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The Spirit of Jealousy - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) May 15, 2026
- P L U N D E R E R
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
Our first encounter with jealousy in the Bible is with the story of Adam's sons, Cain and Abel. Both men made offerings to God, but Cain became jealous because his brother's offering pleased God more than his. An envious spirit wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed until one day, he attacked his only sibling, killed him, and was cursed by the Lord to struggle and wander the earth (Genesis 4:10-12).
Before the murder, God had warned Cain about what jealousy was doing to him, saying, "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). Cain likely didn't quite understand how powerful jealousy was and how it would play out. Most people are no different, underestimating what jealousy can do in a person's heart. It is an evil snake seeking to drive them to sin. This is why God doesn't want His children to agree with that spirit and let it into their lives.
Sadly, so many lean into their jealousy, unaware that it should not be treated lightly. When left unchecked, envy can lead a person to murder, as with Cain. And if the spirit of jealousy cannot get a person to kill, it will be pleased to have anger, hypercriticism, gossip, and lies weaponized against someone. This can destroy a person's reputation and hurt them so badly that they are left with heart wounds and other emotional scars.
The early disciples witnessed the impact of jealousy as it entered the hearts of many who opposed them. Some envied the apostle's capacity to convince others to believe the good news (Acts 13:45). They may not have realized that the enemy was using them to distract others from hearing the gospel with their antics. In Acts 17, we are told that a group of jealous people gathered up troublemakers, formed a mob, and started a riot (Acts 17:5).
Christians must be intentional about not agreeing with jealousy. We are warned in Ezekiel 35, where the Lord said He would judge Esau's offspring because they operated in anger, hatred, and jealousy. Paul cautioned early believers never to let jealousy take root in their midst, calling it worldly and ungodly (1 Corinthians 3:3). He noted that envy is an act of the flesh and that it is no different from idolatry, witchcraft, factions, sexual immorality, hatred, and arguing (Galatians 5:20).
We all know we should avoid these sins mentioned in Galatians 5:20, so we must not be lax about jealousy. The only one who benefits from that attitude is the devil because it knows that if a Christian is blind to jealousy, they will neither repent nor change their ways. Then, the sin of jealousy will hide in the person's 'blindspot,' hindering their spiritual and physical life.
God's hands are tied when it comes to a jealous person. He loves them and will show them His grace and mercy. However, the choice to partner with envy will impact how much the Lord can bless them. Remember, God will only do exceedingly and abundantly more than what is expected, depending on the spirit a person carries (Ephesians 3:20). If that spirit is jealousy, then it is not the Holy Spirit, and the person will be deprived of the Ephesians 3:20 promise and more.
When we allow ourselves to be envious of others, we are short-changing ourselves and erecting a roadblock to our prayers because we are disobeying His instruction not to be jealous. Romans 13:13 - Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. This doesn't mean God will never show grace or love to a jealous person.
Despite what happened, Cain still received God's kindness, promising that nobody would kill him (Genesis 4:13-16). Still, we must not overlook the real lesson here. Jealousy led to murder, and Cain was forced out of God's presence. Genesis 4:16 - So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. He went from being a man privileged to hear God's voice to losing that intimate relationship. The Bible didn't record a continued relationship between them, and none of us should want to experience that.
What we should all desire is God's fullness of life (John 10:10). He wants to shower us with continuous blessings, so always rejoice in His kindness. He wants us assured that He is with us no matter what comes our way, so we walk in Godfidence, knowing we are never alone. Jesus died for these reasons and more. And when we reject jealousy and accept the grace of the Savior, we walk in the truth - we never need to be jealous of anyone because we are God's children and He takes responsibility for us. He is fiercely on our side.
Allowing ourselves to be jealous suggests we do not believe He can beautify our lives. It also means that we are ignoring His promise that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). It suggests we are ungrateful toward Him and have forgotten that we are His children, made in His image for His glory. The apples of His eyes and the light that shines in the darkness. We reject all jealousy and are set free from it, IJN, Amen!
As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages:
from LO - This was a good read and very accurate. Jealousy is mentioned in the Bible but with extreme situations like Cain.
What isn't talked about is the physical and maybe spiritual elements caused from jealousy. It's a form of sabotage. Spiritually they have no power but physically it can cause harm.
Sabotage is the greatest form of jealousy and unfortunately I have learned the hard way. Trying to let it not consume you is the hardest part.
Thank you,
My fellow cat lover...
CLOSING PRAYER
Thank You Father for another hour of fellowship at Your feet. Thank You for the grace to gather in Your Holy Name. Be Thou lifted high in our lives.
I pray the words of Your servant Paul for Your children who joined in today or will do so at a later time.
Acts 20:32 - And now I commit you, brothers, to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
IJMN Amen.
From M22 - Father Lord we thank you for teaching us today about how burdensome and negative jealous can impact our lives. We also thank you for uprooting every negative spirit of jealousy and envy from our lives. We pray that as you have uprooted it, you will help navigate situations that can tempt us to indulge in them. IJMN Amen
From M22 - Father Lord we thank you for couples seeking the fruit of the womb. Thank you for how you are helping them to wait on you. Thank you for you will bless them with their desires at your timing. Thank you for destroying the cycles of failed IVFs, miscarriages and difficult adoption processes. We thank you Father for your love and support over these individual IJMN Amen
From M22 - Father Lord I commit SA victims into your care. The stigma they face from society and the flaw in the legal system makes it hard for them to get closure and justice. I pray Father that you will be their advocate. I pray that you will raise individuals, practitioners and communities that will fight for these individuals, remove the stigma associated with it and bring their perpetrators to justice. I pray that you will help them as they process everything. I pray that you will surround them with your love and remove every stigma they may struggle with. I pray that you will guard their hearts and minds and they will continue to experience your peace IJMN…