Watch out for Envy ...

Some Christians unconsciously harbor envy in their hearts. It’s very common, seldom confessed, yet heavy enough to condemn our souls.
Let Jesus Change Our Heart ...1. What is envy?
The dictionary defines this term as “a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.” The Bible also agrees with this definition.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 4:4 – ESV)
2. What is the source of envy?
For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. All these evils come from within and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23, NET)
3. What triggers envy?
A. Immaturity: Joseph was envied by his brothers because Jacob showed favoritism to Joseph, (Genesis 37:3-4)
B. Pride: Daniel was envied by his colleagues because they didn’t want to submit to Daniel’s authority, (Daniel 6:1-5)
C. Leadership insecurity: David was envied by King Saul for this reason, (1 Samuel 18:6-9)
D. Low self esteem and inferiority: Leah was envied by Rachel. Rachel had lost her self esteem and felt inferior to Leah because she was barren, (Genesis 30:1)
E. Greed for fame and public approval: The Pharisees, Teachers of the Law, the Sadducees and scribes didn’t hate Jesus because they thought He is a blasphemer. But Jesus was much popular than them. This made them envy Jesus, (Matthew 27:18)
F. Uncontrolled desire for material gain: In ancient civilizations a common practice among men was to kill his neighbor to possess something that belongs to the victim (Genesis 12:10-13). This could have been cattle, wealth, most probably the other man’s wife. Lack of material and carnal fulfillment lead them to envy against each other.
G. Frustration: Christians frustrate upon seeing the wicked prosper and envy them. (Psalm 73:3)
3. Why envy is evil?
A. Envy is poisonous
The Bible says, A tranquil spirit revives the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. (Proverbs 14:30, NET) It is healthy to be content with what you have than to envy the other person. It’s medically proven too.
B. Envy is an absence of love
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. (1 Corinthians 13:4, NET)
C. God strictly prohibits envy
I. So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. (1 Peter 2:1, NET)
II. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another. (Galatians 5:26, NET)
III. Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. (Romans 13:13, NET)
D. It prevents us from inheriting the eternal life
I. envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! (Galatians 5:21, NET)
II. Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:32, NET)
E. Divisions in the church
Envy causes competition and competition is a one reason why the unity and harmony is missing from today’s church.
4. How do I overcome envy
I have seen that members of the church can become envious of one another, Preachers can become envious of one another, congregations can become envious of one another. It’s important to that we know how to overcome this sin.
A. Watch out for your emotions and thoughts
Ask God to give you grace to be satisfied with what you have.
B. Seek for emotional maturity
It was natural for Jacob to love Joseph than his brothers because Joseph was born in his old age and he was the youngest of the family. It’s normal for parents to love the youngest of the family most. Joseph’s brothers were emotionally immature. Ask God to help you to mature emotionally. Never give room for self pity.
C. Submit to authority as to God
People who conspired against Daniel out of their envy did so because they disliked to submit to Daniel’s authority. Submit to every authority. Authority in the work place, church etc.
D. Deal with your insecurity
Saul had no relationship with God at all and he became an insecure leader. He became afraid of David and that fear turned into envy. Out of envy he sought to get rid of David once and forever.
The only way to get rid of insecurity is to form a strong and intimate relationship with God. Insecurity can’t control us when we know that God is in control of everything. Your security should not derive from your titles and positions. God should be the source of your security.
E. Deal with your law self esteem and inferiority
Remember, you are valuable in the eyes of God. Jesus died for you because he believes that you are a very important person though you are not perfect.
Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. Each of us has something to give that no one else has.
F. Do not seek after fame and public approval
This is the problem with many pastors and preachers today. They seek after fame and the approval of the public. Remember, we are God’s servants only. We can take pride in our accomplishments. Glorifying God and extending His kingdom must be the end goal of everything we do.
It’s good to have a huge congregation, titles and honors. The question is what motivates your efforts and achievements. God doesn’t measure you by these. Rather by you inner qualities.
When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the LORD stands his chosen king!” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7, NET)
G. Do not entertain greediness
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17, NET)
God provides our needs. Not our wants, (James 4:2-3) How do you know that your need is not really a need but a desire of your greed? Do you need something because you want to compete with your neighbor? Do you need something because you want to compete with your brothers and sisters? If the answer yes, you are acting out of your greed.
H. Don’t leave room for frustration
I. It’s natural for the wicked to prosper for limited time. God may take years before He blesses you but those blessings last much longer, (Proverbs 10:22).
II. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. God will take care of the rest.
Think for a moment. Who are the people in your life that you envy because they have something that you don’t. Confess it to the Holy Spirit and and ask the Lord to forgive you.

Confession for Overcomers

My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the Blood of Jesus. My members, the parts of my body are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. The devil has no
place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the Blood of Jesus. I overcome Satan by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I love not my life unto the death.My body is for the Lord and the Lord is for my body.Amen.

Scriptures:
1Cor 6:19 Eph 1:7, Ps 107:2 1Jn 1:7
Heb 13:12 Rom 6:13 Rom 8:33,34
Rev 12:11 1Cor 6:13

The Lord's Prayer

The moment you receive it, say:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever . Amen.

GOD WANTED ME TO TELL YOU,
It shall be well with you ,No matter how much your enemies.You have been destined to make it and you shall surely achieve all your goals. All your agonies will be diverted and victory and prosperity will be incoming in abundance.

Today, God has confirmed the end of your sufferings, sorrows and pain, because HE that sits on the throne has remembered you.. He has taken away the hardships and given you JOY. He will never let you down. "Father, please protect and bless the person reading this message..."

Definition of Inheritance

Inheritance
1. something that is or may be inherited; property passing at the owner's death to the heir or those entitled to succeed; legacy.
2. the genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring, taken collectively.

3. something, as a quality, characteristic, or other immaterial possession, received from progenitors or predecessors as if by succession: an inheritance of family pride.

4. the act or fact of inheriting by succession, as if by succession, or genetically: to receive property by inheritance.

5. portion; birthright; heritage: Absolute rule was considered the inheritance of kings.

6. Obsolete. right of possession; ownership.⁴

“Daily Confession of Faith”

In Christ I am anointed and a powerful person of God.

I am a joint-heir with Jesus and more than a conqueror.

I am a doer of the Word of God and a channel for His blessings.

If God be for me, who can be against me?

I am blessed coming in and I am blessed

Going out. My enemies are fleeing before me. God has commanded

His blessing on my storehouses. He has opened His

Good treasures and I shall lend and not borrow.

I am the head and not the tail.

He has given me power to make wealth.

I dwell in the secret place I have

His protection and provision. God is my refuge, my fortress

I am not afraid of the snare of the fowler. No

Evil shall befall me and no plague shall come nigh

My dwelling. God has given his angels

Charge over me and they are bearing me up in their hands lest

I dash my foot against a stone, as declared in Psalms 91.

I Peter 2:9 establishes I am a chosen generation,

A royal priesthood, a holy nation.

I am a peculiar person called out of darkness

Into His marvelous light.

I Peter 2:24 states, I have been healed by the stripes of Jesus.

Cancer, sugar diabetes, heart disease, sickness,

Afflictions, infections, or any other disease can not enter my body.

I am without spot or blemish,

An intercessor, the righteousness of God, saved, and washed in the

Blood of Jesus.

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue

Which rises against me in judgment You shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their

Righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

I am saved from wrath by Him and justified

by the Blood of the Lamb.

Lord I pray that those may prosper that love Jerusalem and that peace will be within them and prosperity in their houses according to Psalms 122:6-9.

Affirmation

I am learning to use Affirmation in my life : So I want to explain what they are :Importance of Affirmations ;Affirming God’s Word over yourself and others is crucial because it speaks life into your spirit, body and soul. Take to heart the forthcoming scriptures and you will understand the importance of speaking out loud.
An affirmation is a statement that is made, usually to yourself through your thoughts. These affirmations can be positive or negative statements, and many times the affirmations strongly affect the outcome of your life.

Positive affirmations are words of encouragement– they will help to lift your energy and make you feel better about things. Negative affirmations are thoughts that are either degrading or discouraging. Many people fall into the trend of thinking negative affirmations, because they are not aware of the power that their thoughts contain.

Every thought that you have and word that you say affects your life attitude and performance. Becoming aware of your dominant thoughts will help you to change your attitude and bring about more positive things in your life.

Everyone experiences moments of anger or frustration, but you can replace those feelings with positive affirmations. If you experience a moment of negative feelings or failure, take a few minutes to re-focus your mind and get back to the place that you would like to be. Use affirmations to keep positive thoughts dominant in your mind, and you will quickly notice drastic changes in your life.

Positive affirmations do not need to be big fancy sayings, they are usually more effective if you are focusing on affirmations that are to the point and achievable. You do not need to recite long passages of affirmations throughout the day, simply think of smaller statements that you want to be true– and those things will materialize as your reality is changed by the positive affirmations that you are using.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
I confess with my mouth and I believe in my heart that God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead and that He (Jesus Christ) is Lord.

“No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against me in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

I am washed, sanctified and justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in me, whom I have received from God. I am not my own; I was bought with a price.
I desire to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

I am saved from wrath by Him and justified by the Blood of the Lamb.

I submit myself to God who gives more grace to the humble, and He will lift me up.

Behold, the Lord Jesus Christ has given unto me power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt me.

I cast down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and I bring every thought captive to the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I yield no ground to satan; I take back all that I have ever surrendered to him in the past and acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of all my life.

Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.

Walking in Peace

Rom. 5:1 Therefore having been justified out of faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (2) Through whom also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God.
Since we have been justified by faith and stand in the realm of grace, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul does not say that we have peace with God, but peace toward God. This means that we are still on the way toward God. We have not finished our journey. In the spiritual world, we first enter the gate and then walk along the way. Justification by faith is the opening of the gate, giving us an access, an entry into a wide field of enjoyment. Once we have passed through the gate of justification, we need to walk the way of peace. Sinners have no peace. Romans 3:17 says that when we were sinners we did not know the way of peace.
If we are moving in a certain direction and do not sense the peace within, we should stop. Always go along with the peace.People, after you are saved you must go your way in peace. Wherever we go,we must take the way of peace. If you have no peace, do not go. Whatever you do, do it in peace. If you have no peace, do not act. Grace is for our stand, and peace is for our walk. If you do not have the grace to stay in a certain place, do not stay there. If you have no peace to take a certain direction, do not walk. Stand in grace and walk in peace.