Jealousy will Fail; Love will Prevail. (Acts 5:17-42, NCV; 1 Corinthians 13:4, NCV; 1 Corinthians 13:8, CEV)Success brings opposition from the enemy.
- Jealousy will destroy relationships and lead to unjustified anger.
- Jealousy:
- The desire to deprive another of pleasures which draw him away from you.
- When you have all you ought to have, but you still want what someone else has.
- Feeling resentment against someone because of that person’s success.
- EQ: Be very aware of who we are and what we are feeling and how to deal with those feelings.
Ways to deal with jealousy.
- Remember, spirit filled Christians don’t make decisions on feelings without the Truth of God’s Word.
- Allow the Love of Christ to overcome love of self.
- Remember jealousy will lead to death.
- God will convict us about jealousy, but He gives us the free will to make the decision on what we will do. (Genesis 4:3-8, NKJV)
How does this apply to Journey Church?
- We cannot overlook spending time with God if we want love to prevail over jealousy.
- Don’t let someone else’s success cause you failure. (1 Corinthians 3:7-9, NCV)
Bad things happen to good people.
- Three things to ask when bad things happen:
- Is this a result of my own (self-induced) behavior? (Ex. Prodigal Son)
- Is this because of what someone else has done? (Jealousy)
- Is this something God has allowed to build my faith and grow His Kingdom?
- Then, three questions to ask:
- Does God know the situation? (Jeremiah 29:11)
- Is it too hard for the Lord to handle? (Genesis 18:14)
- Does God have a good plan or purpose for my life? (Romans 8:28)
If you are still alive God’s not done.
- Sometimes God delivers us and sometimes He kills us. (Acts 5:19; Acts 12:1-2, NLT; Philippians 1:23-26, NKJV; Mark 1:14-15, NKJV)
