DAUGHTERS OF A KING
Jealousy is cruel as the grave.
UNITY
Written By: Ebony Murrell
DOAK Magazine
There is a Russian proverb that says, “Jealousy and
love are sisters.” I am inclined to believe they are
step-sisters, although they both derive from the emotions of the human heart, the first (jealousy) is rooted
in fear and the latter (love), from the lack thereof.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary describes
jealousy as ‘a painful apprehension of rivalship in
cases nearly affecting one’s happiness’.
Jealousy is a human emotion, attitude, or disposition
that is deeply rooted in fear. This fear comes from
one’s own insecurity, and lack of self-worth. This
fear causes one to worry that another person has an
advantage they wanted for themselves. Sadly and
most often, this perceived advantage is only beneficial to the one who the advantage is given.
The presence of jealousy comes from evil in a person’s heart. It is usually masked by the pretense of
love, although real love is not there. The nature of
jealousy will cause one to deflect and project their
own anxiety, fear and insecurity upon the one they
have targeted. The book of James (ch.3, v.16) tells us
when jealousy and self-ambition are present, strife,
confusion, and every evil work will accompany it.
Individuals who carry the seed of jealousy will use
control, manipulation, lies, deceit, and discord as
tools to sabotage the purpose and vision God has
given to an individual and in some cases will even
pilfer his/ her gifts.
Sometimes jealousy can arise from someone who
carries an offense or feels injurious towards another
person, which in turn justifies their acts of hatred and
malice towards that individual.
I recently experienced jealousy in a way that I had
not encountered before. It came from a person that
I highly regarded and deeply respected. I felt this
person loved me like a daughter. I trusted them with
every aspect of my life and often confided and relied
upon their advice concerning my business and my
ministry. I didn’t realize the issue was jealousy until
it was too late. For me, because I wanted to be accepted and to be loved and to be a part of something,
35
I pointed to myself when things didn’t seem right.
As time progressed I noticed I was being criticized
for things I said or did, and in a matter of months, I
found myself being over-emotional and feeling insecure about who God had called me to be. By the time
I removed myself from the situation, the damage was
already done. It took months for me to recover spiritually and emotionally, but God healed me.
“I no longer allow people to obligate their thoughts, agendas or
intentions upon me. I am who God
had called me to be, without anyone’s approval or acceptance.”
I learned a valuable lesson from this experience:
I no longer allow people to obligate their thoughts,
their agendas or intentions upon me. I am who God
has called me to be, without anyone’s approval or
acceptance.
As daughters of God, we all have experienced jealousy from someone we called leader, mentor, sister
or friend. We are taught to love those who misuse us
and forgive who has offended us. This does not mean
that we continue to allow this type of behavior to run
rampant in our lives. God has given us the freedom
to choose who we give access to, whether in our
love, our dreams, or our gifts - regardless of a title,
position or anointing.
In this new year, I encourage you to make the decision to remove unwanted people and things from
your inner circle. If you knowingly have people in
your life that you know are jealous of you, there
is only one thing you can do for them - love them,
forgive them and move on. Do not continue to give
them intimate access to you any longer. Do not allow them to keep covenant with you. Cut them off!
.
Lastly, continue to grow in God and in His perfect
love, because His perfect love casts out all fear.
ISSUE 02 | WINTER 2016