and envy are one. It is when somebody’s achievements make you hate the person. You
compare your situation with the person and wish you could become like them.
Jealousy
is heightening at the period when you are in dire need of something and
possessing what your friend has would be a golden opportunity.
Jealousy
is a fruit of the flesh, specifically from the soul. There are sins of the body
like fornication, drunkenness and the like; but the sins of the soul have to do
with the feelings.
If
you are jealous it means you are not walking in the spirit. Scriptures says if
we walk in the spirit and we would not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
Am
going to make some pointers with characters in the bible and it is going to
reflect the subtle exploits of jealousy on earth.
Satan; he wanted to be like God. Though
he was the highest angel he wasn’t satisfied.
When
you are jealous you want to go beyond the position God has placed you. You are
not content and the result is that you would exceed yourself and fall. If you
sing in the church and somebody does the preaching and receives numerous
accolades, you decide to quit the music and preach when you are not called for
that, you only become third rate. Thus, you drop from grace to grass.
Cain; he envied his brother Abel. He
killed his only brother. So jealousy can make you a killer. You will kill
people physically, kill their dreams by painting them black to people who
wanted to promote them. Jealousy would make you kill every good thing. A
jealous person is a killer.
Aaron and Miriam; they were jealous of
Moses. They surmised that God has not called Moses alone and so they would do
their own thing. God retaliated by making Miriam have leprosy thereby delaying
their journey to the Promised Land for seven days. If you are jealous you might
try to change the order of God and you would be punished. Somebody said, even
if a Christian and unbeliever drink cyanide deliberately, the will both die.
God punishes, let’s not deceive ourselves he is a punisher! Thus jealousy can
make you incur the wrath of God directly.
Absalom; he was jealous of his own
father David and tried to kill him. In 2
Samuel 16:20-22 he did the most atrocious thing in the bible. He had sex with
all his father’s wives on the roof top in front of all Israel! I have seen
siblings try to harm each other because of jealousy. My friend’s wife rose
against him because he was attending university. When my friend showed me his
scars from the fight he had been through with his wife I couldn’t believe it;
but when they were marrying I saw the love for each other! So jealousy can make
you destroy your own, yes it definitely makes you blind!
Daniel and the Babylonians; Daniel was
exalted in the new regime to be a minister. The Babylonian ministers were
jealous of him so they plotted something against him; Daniel 6. They made the
king sign a covenant against worshiping for one month. Daniel would not budge
but do his worship, arrested and thrown into the lions’ den, the Lord saved
him. His enemies and their families, 32 of them, were thrown to the lions and
what feast did the beasts have! Now your jealousy can drown your whole family.
People have been jealous and killed their friends and have been imprisoned
thereby bringing sorrow to their little children and wife who have no job; a
permanent ruin to their lives. Jealous people forget that when they get into
trouble it affects all their love ones! For the sake of your wife and children
flee from jealousy!
Pharaoh; the bible says when the old
pharaoh died a new one emerged. He looked at how the Israelites were growing
and he was jealous. It made him think that someday the Israelites would
multiply and overtake them. He was the one who sped the deliverance of the
Israelites. In Exodus, scripture said ‘but the more they afflicted them, the
more they grew’ (1:12). And so ‘the
children of Israel sighed by reason of their bondage, and they cried and their
cry came up unto God by reason of their bondage. … God looked upon the children
of Israel and God had respect unto them’ (2:23-25).
When
you are jealous and try to harm somebody, that person would surely rise above
you. You make that person great because of your persecution. The Apostles were
scattered because of the jealousy of the authorities, Christianity was able to
spread to all over the world. You jealousy would make that person greater than
you.
Pray
and ask the Holy Spirit for mercy and you will be healed of jealousy.
