by We often experience a feeling of jealousy. But by feeding these feelings, you are straying from God and his way. Believe it or not, jealousy is much more common than you think. This feeling has been around even before biblical times. The most beautiful angel who had everything was the first to feel envy or jealousy toward our Lord. So if you want to learn how to overcome jealousy biblically and be closer to God, this is your chance.
In this article, you’ll discover how you can overcome jealousy and find the righteous path. Discover its meaning and why both believers and nonbelievers struggle with it.
Overcoming Jealousy Biblical Meaning
Jealousy is an evil, dangerous thing. This feeling forces out poisonous words such as “I should”, ”I deserve”, and “I’m entitled to”, and anyone can get jealous at some point in their life. Jealousy is often based on our own misconceptions. Whether it’s someone’s looks, status, possessions, or privilege, we allow jealousy to fester inside our souls and lead us astray from God.
But the feeling of envy and jealousy won’t lead you anywhere. As we all know, envy is one of the deadliest sins in the Bible. This type of behavior indicates that we, as humans, are not satisfied with what God has given us.
Unfortunately, even though no one wants to feel jealous, we feed it, tend to it, and give it life.
This evil feeling is based on fear and resentment. This fear may lead you to think that not having something degrades you as a human being. Based on this, we can see that jealousy is all about perception. This only indicates that it’s something you can change with a bit of faith in God and effort to put those feelings to death.
What Does the Bible Say About How to Overcome Jealousy Biblically
Jealousy and envy are our enemies, and the Holy Bible warns us against such feelings time and time again through many examples present in the Holy Book. However, when it comes to jealous thoughts, we can’t help but allow these feelings to lurk in our hearts. However, what we do and how we act on those feelings truly matters.
This evil feeling can cause us to do wrong, the unthinkable even. It brings torment and sometimes terrible decisions. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see that jealousy has led many to gossip, slander, theft, adultery, and even murder.
This is precisely why jealousy is a “deadly” sin. Its poison is a deadly toxin that suffocates us with every breath until we can barely breathe at all.
Fortunately, God’s love for us goes beyond everything, so He has provided many solutions. The Holy Bible gives us a whole road camp on how to overcome jealousy biblically. All we must do is humble ourselves and study the Bible with faith and understanding.
So, how do we kill jealousy? Here are five practical ways you can do that.
Trust in God’s plan for you
Jealousy hides two things underneath its roots: fear and rejection. When this feeling rises, we feel that another person’s wins are our losses. In some way, we feel we need to be put in the same rank as others and be accepted the way they are. And to achieve that and out of spite and jealousy, we may often try and put down others.
This goes beyond the opposite and against what the Scripture teaches us. Feeding these thoughts will avert your eyes from God. Among the verses of Jeremiah 29:11, we learn that our Lord has a plan for us all. He has a plan for you and your future, as well as your friend or neighbor you envy.
We must put our faith in the direction where God’s guiding us. You can overcome jealousy by acknowledging jealous thoughts and attacking them with truth. Before these feelings steal your energy, make a conscious effort to have faith and trust in our Lord.
Recognize jealousy as deception
But how do you acknowledge and recognize jealous thoughts and cope with them before the emotions trigger your soul?
This is probably one of the hardest steps in killing jealousy. Many people, even believers, are drowning in such feelings but may not realize it.
Pay close attention to your feelings, acts, thoughts, and responses. When jealousy strikes, it’s hard not to recognize it. Shift your perception of this feeling to deceptive thinking.
You must understand that jealousy is probably the hardest sinful thought to put to death. It causes feelings of self-pity and discontentment, convincing you that someone else has or stole all the happiness you crave.
But everything you feel because of jealousy is a lie. Nothing anyone has will fulfill you. In those moments, take a deep breath and remember the truth. You won’t find hope or happiness in your circumstances but within your soul. Psalm 42:5 states that hope is the unchangeable work of Christ.
Repent for idolatry
The initial root of jealousy and envy is idolatry. We’re placing our desires and satisfaction in something that’s not God. With this, we think that He’s not sufficient or enough to satisfy our needs and desires. Worshiping or craving something other than God is a sinful act, Exodus 20:3.
Because of that, the only proper response and act is to repent for idolatry. We must turn from the grasp and poison of jealousy and envy and run into the room of grace. Be grateful and satisfied with the things and path God has given you for a reason.
Pray and learn from the Holy Bible
The Holy Bible provides all believers with knowledge and guidance for every problem or situation. God wants to comfort you in your troubling times and guide you through your struggles. As any caring father, our Lord cares and worries for us, but we need to open our hearts and let Him be the voice to tell us which path to take on the crossroad, as shown in Isaiah 30:21.
Prayers are ways you can communicate with our Lord and share your struggles. Lay your worries at His feet and seek guidance to become your best self. By learning and studying the Holy Bible, you’ll find it’s the greatest manual we have for life.
Remember that our heavenly Father brings out the good in every situation for believers who put their faith in His word, Romans 8:28.
Count your blessings
It’s somewhat normal to feel envy or be jealous of others’ blessings and happiness, but to an extent. However, with these thoughts, you may neglect your blessings and gifts. The moment those thoughts begin to fester your soul, turn yourself to God.
The best way to counterattack jealousy is by cultivating gratitude. Pay attention, notice, and appreciate the blessings all around you. Your family, pets, kids, nature, and the sunshine are beautiful gifts from God we neglect because of envy. Small miracles happen all around us, but we just need to notice and savor them.
Take a moment to count all the blessings God has bestowed upon you. Once we do, we ought to cultivate gratitude and feel happy for them. Our Lord is a gift-giver, the reason for all the blessings, and by killing jealousy, we’ll thank Him for all the good and beauty of this world.
What are the most used Bible verses referencing jealousy
Struggling with negative thoughts and feelings can happen to anyone. Even if you’re constantly hearing Bible verses of happiness and joy, taking a break from the darkness may be challenging.
This may make you think that God has skipped you for blessings and bestowed them on others. It may be frustrating to see others not living righteous lives thrive in goodness and happiness. You may even think you’re being ignored or hated by our Lord. But this is certainly not the case.
It’s important to remember that God does everything for a reason. He is the most just and rightful, so His plan is thought through, and we should have complete faith in Him.
Exodus 34:14
These verses state that you must not bow down to any other God because the Lord is passionate. This means you should not praise anything other than Jesus Christ and be happy with Him and only Him. While it’s normal to envy someone else’s gifts, nothing can replace His love and care.
So, even if you fall short of praising Him and His glory, He is passionate, forgiving, and loving.
Proverbs 6:34
Among these verses, we learn that God’s love outweighs any worldly feeling we might experience on this Earth. Jealousy makes a man rage and fills him with negative, evil, harmful thoughts and feelings.
Proverbs 14:30
A peaceful mind gives life and love to the body. A peaceful mind allows you to think consciously, act rationally, and have clear feelings. However, jealousy and envy deliver rageful actions that rot the human body’s bones.
With prayers and faith, you will find peace and love. Our Heavenly Father is a gracious man, and He will bestow upon you whatever your soul deserves.
Proverbs 27:4
These verses teach us that anger is a flood and wrath is cruel. However, nothing can withstand and outweigh jealousy. This is one of the worst and most deadly sins a man can feel. It indicates many negative emotions, feelings, and thoughts.
Jealousy can sneak up on you without notice. But God can help you eliminate this feeling.
How to Overcome Jealousy Biblically Spiritual Meaning and Symbolism
In spiritual terms, jealousy can represent a feeling of insecurity, resentment, or fear over the loss of something of value to you. It’s associated with negative mind states and behaviors such as anger, inadequacy, helplessness, or disgust. This feeling will lead us to think that something is missing in our life, and we try to fill that void by acquiring something external.
Jealousy and envy are spiritual emotions that rest deep within our unconscious that we sometimes feel like we can’t control. However, many ways exist to take charge of this feeling and embrace our grateful and loving side. God will guide us on the right path if we put our trust and faith in His hands.
The Scripture is filled with knowledge and lessons that can teach us how to overcome and kill the jealousy within us. Let’s take a look at how jealousy affects people from a few symbolic stories in the Bible. Some of the most well-known ones include:
Lucifer’s fall
The first and most notable act of jealousy comes from the most beautiful and privileged angels of them all. This story is described in two key chapters in The Old Testament, Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14.
In this story, Lucifer becomes obsessed and prideful with his own glory, beauty, and perfection God gave him. However, this prideful behavior quickly turned into envy and jealousy. Lucifer began to desire everything God had. He wanted to be an equal to him.
But his intentions were not pure. He wanted the glory, honor, and power that belonged to God alone. Lucifer’s motives were to never bow down to mankind and praise God’s new favorite creation. He was also jealous of humanity itself because God had loved us so much He had bestowed the most precious gift of all- free will.
So, in Ezekiel 28:11-19, Lucifer is the focus of discussion. God had cast him out of Heaven for his deceiving and evil thoughts. In this story, the pride and jealousy of the fallen angel were the actual beginning of sin in the world. This proceeded to fall onto Adam and Eve, thus infecting all humanity with sinful intentions.
The first brothers
In this story, we’ll see how jealousy can lead and deceive a man to commit murder, even to his own brother.
In the Book of Genesis, Cain, and Abel were the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was the firstborn son and farmer, while Abel, the second born, was a shepherd. Both brothers loved and cherished God’s blessings and will. They had sacrificed to God, but our Lord favored Abel’s dedication and sacrifice instead of Cain’s.
This enraged Cain. He felt jealousy, rage, and envy in his heart. In Genesis 4:8, we learn that these feelings Cain had led him to kill his brother. When God asked where Abel was, Cain lied and said he did not know.
God got disappointed and infuriated with Cain, so he punished him in Genesis 4:12. His land would never again yield any food, and he would become a fugitive and a wanderer.
Joseph’s brothers
The story of Joseph’s brothers is one of the best examples of jealousy’s effect on a man’s heart.
This story began when Joseph told his brothers of a dream he had just dreamt. He had a powerful prophecy of his future that God showed him, Genesis 37:5-7. In this dream, Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves of grain in the field. Then, all of a sudden, Joseph’s sheaf stood up while all his brothers’ bundles gathered around it. All bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf as they would to a ruler.
After hearing this dream, his brothers were fueled with anger and jealousy. They start pointing questions at him, thinking he would rule over them, Genesis 37:8. Even though the symbolism of that dream was clear, they were outraged and sought to kill Joseph, Genesis 37:18-20.
They had planned the entire crime, but instead of killing him, they sold him into slavery. Later on, they would discover that their jealousy, which was undoubtedly sinful, did much good, Genesis 50:20.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the spiritual root cause of jealousy?
The spiritual root cause of jealousy is the inability to see what God has blessed you. Envy and jealousy are connected feelings that lack thankfulness and gratitude.
How do you know a jealous spirit?
When someone is jealous, you can identify them with these signs—controlling, constantly asking questions, mocking, distrusting, and discriminating.
Conclusion
In conclusion, jealousy and envy are twins set to astray us from the path of God. This feeling is much more common than we might think, but we should never neglect it. Knowing how to overcome jealousy biblically will save you and let you find peace.
Many symbolism and spiritual significance are put on this negative emotion so we can learn from stories in the Bible to what extent it might lead us. Prayers and faith in our Lord will make all the difference because He is always here to guide and help us in the right moment.
