BEWARE OF ENVY 2

MEMORY VERSE: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 1-4

The presence of the Lord is the place to be. It is the safest place in the whole world. Recently, I read a report about the top 10 safest countries in the world and the safest country, according to that report, is New Zealand. Due to their tough and strict criminal justice system, the loss of lives in crimes is almost zero and the rate of crimes is also the least. You are safer in the God's presence than in New Zealand. You are safer in God's presence than in the White House in America, Buckingham Palace in Great Britain and other presidential villas and palaces of this world put together. Satan and his co-demons can enter any of those places to wreck havoc; one place they dare not enter is the presence of the Lord. In 1 Kings 18, some soldiers came to arrest a man of God in the presence of the Lord. Fire came from heaven and consumed them. The only place you can find real joy is in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 says: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Many of us see the church as the presence of God. I want you to know that not everyone in church is in the presence of the Lord. Oh yes, there are many who are physically in church but there mind is somewhere else. Many are physically in church but truthfully speaking, they are not in church but on Facebook. They are busy on checking photos on Facebook whilst the pastor is preaching. Some are on BBM and instagram not in the church. In the presence of the Lord is deliverance. Obadiah 1:17 says: “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” The mad man of Gadara – the maddest man ever – got into the presence of God and was delivered (Mark 5:1-28). In the presence of God is breakthrough as seen in the case of Peter (Luke 5). In the presence of God is solution to challenges and problems that are beyond medical science.

To get into the presence of the Lord certain conditions must be met. One of the conditions is you must have a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4 says: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” You must have a clear conscience towards all. Envy will destroy you. It will destroy your relationships with people. It will cloud how you see things. Rachel saw her blood sister’s sons as her rival’s sons instead of her own sons. Envy will cause you to behave in a bad way to people. And as a result, you begin to beg for what should be yours. Had Rachel not misbehaved to her sister out of envy, Reuben would have given her some mandrake when he returned home. But because of her behavior towards his mum,Leah, Reuben only brought mandrake for his mum; Rachel had to beg to have some of this mandrake (Genesis 30:14 -15). Envy leads to unhappiness. It leads to sadness. Envy will cause you to start reading meaning to everything – even things you should not read meanings to. Envy will cause you to see your friends as your rivals. It could lead to hate. As i said the last time, envy will inform evil and ungodly ideas in you. The idea to give her slave to Jacob came as a result of Rachel’s envy. Envy makes one desperate. Aside all these, it will prevent you from being allowed into the presence of God. A man who has a pure heart does not envy people. He rejoices with people when they rejoice.

NOTE: Envy causes one to say what he should not say and the bible says for by your words you will be justified, and by your words will be condemned.

PRAYER POINT: Any harm I may have done to my destiny and my life as a result of envy, Father please reverse them and free me of envy.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

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BEWARE OF ENVY 1

MEMORY VERSE: For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 20-22

Genesis 30:1 says: “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.” “And when Rachel saw .....” implies that Rachel had been looking. What was she looking at or in this particular verse who was she looking at? Her sister Leah. Rachel and her sister, Leah, got married the same week. In less than 5 years, Leah had given birth to four boys and Rachel, none. Rachel, just like many do today, began to compare her life with her sister’s life. She began compare what God was doing in Leah’s life with what God was doing in her own life. This led her to envy her senior sister. What really informed her envy was that she felt that Leah was in a better position than her. She felt that Leah was better off because she had four boys and she (Rachel) had none. Many today are doing exactly what Rachel did. They are busy comparing their lives with the lives of their friends or the people around them. Brother A has bought a car and i am yet to buy a car. Sister A is married with children and i am yet to be married talk less of have children. Let me share what i read somewhere: “My mates are getting married. My mates are getting good jobs. My mates are succeeding. My mates are living overseas. My mates are buying cars. My mates are building houses. My mates are this... My mates are that..... It’s a pity that you literally forgot about your mates in the mortuary; your mates in the psychiatric homes; your mates roaming on the streets; your mates that are jobless, hungry, blind, dear..... You might not be where you want to be but you have obviously transcended where you were yesterday.” Instead of getting yourself all worked up because of what is happening in the lives of the people around you, thank God for the little you have. Besides, what you are calling little is massive in the eyes of others.

Why is envy dangerous? Envy destroys a relationship. When envy is activated within a friendship, the friendship can experience significant tension and conflict. The word of God tells us that where envy is, every evil thing you can think of you will find there. James 3:16: “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Envy can destroy a family, a long-term relationship, an organisation, etc. Rachel’s envy almost destroyed her family. Her envy literally drove her family apart. Because of envy, her relationship with her senior sister was strained. Not only that, it affected her behaviour towards Leah’s children. It even affected her behaviour towards her husband. Rachel’s envy affected her decisions also. Envy gives birth to evil desires. It makes people to think and act irrationally. How can a woman stoop so low as to give her maid to her husband? Naturally, no woman wants to share her husband with any woman talk less of stooping that low to give her maid to her husband. Envy divides a family. Jacob’s family was broken into two – Leah, her children, her maid and her children & Rachel, her child, her maid and her children. Envy leads to confusion.

NOTE: Envy left unchecked can destroy anything.

PRAYER POINT: Spirit of envy I. bind you in the name of Jesus , under the blood of Jesus, leave my life and return no more.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world