Most people tend to think that they don’t have envy or jealousy. Although they are often portrayed as negative feelings or emotions, envy and jealousy are evil spirits. Their mission is to separate you from love in relationships with others, prevent you from trusting God, and lower your self-esteem.
To overcome envy and jealousy, we must first recognize them.
These two spirits are usually lumped together, but it’s important to distinguish between them. Both have the same drivenness and zeal behind them, but envy is when you want something you don’t have, and jealousy protects something you already have. “Envy and Jealousy” is one of the discernment series teachings we present in the For My Life Retreat.
The main goal of envy and jealousy is to take your eyes off God and keep you focused on something that you want or to preserve something that you have. These evil spirits will force you into drivenness, performance, perfectionism, and striving to obtain or maintain the object of your desire. However, when someone or something becomes the source of your satisfaction or contentment, it becomes a form of idolatry.
Jealousy and envy harm relationships and attack your identity.
It is essential to understand that you can never satisfy an evil spirit; even when you obtain the object of your desire, it will keep you striving and driving for something else. Jealousy and envy can also be detrimental to relationships because they can cause you to resent the person who has what you desire and whom you feel is preventing you from obtaining or retaining that object of your desire.
Another element of envy and jealousy is comparison. Rather than looking to God to help you see yourself and others from His perspective and seeking His will and ways, envy and jealousy will keep you looking at others and trying to form yourself into their image. Comparison prevents you from accepting yourself and your identity and lowers your self-esteem. It also prevents you from becoming who God created you to be. It can even help you create a fabricated personality based on who you think you should be.
Some health conditions have a spiritual root of jealousy and envy.
Part of the ministry of Be in Health is to help people recognize and overcome the possible spiritual roots behind their diseases. Some diseases that may include a possible spiritual root of envy and jealousy are osteoporosis, osteosarcoma, tooth rot, cavitation, and arthritis.
It’s interesting to note that many diseases associated with envy and jealousy are bone related. The Word says that envy and jealousy are the rottenness of the bones, and at Be in Health, we have repeatedly found this statement to be accurate. When God’s people recognize and come out of agreement with the root issue and realign how they think with God’s ways, healing often comes.
A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. Proverbs 14:30 KJV
There is no peace with jealousy and envy.
Because envy and jealousy include striving and drivenness, they will not allow you to rest. They will always have you either wanting more or finding ways to manipulate and guard what you have. This can lead to torment and frustration.
Not only do envy and jealousy prevent you from genuinely receiving and obtaining God’s blessings, but they will also have you tearing down others’ blessings. They will put you into fear that you cannot obtain the thing you are striving for and then cause you to go into defeatism and decide that who another person is or what they have is not important.
Guard against covetousness in your own life.
Covetousness is closely entwined with envy and jealousy. Hebrews 13: 5 says:
[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5 KJV
The word “conversation” in Strong’s concordance means your manner of living or lifestyle. The term “covetousness” means greed or regard for gain. Covetousness includes money, people, property, or things. It supports envy and jealousy, making you pursue what you want or guard what you have, believing it’s your source.
Your well-being depends on making God your source again.
The most important part of this verse is the ending, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” When you have God, you already have the most important thing in your life. The gain you should be seeking is a relationship with Him. Instead of chasing after other things, we should be chasing after God and seeking His will and purpose for our lives. The Word says that when we follow God and His ways, His blessings will overtake us.
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 28:2 KJV
Envy and jealousy cause us to seek the blessing but not the source of all blessings. It’s a backward approach to obtaining what we want without having to yield to the almighty God as our source and provider.
Because envy and jealousy are a form of idolatry, they will always steal something from you. That is one way to recognize and identify if idolatry is in your life; if you’re being robbed spiritually, physically, or emotionally. But when you serve the One True God, He’s the only one who will give back to you more than you give to Him.
God’s loving-kindness will supply you with abundant life.
The Word says to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all of these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33 KJV). If you are a believer, you are already accepted and beloved in the family of God. He wants you to rise out of your self-preservation mode and be activated by His Spirit to bring His Kingdom and glory to Earth. As you yield to His plan for your life and His will on the Earth, He will abundantly supply all you need and more because He is a loving Father. The Word says that every good and perfect gift comes from Him!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17 KJV
Positive things you can do to help overcome envy and jealousy.
Do you recognize any areas in your life where you feel like you are striving to obtain and maintain something? Do you wrestle with negative emotions like anger, frustration, hopelessness, and weariness? Or are you struggling with broken relationships or self-esteem issues because of this snare you’ve become entangled in? It’s time to let it go and move forward with God into His will and His best plan for your life.
Talk to Him about it. Take some time to repent to Father God for agreeing with the lies of envy, jealousy, and idolatry. Release those objects of your affection to Him and trust Him with them. The Word says that He makes all things beautiful in His time. Whatever you yield to Him, He can perfect His way in His time. Establish this attitude of faith in your heart: I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do with this!
When you repent for and remove envy and jealousy from your life in the name of Jesus, as a work of the Holy Spirit, you may find that weight gets lifted off you. You may experience new levels of hope and joy as your expectation turns to the source of every good and perfect thing, God the Father.
A positive way to replace envy and jealousy in your life.
To truly defeat envy and jealousy, we must not only recognize and come out of agreement with their way of thinking, but we must establish a new, Godly way of thinking. Prayerfully ask God to help you grow an attitude of thankfulness and contentment. Also, ask God to help you learn to trust Him more and grow in love in your relationship with Him. With these positive reinforcements in place, you will find that your daily life will be influenced more and more by His love, peace, and joy. This will also have a positive effect on your physical and mental health.
Don’t be discouraged if the answer doesn’t come immediately, the Word says that God rewards those who diligently seek Him.
But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6 KJV
Learn how to overcome envy and jealousy and more at the For My Life Retreat.
If envy and jealousy seem to be a stronghold in your life, you may need the assistance of personal ministry and prayer. In the For My Life Retreat, we offer complete teaching on envy and jealousy followed by a time of deliverance ministry so that you can be free from the bondage to these evil spirits.
“Envy and Jealousy” is just one of over twenty teachings that we present in the For My Life Retreat. Including eight discernment teachings and other foundational and doctrinal teachings that will help you establish your faith, rebuild relationships, and restore your life to health, peace, and sanity in Jesus Christ.
The For My Life Retreat is a safe place to take time out for your life and allow God to minister to your heart. Will you join us for this week-long intensive healing retreat? We look forward to coming alongside you in your Overcomers’ Journey.
Blessings,
The Be in Health Team
Watch this small clip from the For My Life Online Envy and Jealousy Teaching:
This article is part of the For My Life Sound Bite Series.
Check out these articles to learn more about the other teachings we offer and get more insights into spiritual discernment, the power of God’s love, and how He can heal you and help you become an overcomer!
Foundational Insights – This is the core foundational teaching that encompasses the heart and mission of the For My Life Retreat. On this foundation, the whole Retreat is built.
The Father’s Love – The number one most important thing for every person’s Overcomers’ Journey is to be restored to Father God’s Love. Without a relationship and trust with the Father, it is very difficult to move forward as an Overcomer.
8 Rs to Freedom – 8 steps to recognize and overcome the enemy’s influence in your life.
7 Steps to Sin – Discover the enemy’s strategy to lead you to sin and learn how to stop him at his game.
Godly Order – God has established an order of authority in His Kingdom. Discover how Godly Order will help restore you to peace in God and in your life.
Spirit World Realities – Learn how the enemy’s kingdom can operate in the earth and the Biblical origins of our spiritual enemy. This understanding will demystify Satan and his kingdom and help you defeat the fear of evil.
Separation – Learn how to recognize the enemy’s strategy to divide and destroy relationships and get smarter than him. You can recognize and hate the sin but still love the person just like God does for us.
Pathways of Thought – How can a spiritual kingdom influence our thoughts? Discover the pathway of thought from the spiritual through thoughts, feelings, and emotions to its effect on our physical health.
Disease Profiles – Discover the possible spiritual roots that can lead to specific disease classes.
Water Baptism– Water Baptism is one of the sacraments of our faith. Discover why Water Baptism is an essential step in your Overcomers’ Journey.
Blocks to Healing – The Bible tells us that there are certain things that we can agree with that will get in the way of healing. Learn how to recognize and overcome these spiritual blocks to healing. And discover the surprising #1 Block to Healing.
Self Pity – Dr. Henry W. Wright often said that Self Pity is the superglue to hell that binds us to our past and prevents us from moving forward in our future. Learn how to discern this evil spirit and overcome it in your life!
Accusation – Accusation is a tool that the enemy uses to twist the truth and lead us into bondage to sin. Learn how to recognize and overcome the spirit of accusation in your life.
Bitterness – Learn the seven steps of bitterness, including unforgiveness, anger, violence, and murder. With these insights, you will be able to defeat this stronghold and operate in God’s forgiveness and peace.
Rejection – Learn how to overcome rejection in your life.
Occultism – Understanding Occultism and why we need to be free from it.
Unloving – Recognize if you are not giving and receiving love to God, yourself, and others. And learn how to walk in love as God intended.
Addictions – Learn what the Bible says about overcoming addictions. God wants to help us be free, and receive our comfort and identity from Him.
Fear – Fear is something that most of us have had to face at some point in our lives. Discover where Fear comes from, how to recognize it, and how to overcome it!
Walk Out – We have the freedom to walk out of things that have once bound us. Learn what is walk out, why it is important, and how to do it.
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