3 Things That Defile A Person Of God (Part 3)

(3) The third is jealousy.

Song of Solomon 8:6 "Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave; Its flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame."

Professional jealousy is understandable, maybe even unavoidable to some extent. But when it is unrecognized and ignored, it has the potential to destroy the strength of a believer.

-Jealous believers measure their success by the failure of others.

a. A jealous organization cannot sustain momentum when its leadership is focused on how well others are not doing rather than looking for ways to move forward.

b. Maybe most crippling of all is that jealous people rarely surround themselves with competent and talented people. They feel threatened and their insecurity stifles the growth that all believers and churches need.

 If you can identify with the ailments cited above, welcome to the human race. We all wrestle with guilt, anger, and jealousy at some level. That’s why we need a Savior. The good news is that through Christ we can bring these enemies of our life under control. They might never be eliminated, but they certainly don’t have to control our lives or contaminate our churches or faith.

Here's what the Bible says for us to do.

-Confess ALL of your sins.

James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

 Confession eradicates guilt. Chances are you’ve confessed to God. Now go confess to the person you’ve wronged.

 -Forgive.

Matthew 5:23, 24 " Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  

Forgiveness is simply a decision to cancel a debt. Take time to decipher what you think the people who’ve hurt you owe you and cancel those debts. Otherwise, you will make the people closest to you pay.

-Celebrate others.

1 Corinthians 12:26 " And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

Look for ways to celebrate the successes of people who’ve pulled ahead of you. Write them a letter. Praise their accomplishments in public. Refuse to allow jealousy to take up residence in your heart.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

-You live from the heart.

-You love from the heart.

-You lead from your heart.

So pay attention to your heart. It impacts everything you do, not just in this life, but for all of eternity.