Against Jealousy, Envy And Greed
By
The Man Who Saw God Face
To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze
The Directive From The Lord
“There are still
many things
you shall teach
the congregation,”
says the Lord.
“It abounds in
this ministry.
It is jealousy,
greed and envy.
It is jealousy,
greed and envy.
…
I want you to know
this.
The teaching shall
go round the world.
(The same problem
is obtainable in every church,
ministry, fellowship
or group).
Publish it: this
message and the teaching.”
Meaning Of Jealousy
1.
Jealousy
is an emotion, expressed both spiritually and physically.
2.
It
refers to the thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, concern or anxiety
over an anticipated loss of something of great personal value, particularly in
reference to human relationships.
3.
Usually,
jealousy consists of mixed emotions of discontent and anger, resentment out of
inadequacy, helplessness and disgust.
4.
The
jealous persons can be very suspicious or easily reactive, to the extent that
they neglect public decorum – loss of the sense of appropriate honour and respect.
5.
A jealous
person prefers to be the person recognized, honoured
or favoured. It is a feeling of selfishness.
Meaning Of Envy
Envy is an emotion, a bad spiritual feeling, which
occurs in a person when the person lacks the superior quality, achievement or
possession, and either desires it or wishes that the other person lacked it
Meaning Of Greed
1.
Greed
is an excessive desire for money, riches, especially for wealth, recognition,
status, power, food or fame.
2.
It is
the very bad disposition to take all benefits, recognition, thanks or praises.
3.
It a
personal tendency to exclude others from benefiting.
4.
Greed
is being desirous of every good thing of life; even so, by wishing for them.
5.
It is
the endless desire to get more and more things in life.
Often, greed dictates our actions and thoughts,
without people knowing it. You want to get richer, to take the lion’s share, to
cheat others, to benefit only yourself. Majority of the people are greedy. They
always want some more. Many are busy complaining that they have not had enough.
The more money people have, the more they want to have. Excessive desire keeps
humanity away from the moderate path, the way of truth and the way of
wellbeing. The ability to curb (limit, restrain) unnecessary desire is partly
what Jesus meant when he said, “I have overcome the world”.
The Bad Effects Of Jealousy,
Greed And Envy
1.
Keeps
the Holy Trinity away from the midst of the congregation.
2.
Keeps
the Angels away from the midst of the children of God.
3.
Hinders
prayers.
4.
Delays
answers to prayers.
5.
Prevents
the manifestations of blessings.
6.
Makes
people lukewarm, backsliding, in spirit.
7.
Makes
attendance to be low.
8.
Creates
confusion in the house of the Lord.]
9.
Etc.
The Common Expressions Of
Jealousy
1.
Fear
of loss of public esteem because of another person, colleague or contender.
2.
Being
unnecessarily suspicious of others.
3.
A
feeling of betrayal.
4.
Low
self-esteem and sadness over perceived loss.
5.
Uncertainty
and loneliness.
6.
Fear
of losing an important person to another.
7.
Distrust
of others and a tendency to avoid them.
The Expressions Of Envy
1.
Feelings
of inferiority. An envious person may feel that another person is more
appreciated than himself.
2.
Longing,
especially to go elsewhere.
3.
Resentment
of circumstances, expressed series of complains.
4.
Ill
will towards envied person, which may be in form of wishing the person absent
or dead.
5.
Motivation
to improve, simply because others are better in some ways.
6.
Desire
to possess the qualities of the attractive rival.
7.
Disapproval
of feelings, shown as misrepresentation of purposes. If you smile while
greeting an envious person, she feels you are laughing at her.
Examples Of Jealousy And Envy
The following are the acts of jealousy, greed and
envy:
1.
Selfishness.
2.
Unforgiving
spirit.
3.
Being
easily offended by others.
4.
Being
angry when others benefit or succeed.
5.
Excluding
one’s self from general activities for everybody to
participate.
6.
Despising
others, by belittling them.
7.
Rejoicing
when others fail or get into trouble.
8.
Refusal
to comply with general instructions.
9.
Being
selective or discriminatory in association.
10.
Using
heart-breaking words in talking to others.
11.
Going
about gossiping about others’ mistakes, offences and shortcomings.
12.
Often
criticizing, nagging or condemning others.
13.
Always
suspecting others of evil intentions.
14.
Following
things in the flesh; thereby, misinterpreting spiritual events and actions.
15.
Intimidating
others, especially the junior or new members.
Against Competition
There is no competition in destiny.
Instead, there is division of labour. Do your work,
and allow others to do theirs. Encourage them in all righteousness. Do not
compete with anybody.
Against Antagonism
Everybody has to avoid malice, wicked
intentions for the other people. Do not wish others evil, because congregation
of God is one family. “We are one,” says the Holy Spirit. Do not spend your
time counting the wrongs others have done. Do not keep yourself busy planning
how to revenge them.
Against Backbiting
This is gossiping about others,
especially with the evil intention to cause harm, disrespect, disregard or create enmity. You should learn from the
following parable of right conduct: The
teacher in the class, does not leave his lessons, to
gossip to the students about other teachers.
When you enter a bus, the driver does not leave collecting his money
from you, to gossip about his conductor; and the conductor does not do so.
Likewise, when you go to the market to buy goods, the trader does not leave off
selling goods to you, to gossip about other traders around him. This parable is
a word of great wisdom for the ministers of God to learn from.
Against Complains
Unnecessary complains against those
who are performing is not good. A person, who is not performing his duties as a
minister of God, should not complain against those who are busy performing. A
person who is fond of complaining is not allowed to enter the kingdom of
heaven.
Against Greed
Greed is the desire to take all
benefits, without allowing others to get their own fair share. It is also greed
when people take what belongs to others, without their permission. The law of
spirit is that you should not touch (take) anything that does not belong to
you.
Against Backbiting And
Talkativeness
The heaven is saying that we should
mind how we talk at home and how we rebuke. We should avoid backbiting,
criticisms, complains, etc. We should know that people have different kinds of
call. We should remain steadfast in the way of righteousness. He said we are
like seeds that shall be planted in all nations. We should remain steadfast in
prayer and through the prayers here, so many bondages shall be loosened; as
well, the sick ones shall be healed.
We should avoid fault-finding,
criticism and condemnation (ntucha na nkocha)
and disrespect (belittlement). All these things should be taken away from our
midst.
The Law That Is Often Disobeyed
The Tenth Commandment states, "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 is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17
Generally, people break this law in so
many ways. Even without feeling sorry and without minding the consequences. In
fact, it is now as if the world is competing among themselves for the worst
breaker of this commandment, in the form of jealousy, greed, envy, competition,
rivalry, imitation, discrimination and complains.
How To Stop Being Selfish
You should know that jealousy, greed and envy are the
conducts of a selfish personality. Therefore, :
1.
In
every situation, first attend to others.
2.
Do not
use heart-breaking words on others or against them.
3.
Remember
that everybody is important.
4.
Practice
being humility and modesty.
5.
Being
moderate in all your engagements.
6.
Do not
spend your time thinking about the past.
7.
Do not
go about telling people the mistakes you have made or the sins you have
committed. Instead, tell them about the glorious things God has done for you.
8.
Be
ready and quick to help those in need.
9.
Spend
on the things you need, and not on the fashions and trends.
10.
Train
yourself to take in the criticism. First think and consider what another person
has said. Do not be in a rush to blush off corrective comments.
11.
Show
appreciation for what others have done or achieved.
12.
Extend
your favours to those who are your friends and to
those who are not.
13.
When
others speak, do listen, attentively.
14.
Show
an interest in the welfare of other people.
15.
Volunteer
your time to help others.
16.
Help
the people you know during their times of need, when they are sick, in trouble,
etc.
17.
People
may be reluctant to say that they need help even if they obviously do. It's up
to you to figure out when you can really help without being intrusive.
18.
Give
to others, no matter how small the gift is.
19.
Learn
to share what you have with others.
20.
Stop
the habit of always talking about yourself.
21.
Join a
team and co-operate with others.
The Remedies
1.
Make
everybody a friend.
2.
Rejoice
with others when they succeed or prosper.
3.
Correct
others with respect and politeness.
4.
Discourage
those who go about gossiping. Learn from the wise trader, who does not spend
his precious time gossiping with customers about other traders. Likewise, learn
from the bus driver, who is only interested in collecting his money from the
passengers, and not in gossiping about other drivers and conductors. Just as a
good teacher, does not spend his time telling his students about other teachers
when he should be teaching them in the class.
5.
Understand
that:
a.
All
destinies are not the same. All fingers are not egual.
b.
We
have different times. One prospers in the morning. Another does so in the
afternoon, yet, some others achieve theirs in the evening, when others are
already empty.
6.
Do not
practice discrimination.
"Brothers, I urge you, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, not to have factions among yourselves but all to be in
agreement in what you profess; so that you are perfectly united in your beliefs
and judgements. [11] From what Chloe's people have
been telling me about you, brothers, it is clear that there are serious
differences among you. [12] What I mean is this: every one of you is declaring,
'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I
belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.' [13] Has
Christ been split up? Was it Paul that was crucified for you, or was it in
Paul's name that you were baptized? [14] I am thankful I did not baptize any of
you, except Crispus and Gaius, [15] so that no one
can say that you were baptized in my name. [16] Yes, I did baptize the family
of Stephanas, too; but besides these I do not think I
baptized anyone." 1 Corinthians 1: 10-16
"And so, brothers, I was
not able to talk to you as spiritual people; I had to talk to you as people
still living by your natural inclinations, still infants in Christ; [2] I fed
you with milk and not solid food, for you were not yet able to take it—and even
now, you are still not able
to, [3] for you are still living by your
natural inclinations. As long as there are jealousy and rivalry among you, that surely means that you are still living by your
natural inclinations and by merely human principles. [4] While there is one
that says, 'I belong to Paul' and
another that says, 'I belong to Apollos' are you not being only too human?" 1 Corinthians
3: 1-4
7.
Ministers
are not made when they answer the call on earth. They are predestined.
Therefore, do not allow seniority to interfere in the work of the Holy Spirit,
except only when necessary:
"'Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you;I appointed you as prophet to the
nations.'" Jeremiah 1: 5
8.
It is
possible that a new minster is greater than an old minister of God.
9.
For a
master soul may be born after so many ordinary people had been born.
"On their return, when
David was coming back from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all
the towns of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul, with tambourines, sistrums and cries of joy; [7] and as they danced the women
sang:
Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.
[8] Saul was very angry; the
incident displeased him. 'They have given David the tens of thousands,' he
said, 'but me only the thousands; what more can he have, except the throne?'
[9] And Saul watched David jealously from that day onwards." 1 Samuel 18: 6-9
10.
Do not
allow the heat of jealousy to destroy the church of God.
"Someone who does not trip
up in speech has reached perfection and is able to keep the whole body on a
tight rein. [3] Once we put a bit in the horse's mouth, to make it do what we
want, we have the whole animal under our control. [4] Or think of ships: no
matter how big they are, even if a gale is driving them, they are directed by a
tiny rudder wherever the whim of the helmsman decides. [5] So the tongue is
only a tiny part of the body, but its boasts are great. Think how small a flame
can set fire to a huge forest; [6] The tongue is a
flame too. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world:
it infects the
whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it
sets fire to the whole wheel of creation. [7] Wild animals and birds, reptiles
and fish of every kind can all be tamed, and have been tamed, by humans; [8]
but nobody can tame the tongue—it is a pest that will not keep still, full of
deadly poison. [9] We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it
to curse people who are made in God's image: [10] the blessing and curse come
out of the same mouth. My brothers, this must be wrong— [11] does any water supply
give a flow of fresh water and salt water out of the
same pipe? [12] Can a fig tree yield olives, my brothers, or a vine yield figs?
No more can sea water yield fresh water."
James 3: 2-12
11.
Only
the peace-loving ones are doing the right thing:
"Anyone who is wise or understanding
among you should from a good life give evidence of deeds done in the gentleness
of wisdom. [14] But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or selfish
ambition, do not be boastful or hide the truth with lies;" James 3: 13-14
12.
The
jealous ones are usually hypocrites:
"…this is not the wisdom that comes
from above, but earthly, human and devilish. [16] Wherever
there are jealousy and ambition, there are also disharmony and wickedness of
every kind; [17] whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially
something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and considerate; it is full of
mercy and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or
hypocrisy in it. [18] The peace sown by peacemakers brings a harvest of
justice." James 3: 15-18
13.
Forgive
and forget.
14.
Do not
revenge:
15.
"Never
try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As
scripture says: Vengeance is mine—I will pay them back, the Lord promises. [20]
And more: If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty,
something to drink. By this, you will be
16.
heaping red-hot coals on his head.” Romans 12: 19-20
17.
The
jealous ones are usually misinformed, being blinded by jealousy and
selfishness:
"He replied, 'I am full of
jealous zeal for Yahweh, God Sabaoth, because the
Israelites have abandoned your covenant, have torn down your altars and put
your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left and now they want to kill
me.' [15] 'Go,' Yahweh said, 'go back by the
same way to the desert of Damascus. You must go
and anoint Hazael as king of Aram. [16] You must
anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and
anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, as prophet to succeed you. [17] Anyone who escapes
the sword of Hazael will
be put to death by Jehu; and anyone who
escapes the sword of Jehu will be put to death by Elisha. [18] But I shall
spare seven thousand in Israel; all the knees that have not bent before Baal,
all the mouths that have not kissed him.'"
1 Kings 19: 14-18
18.
The
jealous ones invite demons to wreak havoc in the house of God:
"I shall pass on you the
sentence that adulteresses and murderesses receive; I shall hand you over to
their jealous fury; [39] I shall hand you over to them; they will destroy your
mound and pull down your high place; they will tear off your clothes, take away
your jewels and
leave you stark naked. [40] Then they will call
an assembly of citizens to deal with you, who will stone you to death and hack
you to pieces with their swords, [41] and burn down your premises and execute
justice on you, while many other women look on; and I shall put an
end to your whoring: no more paid lovers for
you! [42] Once my fury is exhausted with you, then my jealousy will leave you;
I shall be calm and not angry anymore.” Ezekiel 16: 38-42
19.
Learn
this one lesson from Saint Faustina wrote in Diary
Entry 633:
“I am greatly surprised at how one can be
so jealous. When I see someone else’s good, I rejoice at it as if it were mine.
The joy of others is my joy, and the suffering of others is my suffering, for
otherwise I would not dare to commune with the Lord Jesus. The spirit of Jesus
is always simple, meek, sincere; all malice, envy, and
unkindness disguised under a smile of good will are clever little devils. A
severe word flowing from sincere love does not wound the heart.”
How To Overcome Jealousy And
Envy
1.
Remind
yourself, often, that nobody has it all.
1.
Avoid
people who habitually value the wrong things.
2.
Avoid
people who are over ambitious.
3.
Keep
yourself focused on the good side of life.
2.
Stop
comparing your life with that of others.
3.
Be
generous to others, especially to those in need.
4.
Understand
that marketers routinely fan the flame of greed by their advertisements. You
should know that advertisements are fabrications. Imagine an actor who has
never used a soap advertising the same on the television, telling people that
the soap makes his body healthy and fine.
5.
Celebrate
the success of others.
How To Prevent Envy
For you to prevent envy, you have to know the
following:
1. Do not spend your time
comparing yourself and others.
2. Stay less informed about
others.
3. Do not keep yourself busy
monitoring the success of others.
4. Remember that God makes
abundant provisions. Your success and prosperity depends on God, not on other
people or what they think.
5. Learn to Like Yourself.
6. Live your own life.
7. The noisy ones are not the
best in spirit. In fact, good spiritual life does not require praises from the
public.
8. If somebody succeeds today,
know it that that is a sign that yourself shall succeed tomorrow.
9. Every bad virtue has an evil
spirit inspiring it. Pray God to deliver you form the spirit of envy.
10. If you often feel envious
of others, you should go for deliverance.
11. Remember
that being envious is a sin. It is a sign that you want to take what belongs to
another person. The tenth commandment says, “thou
shall not covet.”
12. Being envious is spiritually damaging to your life, because:
a. It takes up your time.
b. It consumes your body and spirit with fiery thoughts and torments.
c. It ruins your personal and professional relationships
d. Warping your personality
e. It destroys your creativity.
f. It hinders your freedom, physically and spiritually.
13.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
14. Be content when others prosper.
15. Do
something for others, no matter how small, and discover the joy in rendering
selfless services.
16. Sometimes,
people envy others because the others are famous or popular. You do not need
popularity or fame to enter the kingdom of heaven. Unknown to the general
public, many popular or famous people are truly not happy with their lives.
17. Treat
everybody as a friend, but associate with very few people.
How To Overcome Greed
Even in the face of lack or shortage, you can control
your desires, and still live a happy, peaceful and satisfied life. Do not allow
your mind to cling desperately to fanciful objects of your desires. The spirit
of greed destroys friendships, relationships and associations. It is the root
cause of most of the quarrels, wars and corruptions.