Oops Lord, Here I Go Again…
One day at church, I overheard one person say to another person, “Oh my God, I love the gifts that you give me. Your gifts are so thoughtful, and I cannot wait to open it.” Hearing this comment invoked an uneasy feeling in me, one that I could not shake. This feeling stayed with me throughout the rest of the evening and into the next day. I decided to take it to the Lord in prayer. I simply asked, “God, why does this bother me?” The Holy Spirit, in the most direct and beautiful way said, you are jealous.
Jealous, I thought. My initial response was, “Devil get thee behind me,” but it was not the enemy. It was God and he was beginning to tear down that stronghold of jealousy that had formed in my life. As I pondered on what He said to me, it led me to my knees. I prayed, “God, help me.” “I do not like this feeling. I HATE this evil in me, and I want a pure heart. I poured out to God and confessed the jealousy that was in my heart. That was the beginning of my breakthrough. It was not an easy journey and required some work on my part—confession, repentance, prayer, commitment of scripture to memory and the ongoing reading and studying of God’s Word; but the outcome was worth the work.
I share this example because, while it is easy to say don’t be jealous, it is not always that easy. Let me explain. While the Bible teaches us to not be jealous(Philippians 2:3) but instead to be humble and to consider others better than ourselves, it does not suggest we can do it alone. Once Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and lives within us(Acts 2:38). As the Holy Spirit reveals sin, as He did with me when I had that uneasy feeling, it is up to us to work with the Holy Spirit to kill sin in our lives. We may continue to feel jealous, but we cannot act on it. For instance, if we feel jealous of someone, we may be inclined to put them down or bad mouth them. When we do that, we are giving in to the jealousy and our flesh. Rather than doing what the flesh wants, CHOOSE to do what God says—esteem others better than yourself. Try lifting that person in prayer, asking God to bless them, and perhaps searching for a way to bless them yourself. When we do this, we are denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Jesus, thus setting ourselves up for God’s blessings(Matthew 16:24-26).
Do you have a jealous spirit? If not jealousy, what? Whatever it is, apply the same principle. I’ve learned that guilt or ill feelings are not always bad. They can be indications that something is wrong in the spirit. Don’t ignore it, explore it. Embrace God’s word, Embrace God’s path, and then Embrace God’s blessings.
For God’s Glory,
Tahnee
