Kelli Trujillo Supporter Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Teacher, Musician

First and foremost, I recommend that you repent of jealousy. It is sin, and we need to recognize it as such. Look at James 3: 13-16,

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

In my experience, the root of jealousy is usually discontentment or dissatisfaction with our own circumstances. In order to wash your heart of jealousy, it is necessary to cultivate genuine gratefulness. This is not hard to do at all; all you need to do is to express gratefulness to God as Paul instructs us in 1 Thes. 5:18,

18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. (AMP)

There are times when it might feel "fake," but just keep doing it. When we obey God's principles, He comes alongside of us to work in our favor. Hebrews 13: 15 says,

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that openly profess his name."

Sometimes giving God praise and thanks is going to feel like a sacrifice because our hearts aren't truly in it, but He honors our sacrifice and somehow takes our praise and uses it to produce a harvest of gratefulness in us. What we sow, we will reap. Therefore, when we sow gratefulness we will reap gratefulness in turn. 

You can sow gratefulness in prayer and also in praise and worship, as well as by expressing gratefulness to others. 

If your jealousy is directed at a particular person or group of people, I would make an effort to shower that person or people with love and I would pray for blessing over them. When we bless others, it releases love in our hearts and defuses our bad sentiments toward them. Luke 6:28 says,

"Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

When we're jealous toward someone, we view them as someone who is cursing us, so this same principle applies. Again, it might feel fake at first, but as you obey the scriptures, God will meet you in your act of obedience and use it to change your heart.

Here's one parting thought: Prov. 14:30 says that "Envy rots the bones." More and more medical studies are proving that when we harbor ill will or other kinds of sin, it actually affects us physically. God is a loving Father and He wants to help you to overcome this sin for His glory AND for your own well-being.

July 20 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Lisa Gallman Supporter

Kelli...The word states, "We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" and with that being said, Exodus 20:17 states, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." which is one of God commandments....Ask Father to  help you with part of His commandment and He will show you-YOU...once more, we are all sinners, but we are saved by God's grace through Jesus Christ our Lord....Be blessed and continue the Faith...Lisa D.

July 20 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Pam Johnson Supporter

How do Christians deal with jealousy? That's a very honest question. I believe as a Christian that jealousy is recognized as one of Satan's schemes to get a Christian to fail in God's eyes. We are not to be jealous people. We are to be people that live in relationship with God. That means thanking Him for all that we have and all that we are because all good things come from God. We have an obligation as Christians to use the power of God within us and condemn/rebuke Satan away from us when we are being tempted to do the wrong things. If feeling tempted in any way.....jealousy,,,,or whatever the world would have us feel and chase that is not of God.....we are to rebuke Satan away from us and immediately pray to God for strength to live as He wants us to live in our spirit and in the world as lights for Him and to bring Him glory. God bless you in your walk.....your personal relationship with the Lord

July 21 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Bulus Dabit Supporter

God is our Great provider and He exercises His sovereignity in the way He provides  and according to His good plans for us.Jer.29vs 11.Instead of being jealous  one aught to appreciate God and be thankful to Him for what He has given each of us. For me my allocation is dependent on my location. So I seek to be at the right location and whatever God provides at the right location is a function of my stewardship and this calls for accountability .Jealousy stem from greed .God's provision is with others in view. So rather than being jealous I should thank God for what I have and His provision to humanity through others

July 22 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Stephanie Brooks Supporter

Common Causes of Jealousy: 
Unmet expectations. Many times we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and the people around us. Often times we feel things should come easier and faster to us. Then if things don't happen when we think they should, we inevitably run into someone who already has what we want. All of a sudden, we feel this surge of ugly, green emotion called jealousy. 
A sense of entitlement. For some reason we have this ingrained attitude that we are entitled to things. Kids leaving the nest for the first time believe their own standard of living should be the same as their parents. They don't consider that their parents have worked for years and years. Many times people with financial problems feel "entitled" to buy things on credit, even though they know it's a bad idea. Having the nicest car and the newest toys seems more important than getting out of debt. 
Insecurity. It is so easy to look at other people and wish we had what they have. And so many times it doesn't stop there. We start berating ourselves for not having what they have. Then we begin to believe negative junk ourselves. The next thing we know, we've developed insecurities in our relationships. 
Cure for Jealousy?
So what can we do about jealousy? 
After reading about all the stuff that can cause feelings of jealousy, we may feel like we're doomed. We may think we'll always come up short in some area of life. But that surely isn't the case. 
Overcoming Jealousy
Here's some good news! There are a few things we can do to stop the jealousy ball from rolling right over us. 
How to Overcome Jealousy: 
•Stop comparing yourself to other people. You were created as a very unique and special person. God had a plan for you long before you took your first breath. Relish that thought. Love the fact that you're special. What God has in mind for you isn't the same as for someone else. So you don't have to feel bad that you don't have all the qualities, features, money, or anything else that someone else has. Your journey is just that — yours. 
•Stop worrying about you all the time. Find a way to be a blessing to someone else. When you change your focus away from yourself, all of a sudden your self-image improves. You get to experience the feeling of satisfaction that only comes when you're a blessing to someone else. Your priorities start changing, and one day you realize that the things that used to make you so jealous and so nuts, don't bother you so much anymore. 
•Stop wanting what other people have if you're not willing to go through what they did to get it. When you see a person who is physically fit and looks positively great, it's easy to feel really jealous. But are you willing to work out every day? Are you willing to eat healthy and look for ways to be healthy? If you're not, then there really is no reason to feel jealous, is there? God has made you beautiful and wonderful in His image. The image the world gives you and others are not the image God has!
•Start focusing on all that's positive in your life. God has given you so many wonderful gifts that many other people don't have. Focus on using those gifts to help someone else. Since your mind can only consciously think about one thing at a time, doesn't it make sense to make sure that "one thing" is positive and is moving you toward the really great things in life? Jealousy is probably one of the world's oldest emotions. It's been around since the beginning of time. Look at Cain and Abel. Now there's a prime example of jealousy run amok.
•James 4:1-2 what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, it is that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
•Proverbs 14:30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
•The battle that rages inside all of us is that even when our intentions are good, we still have a sin nature and often yield to sin.  One of those sins is jealousy, which is closely related to one of the “seven deadly sins” called envy or covetous.  There are a number of verses that deal with this topic because when we fall into jealousy or envy, we will often spiral down very quickly in our spiritual life.  It is easy to fall into jealousy in our materialistic society.  The mantra of culture seems to be to keep up with the Jones’.  Grab all that you can.  Put yourself first in all things.  Consider what Scripture says about jealousy and envy…

•Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD
James 3:14-15 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.  This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
•Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

•1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
•Psalm 37:1-3 do not fret yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!  For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
•Proverbs 6:34 For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.
•James 3:16 for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist; there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Resolution
How one starts breaking free from jealousy starts with your thoughts. The Holy Spirit can do this, if we ask God to change, how we feel and how we act by being sanctified in the Holy Spirit. When you change the way you think, you change the way you feel and act. The easiest way to change your focus is to begin by helping others. It will definitely be time well spent. Or better yet, thoughts well spent.

July 23 2013 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report