AUTHOR: BOLA FOLAKEMI PRAISE
TOPIC: JEALOUSY: A HINDRANCE TO BLESSING
TEXT: Genesis 4: 2b-12
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
What is jealousy? It is being envious of someone who has something we do not have. It is being envious of someone’s success, achievements and breakthrough. Jealousy is a sin unto God; it is not an attribute of a good Christian, Instead it shows that such believer is still living in flesh.
Jealousy comes from fear, insecurity and covetousness. When you are jealous, it means you are not satisfied with who you are and what you have. Jealousy is the act of having the desire to be like other people in beauty, riches, intellect and talent. When you are unable to achieve these, you get jealous of the people that you feel they are better than you.
Having the spirit of jealousy shows that you are not satisfied with what God has given to you and you do not appreciate Him. The scripture says that we should be contented with what we have without coveting people’s things.
The text reference (Genesis 4:2b-12) Cain and Abel were brothers. Abel offered good sacrifice unto God, but Cain did not offer God his best sacrifice. When God blessed them accordingly; Cain became jealous of his brother, the jealousy grew to the level that made him to kill his brother.
A lesson here is that when you become jealous, you can take an irrational decision, your sense of reasoning would be taken over by the devil, and the consequences could be disastrous!
God was very angry with Cain for killing his brother; He placed a curse on him.
If he was not jealous of his brother’s blessing, maybe God would have blessed him during subsequent offering, but his act of jealousy fetched him curses!
As children of light; we should be happy when people around us are progressing. We need to rejoice with people that are rejoicing, not in pretence but wholeheartedly.
The Bible says we are created in the image of God, and God instructs us to have the same attitude like Jesus Christ. If you are Christ like; you will not be jealous of people that are succeeding. Jealousy is not of God, it is synonymous with the kingdom of darkness. It is the work of flesh and not of spirit; the scripture says we should live in spirit so that we will not gratify the desires of sinful nature (Gal 5:16).
If you obey this scripture; you will be manifesting the fruits of the spirit rather than manifesting the works of the flesh.
1 Corinthians 3:3 says “you are still worldly; for since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men”? No matter how long you have been in Christ; if you still harbour jealousy in you, it shows you are worldly and the love of God is not in you.
The scripture says in Romans 8:8 that those that are in flesh cannot please God. If you want to please God; you should do away with every works of the flesh.
DANGERS OF JEALOUSY
· Jealousy is a sin, and sin hinders prayer. (Isaiah 59: 1-2)
· The spirit of God cannot dwell where jealousy dwells. (Matthew 6:24)
· The person will be tormented by devil because he or she belongs to their kingdom.
· The person will experience closed heavens; everything will be difficult for such person.
· Instead of blessing the person will inherit curses from God.
HOW TO DEAL WITH JEALOUSY
· Guard your heart against evil thoughts and feeling. (Proverbs 4:23)
· Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.
· Dwell on the word of God constantly.( Philippians 4:8)
· Be filled with Holy Spirit. ( Galatians 5: 16)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8).
