Our church's Prayer Line is in the middle of a study of jealousy One of the things we’ve learned is that feeling, or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages is one of definitions of jealousy.
To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.
Exodus 20:17 (NLT)17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
For those of you that say we are no longer under the law try this one on for size;
Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
If we love God and our neighbor then we won’t covet what belongs to them.
Jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away by another person. Jealousy can apply to our jobs, our possessions, or our reputations. This kind of jealousy is a sin and is not characteristic of a Christian; rather, it shows that we are still being controlled by our own desires, and not God's will for our lives..
1 Corinthians 3:3 (ASV)3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?
Galatians 5:26 (NLT)26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The Bible tells us that we are to have the perfect kind of love that God has for us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
The more we focus on ourselves and our own desires, the less we are able to focus on God.
Matthew 13:15 (NLT)15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
But when we allow the Holy Spirit to control us, He will produce in us the fruit of our salvation, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.
Exodus 20:17 (NLT)17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
For those of you that say we are no longer under the law try this one on for size;
Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)30 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
If we love God and our neighbor then we won’t covet what belongs to them.
Jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away by another person. Jealousy can apply to our jobs, our possessions, or our reputations. This kind of jealousy is a sin and is not characteristic of a Christian; rather, it shows that we are still being controlled by our own desires, and not God's will for our lives..
1 Corinthians 3:3 (ASV)3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?
Galatians 5:26 (NLT)26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The Bible tells us that we are to have the perfect kind of love that God has for us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
The more we focus on ourselves and our own desires, the less we are able to focus on God.
Matthew 13:15 (NLT)15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
But when we allow the Holy Spirit to control us, He will produce in us the fruit of our salvation, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Be Content
Being jealous indicates that we are not satisfied with what God has given us. The Bible tells us to be content with what we have, for God will never leave or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
In order to combat jealousy, we need to become more like Jesus and less like ourselves. We can get to know Him through Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with mature believers. As we learn how to serve others instead of ourselves, our hearts will begin to change.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
For us as believers, contentment should be governed by inner attitude and the decisions we make rather than by external circumstances.
Philippians 4:11-14 (NLT)11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
What’s amazing by this scripture is that it’s part to the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi while in a Roman prison. He understood what it meant to live in Christ and to have Christ living in him. He had made the decision to draw his life from the Lord and, as a result, had the calm assurance that what he possessed inside could never be stolen. He was confident in his identity as a child of God with full access to the abundant life Jesus offers.
John 15:1-9 (NLT)1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Thankfulness Leads to Contentment
Adam and Eve weren’t content with what God had given them so they disobeyed and ate of the one tree, out of all the trees in the Garden of Eden, that God told them not to eat. They were convinced, by Satan, that God had something that they didn’t have, which was knowledge of good and evil, and they coveted that that knowledge. They weren’t content with what God had given them.
Do we genuinely desire and long for God, or for other things? If we are not content and grateful for what we have and who we are, then we are not loving God as we should. As Francis Schaeffer put it, we are “coveting against God”.
When we are thankful we realize that the “grass is not greener” next door. Our gratitude waters our own grass and makes it greener.
Our thankfulness and gratitude results in surrendering our will to God’s will for our lives because we trust Him.
Matthew 6:9-10 (NLT)9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
If you want to see how much you really trust God take a look at your thankfulness and gratitude when things don’t go your way or you don’t have and can’t get the things that you want.
Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)1 Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!
When something threatens to steal your contentment, look to God and stop trying to get contentment from any other source. When you find yourself becoming flustered, anxious, or angry, stop and say, "Lord, You are my source, and I draw from You.
Psalm 59:17 (NKJV)17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.
Being jealous indicates that we are not satisfied with what God has given us. The Bible tells us to be content with what we have, for God will never leave or forsake us.
Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
In order to combat jealousy, we need to become more like Jesus and less like ourselves. We can get to know Him through Bible study, prayer, and fellowship with mature believers. As we learn how to serve others instead of ourselves, our hearts will begin to change.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
For us as believers, contentment should be governed by inner attitude and the decisions we make rather than by external circumstances.
Philippians 4:11-14 (NLT)11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
What’s amazing by this scripture is that it’s part to the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi while in a Roman prison. He understood what it meant to live in Christ and to have Christ living in him. He had made the decision to draw his life from the Lord and, as a result, had the calm assurance that what he possessed inside could never be stolen. He was confident in his identity as a child of God with full access to the abundant life Jesus offers.
John 15:1-9 (NLT)1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Thankfulness Leads to Contentment
Adam and Eve weren’t content with what God had given them so they disobeyed and ate of the one tree, out of all the trees in the Garden of Eden, that God told them not to eat. They were convinced, by Satan, that God had something that they didn’t have, which was knowledge of good and evil, and they coveted that that knowledge. They weren’t content with what God had given them.
Do we genuinely desire and long for God, or for other things? If we are not content and grateful for what we have and who we are, then we are not loving God as we should. As Francis Schaeffer put it, we are “coveting against God”.
When we are thankful we realize that the “grass is not greener” next door. Our gratitude waters our own grass and makes it greener.
Our thankfulness and gratitude results in surrendering our will to God’s will for our lives because we trust Him.
Matthew 6:9-10 (NLT)9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
If you want to see how much you really trust God take a look at your thankfulness and gratitude when things don’t go your way or you don’t have and can’t get the things that you want.
Psalm 95:1-7 (NLT)1 Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods.4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!
When something threatens to steal your contentment, look to God and stop trying to get contentment from any other source. When you find yourself becoming flustered, anxious, or angry, stop and say, "Lord, You are my source, and I draw from You.
Psalm 59:17 (NKJV)17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy.
Total Praise - Written
by Richard Lee Smallwood
Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace, You give me in time of the storm
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Watch and see how God will quiet your spirit and bring contentment.
by Richard Lee Smallwood
Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from You
Your peace, You give me in time of the storm
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Amen, Amen (Amen)
Watch and see how God will quiet your spirit and bring contentment.
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