Dear Heavenly Father,
A friend of mine has been dating a guy that seemed like a very nice person. He is a Christian and after hearing him pray one night, like my other girlfriends, I was very moved by his humility. I personally became excited for my friend, because from all appearances, this new man in her life seemed to be someone that would truly support her walk in Christ. In the beginning, this is exactly what he did, but he also began to exhibit a jealous behavior towards her. Given the short amount of time they had known each other, it was easy to see that he had not allowed Your love to govern this part of his life.
Jealousy is an emotion that is expressed through being envious of another person, often to the point of overprotecting something for fear it will be taken. You want us to know that any time our actions are rooted in fear, we are in jeopardy, because all fear belongs to satan. Many believers haven’t dealt with this emotion in their hearts, and because they haven’t, they risk making idols of people and things. This is a sin, and we must repent of it. You tell us in James 3:16(NLT), “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” Jealousy births many other evil emotions. It is rooted in a level of fear that imprisons. It’s insidious because we don’t always recognize jealous tendencies in a person at first. He or she can be attractive and seem very nice, but this is a disguise they’re not able to hide behind for long.
You tell us that disorder will always follow a jealous heart. You also instructed us in 1Corinthians 14:33 that You are not the author of confusion or chaos. You love order and peace and have nothing to do with disorder. This is why we can know that jealousy is not of You. It will leave a terrible aroma of evil, because it comes from the devil. Many sisters in Christ make the mistake of confusing a man’s jealous tendency with an intense love, but love can never behave in a jealous way. Love is liberty. You tell us in 1Corinthians 13:4 that love is not jealous, boastful, or proud.
Many of us attract jealous-hearted men because we haven’t dealt with our own jealousy. We see our exes with someone new, and fear begins to rear its ugly head. We have insecurities within, and we envy the other woman, thinking that she perhaps has something that we don’t or can’t acquire ourselves. These thoughts don’t represent the generous and abundant nature of Your Kingdom. They are thoughts of self-doubt and can eat away at us, because this is what jealousy does. It consumes our good intentions and twists them to serve selfishness. Jealousy will always stir doubt and suspicion, but this isn’t the worse damage that it causes.
The worse aspect of a jealous heart is that it prevents a person from being able to express the gratitude they should be offering You continually. You have made faith and gratitude the culture of heaven. They are trademarks of Your children, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thankfulness is an all-encompassing state of being, leaving no room for the expression of any negative emotion. When we are authentically thankful for Your blessings, we can’t be jealous. Likewise, if we’re filled with jealousy, we can’t be truly thankful for all that You’ve given us. This is a sin that injures our relationship with You.
Father God, You tell us in Psalm 84:11 that You are our sun and shield; You give us grace and glory, and You won’t withhold any good thing to those who do what is right. Help us to do what pleases You, Heavenly Father. We must be committed to root out jealousy and replace it with gratitude and confidence in You. Reveal to us when we’re harboring jealousy in our hearts and help us to break free of this tormenting emotion. Please also help us to recognize it in others, so that we can steer clear of engaging relationships with those who are enslaved by jealousy.
Thank You for always taking care of us. You are our sufficiency. We never have to be envious of anyone, because everything in the world belongs to You, and You are delighted to share with us. Thank You for showing us Your love, strength, and power as we seek to grow in You and trust You with our whole hearts. Thank You for our Blessed Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and thank You for the Holy Spirit. Let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Replacing Jealousy with Gratitude”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.