SATAN’S TRAPS: JEALOUSY (3 of 4)

Satan’s trap of “Jealousy” (3 of 4)

CONSEQUENCES OF JEALOUSY

1. Fear.
     – We will live with fear (a form of bondage).
     – Fear that we won’t get something.
     – Fear that we won’t get something on time.
     – Fear that someone else will get what we want.

2. We become overly competitive.
     – When we become overly competitive,
        then we can find ourselves being against someone else.
     – We look at them in a different way.
     – Our actions around them and toward them, are different.

3. We develop a critical spirit.
     – We start to criticize the one we are jealous of.
     – We find ways to:
            – Undermine their success.
            – Undermine their position.
            – Undermine their relationship.
     – When we are jealous of a relationship
        someone has with a friend of ours,
        we start undermining them in all kinds of ways.
     – When someone is jealous of a friendship between
        two people, they try to steal the friend away (if they
        are successful, then they drop the stolen friend).
        Question:
        Why would they drop the friend?
              – Because their heart is not right with God,
                 so they can’t enjoy the friendship
                 (they may even have contempt for the other
                 person…because they can be manipulated).
         Note:
               This should serve as a warning to us.
               We should not allow ourselves to be
                manipulated by someone else
                (especially if we sense they are trying to
                steal our friendship from someone else).

4. We are constantly comparing.
     Question:
     Who do we have the right to compare ourselves with?
          – Nobody. God didn’t make anyone in the world just like us.
             (We all have unique fingerprints).
          – When we start comparing ourselves to others,
             we are falling into a type of bondage.

5. We have a divided mind.
     – When we are jealous, we are spending time thinking
        about the other person, when we should be thinking
        about what God wants to do in our lives.
     – A divided mind will cause us to be distracted
        (if we are distracted, we cannot do our best).
     – A divided mind diminishes our ability
        to be fruitful in whatever we try to accomplish in life.

6. Anger.
     – Jealousy causes anger.
     – When we find ourselves constantly comparing,
        and feeling that we come up short,
        then we just get mad (out of frustration).
     – When we get mad, more than likely we will say
        something publicly (that will hurt us and our witness).
     – We can’t ‘hide’ bitterness for very long.
        People can see it in our eyes, and in our countenance
        (they know something is wrong).

7. We easily take offense.
     Example:
          Someone says, “He (or she) did a fantastic job”.
          When we are jealous, this offends us (because the other
          person was just lifted above us – at least in our own mind).
           Note:
                The speaker may not even see it as lifting someone above us.

8. Insecurity.
     – As long as we are jealous, we will not feel secure
        (because we don’t know where we are).
        Note:
             The other person may have no idea that we are jealous.
        Question:
         Which person is the most miserable?

9. Disorder.
     – James says, where there is jealousy,
        there is disorder in a person’s life.

10. Leads to other sins.
       – Sometimes a person is jealous for so long about what
          someone else has, that they steal to get it.
       – Jealousy can cause a person to destroy the life of someone else.
          Example:
                – Look in the newspapers. Jealousy can
                   cause a person to shoot another person.

11. Loss of focus.
       – We can’t focus on the things God wants us to do
          (not when we are jealous, bitter, envious, hostile, resentful, etc.)

12. Our jealousy becomes evident to others and we lose relationships.
       – In a circle of friends, when one person becomes jealous,
          the friendships are negatively impacted.
       – Harmony, peace and joy cannot co-exist
          with jealousy, envy and resentment.
       – It is usually easier for two people to get along than it is for three.
          Question:
          Why?
                – With two there is no threat
                   (they can just enjoy each other’s friendship)

13. Physical sickness.
       – Bitterness, resentment, hostility, anger, jealousy,
          envy – these things can cause us to be physically ill.
       – When our emotions are in turmoil,
          it takes our bodies out of a natural rhythm.
               – It can cause an imbalance of enzymes.
               – It can cause poor sleep habits.
               – It can make it difficult to rest peacefully.
               Note:
                    All of these things can take a toll on our bodies.

Question:
How many of us would want to have
any of those consequences in our lives?