Here I wish to bring to attention the seven deadly sins before I scrutinize further on jealousy. According to what I know and what I read further, the seven deadly sins are listed as below:
- Lust (Latin, luxuria)
- Gluttony (Latin, gula)
- Sloth (Latin, acedia)
- Greed (Latin, avaritia)
- Wrath (Latin, ira)
- Envy (Latin, invidia)
- Pride (Latin, superbia)
In order for us to stage a war against jealousy, we need to discern to root causes to it... Typically, jealousy grows out of insecurity, fear, deception, or covetousness. And all these ARE stated in the bible several times... Sometimes, it is just the matter of whether we WANT to recognize what we have read in the Word.
Personal Insecurity...
More often than not, we base our security on the opinion, affirmation, and acceptance of others. We tend to be insecure when we feel rejections or when we feel unloved. And this is NOT good, as it leads us to perceive the strengths of others as threats to ourselves. In order to battle with this lack of personal security, we must first turn back to God through His Word and hold on firmly to His unfailing love and acceptance... One of the verses which really woke me up is from Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."
Fear...
This is another cause of jealousy. This can devastate Godly relationships as much as insecurity because fear, when it controls us, does not help to maintain relationships or positions we desire. Instead of keeping it, we are pushing it away because of jealousy! In one of the articles I read, it was written that there is nothing we can hang on to that is worth what we are giving up. It means the peace we can find through Jesus Christ when we give Him free reign over our lives. This is what we are giving up because of jealousy. If we fear, then we must first recognize what we fear, and then confess before God so that our thoughts will be transformed through God's Words. One verse which struck me on this issue of fear as root cause of jealousy is 1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." Another verse which relates us to the sufferings of Christ because of our burdens (in this case, our fears) is from Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery".
Deception...
Deception = Lies. How does it cultivate jealousy? Well, sometimes, we perceive threats which do not exist in reality. Our perception of life gets distorted due to lies we believe about others and ourselves. Let's take an example of a young couple in relationship. Maybe the boy has other close girl-friends and he shares what they told him often to his girlfriend because of his trust on her not to be jealous. But because of the distorted perception of the girl, she might be thinking that one of those girl-friends is out to get her boyfriend, and thus jealousy grows deeply inside her. This is hazardous for the relationship, because of lies that the Devil tells to the girl. This battle is not ours but God's. We need to set ourselves free from this deception by knowing what He says in His Word. In John 8:32, Jesus said "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" while in Psalm 24:4-5, the psalmist seek God's face by saying, "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long."
Covetousness...
This is a deep desire to possess another person. In another way of explanation, this is also known as possessiveness. This is one issue that individuals in relationships face often. Covetousness tends to lead us to aggressive jealousy which had been spoken against in the Bible. The Ten Commandments during Moses' time had spoken about this issue: "You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his manservant or maid, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour." (Exodus 20:17) Covetousness roots in us when we become dissatisfied with the blessings God bestowed upon us and it is a terrible thing is we disallow it to lead us to Christ. Satisfaction in God Himself will lead us away from sins. One verse which I can find to fight against covetousness is: "This is what the Lord says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord you God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea" (Isaiah 48:17-18).
The key to biblically overcoming jealousy is to discern the roots of your jealousy and then battle them with the truth of God's Word. Put into practice the challenge in Romans 12:1-2: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God _ this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, buy be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
And lastly, one passage from the bible which has been spoken of so often is from the gospel of Luke, about the prodigal son. But this time, we are not looking at the prodigal son, but his own brother... And take note of what the father says to the son...
Luke 15:25-32
"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'
Indeed, we have always been in that relationship and everything we have belongs to the Father. Why then be jealous of others? We already have enough and thus should be contented living in peace with Christ closely in our hearts. Praise the Lord who saves us and give glory to Him in all that we do, all that we say and most importantly, all that we think.
:)
