"And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
Phillipians 4:19 (AMP)
It is very easy to look on the outside of somebody's life and begin to desire what they have. And, as if that was not enough, obsessing over the supposed lack in your own life always seems to follow. I say, "supposed," because, Phillipians 4:19 testifies that the Lord provides ALL my needs, there IS NO LACK.
Jealousy is from Satan! James 3:16 says, "for wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil and vile practices." This is the door Satan uses to try to plunge me into a pit. And if I am not careful, this very sin alone causes me to fall into a downward spiral of many other transgressions. This is a threat to my sobriety, my sanity, and my peace!!
When I give myself into jealousy and envy, I jeopardize the very gift the Lord Himself has given to me...my peace, my sobriety! Notice that I said, "when I GIVE myself" and not, "when Satan causes me to be jealous." Through the power of the blood, I have authority over Satan. I just need to call it what it is and bring it to the light! And I gotta tell ya, to admit that I am jealous is one of the hardest things ever. I hate having to admit I am jealous!!!! It stinks! But the Word of God promises that if I bring it to the light, the darkness loses its power! (John 1:5 AMP).
As stinky as it is, I come before the Lord and tell Him HONESTLY what I feel jealous about. Whether it be that someone has a nicer house than I do or some other person's kids have nicer clothes than my kids, whatever it is, I say it even though I can't stand hearing it come out of my mouth! I tell God that I recognize this to be a demonic spirit and I pray that He remove it from me. I ask that He forgives me and helps me to be able to rejoice in their fortune. He is so faithful that he not only forgives me and removes this spirit of jealousy from me but He restores me to such a degree that I no longer see ANY LACK in my life at all!!! I am content with what the Lord has given me. This is solely a work of God! Praise be to the Lamb of God!!!
I totally get your post monica. I,too, struggle being content with the portion God has given me. I look around and think "if only I had this or that, then I'd feel loved, happy, etc." (you fill in the blank). As your post mentions we just have to remember that Christ is the portion assigned to us and in HIM we are given all good things. I found the title of your post to be profound because my eyes have been opened to just how sneaky Satan the Snake can be, and how far he'll go to decieve us. How important it is to be able to recognize a dangerous snake when you cross its path!! Love ya! Keep writing! Stay strong in Christ :) Lisa
ReplyDelete