(Prov 27:4 NLT) Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Unlocking the Power of Proverbs – Walking in the Wisdom of God.” As I thought about this verse this morning the Father flooded my mind with all sorts of scriptures on the topic. While something like this happens every day for me when I write Today’s Word, I need to be clear that this morning has been different. It’s like the Father really wants you to know how dangerous jealousy really is. Anger and wrath come and go. They are temporary emotions; and while they can cause a certain level of damage, the damage jealousy can cause is on a much greater level.
The Father gave me two main thoughts to share with you on this topic. When you operate in jealousy you are:
1. Coveting something that may not be yours to have.
2. Showing a blatant disregard for your own divinely appointed uniqueness.
I will discuss each. First of all, you must understand the fact that we all have our own unique assignments in life. God told Jeremiah: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as My prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Guess what? The same applies to you and me. God thought about us and developed an assignment for our lives before we were ever born. When we envy someone else’s assignment we are devaluing what God called us to do. And I can’t tell you how many believers I have met that have been frustrated with life because they pray for something that is not theirs to have. When you make a demand on God for something that is not part of His assignment for your life, then all it will lead to is frustration. However, when you find your purpose and you decide to make an alignment with that assignment, then the provision will flow. God always releases provision where He has first established vision.
Secondly, coveting someone else is showing God that you don’t acknowledge your own uniqueness. David said, “I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made” (Psalm 139:14). You are so unique that God spends time thinking about YOU. Let this sink in for a minute. Think about it. Of all the billions of people on the planet, the Lord Himself takes time to think about you. Later in Jeremiah God said, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). One day David was thinking about this – about the fact that our divine God spends time thinking about us. This caused David to write: “I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor. You let us rule everything your hands have made. And you put all of it under our power” (Psalm 8:3-6). Do you realize how special you are in God’s sight and how important You are in His overall plan? God had you on His mind before the foundations of the world. Paul said, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes” (Eph 1:4).
So what does this mean to you today? I believe I have explained it already. Celebrate your uniqueness and never allow jealousy to cause you to devalue who God made you to be.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for making me… ME! No one can be a better me than me. You had me on Your mind before the foundations of the world. You developed an assignment for my life before my mother met my father. You amazingly and miraculously made me unique and I celebrate that uniqueness today. No one else has my fingerprint, voice signature, or life-assignment. I am committed to being the best ME I can be and I will never devalue who You made me to be by coveting others. I find, follow, and finish my purpose in life before I die. I will maximize MY purpose and potential while I am in the land of the living. Thank You Father for taking the time to think about ME! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
