I spoke to an associate minister who heads up small groups at my church about starting a single’s group and he said that they tried to have single groups, but there was too much drama. It was because when people date within the group and then a couple break-ups, jealousy starts from seeing the person who rejected them with someone else. It would be the same if you were divorced and you had to go to church and watch your ex-wife or ex-husband with another woman or man every Sunday. “While many attribute the quote to William Shakespeare, it actually comes from a play called the "The Mourning Bride" (1697) by William Congreve. The complete quote is: ‘Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.’”
The closest scripture I can find to the play is Proverbs 18:19: An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
Many times people jump from person to person in a single’s group. Let’s just pass the hot potato and how long can the next person hang on to it? LOL
Before I start down this path of showing how dangerous jealousy is we all should pray what Jesus prayed, “deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13” “Lord deliver me from pride, greed, jealousy, rage, fear, worry, envy, bitterness, and any other sins that are not pleasing to you. Restore my faith that you are a loving and good God.”
Jesus said the enemy was coming for him (his time to die for the sins of man), but he had no part of him (I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, John 14:30)
The enemy can come “against us like a flood, but God will raise up a standard against him. Isaiah 62:10” That standard is the precious blood of Christ we appropriate in our lives (1John 1:9) and washing our minds to God’s word (Ephesians 5:26).
We see examples of jealousy in the Bible and typically a person rather than getting mad at the person who scorns you, they take out anger on the man or woman (the competition) that the person ran off with. Joseph brothers wanted to kill him because their father made him a coat of many colors so they were jealous, Judah convinced them to throw him into a pit and then they sold him into slavery.
(Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him Acts 7:9)
Cain killed Abel because he was jealous that God accepted his sacrifice and not Cain’s although God told Cain if he continued to do right, he would be accepted.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:7
Jacob conspired with Rebecca to steal Esau’s birthright so he left his home. The Pharisees were jealous of Jesus, they were also jealous of Paul.
But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. Acts 17:5
Ishmael was born out of Abraham and Sarah’s love for each other, but because Hagar was a bond woman (servant) there was a jealously that developed. The example is to show that unspiritual people will mock those who are spiritual because they don’t understand spiritual things:
At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. Galatians 4:29
Until a person decides to quit being jealous, quit mocking a person for their flaws, strife will continue in the Body of Christ.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. James 3:14
There are several types of mocking that can happen as a Christian. One is related to the gospel and one is related to misplaced anger. (Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2)
There is a mocking of God and mocking of Christian values systems and then I’m going to cover a mocking that is misplaced anger.
One reason I like this verse above it talks about “walk in step” with the wicked. There is a step with God: (Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25)
I like that one movie, “Failure to Launch” where the girl shoots the mocking bird (although they are a protective species) because she can’t sleep with its continual chattering. I think that is a good way to get rid of mocking is to shoot the person mocking you…LOL. I remember as kids where we would say word for word what another person says and my grandson does that to me once in a while.
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. Proverbs 22:10
I don’t need to be around a person who wants to continually criticize me for a fault I have. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of faults. If we continually keep bringing up a person’s flaws than we are not covering each other in love. (1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.)
The closest scripture I can find to the play is Proverbs 18:19: An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
Many times people jump from person to person in a single’s group. Let’s just pass the hot potato and how long can the next person hang on to it? LOL
Before I start down this path of showing how dangerous jealousy is we all should pray what Jesus prayed, “deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13” “Lord deliver me from pride, greed, jealousy, rage, fear, worry, envy, bitterness, and any other sins that are not pleasing to you. Restore my faith that you are a loving and good God.”
Jesus said the enemy was coming for him (his time to die for the sins of man), but he had no part of him (I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, John 14:30)
The enemy can come “against us like a flood, but God will raise up a standard against him. Isaiah 62:10” That standard is the precious blood of Christ we appropriate in our lives (1John 1:9) and washing our minds to God’s word (Ephesians 5:26).
We see examples of jealousy in the Bible and typically a person rather than getting mad at the person who scorns you, they take out anger on the man or woman (the competition) that the person ran off with. Joseph brothers wanted to kill him because their father made him a coat of many colors so they were jealous, Judah convinced them to throw him into a pit and then they sold him into slavery.
(Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him Acts 7:9)
Cain killed Abel because he was jealous that God accepted his sacrifice and not Cain’s although God told Cain if he continued to do right, he would be accepted.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:7
Jacob conspired with Rebecca to steal Esau’s birthright so he left his home. The Pharisees were jealous of Jesus, they were also jealous of Paul.
But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. Acts 17:5
Ishmael was born out of Abraham and Sarah’s love for each other, but because Hagar was a bond woman (servant) there was a jealously that developed. The example is to show that unspiritual people will mock those who are spiritual because they don’t understand spiritual things:
At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. Galatians 4:29
Until a person decides to quit being jealous, quit mocking a person for their flaws, strife will continue in the Body of Christ.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. James 3:14
There are several types of mocking that can happen as a Christian. One is related to the gospel and one is related to misplaced anger. (Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2)
There is a mocking of God and mocking of Christian values systems and then I’m going to cover a mocking that is misplaced anger.
One reason I like this verse above it talks about “walk in step” with the wicked. There is a step with God: (Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25)
I like that one movie, “Failure to Launch” where the girl shoots the mocking bird (although they are a protective species) because she can’t sleep with its continual chattering. I think that is a good way to get rid of mocking is to shoot the person mocking you…LOL. I remember as kids where we would say word for word what another person says and my grandson does that to me once in a while.
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease. Proverbs 22:10
I don’t need to be around a person who wants to continually criticize me for a fault I have. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of faults. If we continually keep bringing up a person’s flaws than we are not covering each other in love. (1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.)
A person who keeps bringing up your faults is not covering you in love. One thing you will realize very fast in marriage is harping on a man will get you nowhere about his flaws. Your prayer life will be greatly developed in being married. When my husband had these arrogant attitudes, I had to go pray for him, nothing I said ever got him to change.
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9
I personally believe that life is too short as a Christian to have to put up with petty jealousy in the Body of Christ, especially when you have a ministry to the prodigal son. We see where the elder brother got jealous of the prodigal son (a newborn Christian) when the father (Heavenly Father) said that everything he owned was the son’s. It’s a prime example of a Christian who has not exercised their rights and privileges as a child of God. It’s like Paris Hilton going around living like a pauper. I believe they had a television show where Paris went around and worked different menial jobs, but that was her choice. That is what many Christian’s do is they settle for less than the best that God has to offer and like the elder brother, jealousy from the enemy robs them of those blessings.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
The way it manifests to me is rude comments or a mocking spirit (sarcastic sprit) The Bible says in 1 Cor. That love is not rude.
I went through jealousy with my own sister for 30 years. It was her anger with our dad in his over corrective attitude towards her and she thought since I was the baby of the family, he was not this way toward me. She would make fun of my children by calling them names, and then say something about my past before I met the Lord. She did this on a regular basis at family events and criticized me to her children on a regular basis. I never was close to my sister and felt rejection from her even though she was a Christian until after my mother passed away, and the Lord healed it. It was misplaced anger against my father and it was placed on me. When I told her that it was a misperception that my father was harsh on me also, than my sister was fine, she let go of her jealousy and anger towards me. It took her 30 years to tell me why she was jealous of me.
My family was not good about expressing their feelings, so I don’t look at it as my sister’s fault for not telling me what her problem was. I just noticed that she kept doing it over and over so I did not spend much time with my sister in 30 years. I did get about four or five years of time with her before she passed away after this jealousy issue came out.
I’ve experienced some of this same type of jealousy at church & so have my friends experienced it with some women. I try not to sit next to them at single's groups and keep them on my prayer list.
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. Romans 16:17
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