Envy and Jealousy

Definitions: Envy is when we want what someone else has. and jealousy is when we don't want someone else to have it.

Boasting to Elevate Self is a Sin

God tells us not to boast in front of others because it elevates self and causes others to become envy. A wise person is not jealous, but a person without Christ will develop a sense of jealousy when others boast about themselves.

Jeremiah 9:23-24: "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth"

James 4:16
"As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."

Proverbs 27:2
"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips."

2 Timothy 3:1-5
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."

There is only one reason for boasting and that is to create jealousy in others and to elevate self.

2 Corinthians 11:30
"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."

We will never see an arrogant person divulging their flaws, in fact, they go to great lengths to pretend they have no flaws through their rage when they are confronted with wrongdoing.

Sharing our delights with a close friend is different from those who love to appear superior to others. We all love sharing our joys with those we love. It crosses the line into boasting when our motive is clearly to feel loftier than someone else. Friends do not try to be superior to one another, we share and love for others to share with us. It is a mutual reciprocity that occurs among friends, we share our heartaches as well as our joys.

The braggard never shares their heartaches or failures only their achievements that they believe will make them appear special to others.
What a wonderful thing when believers have no need to feel special or superior, their love is for others and their success in walking with Christ.

Truth Tellers are Strong and Wise

Sadly, narcissists are not highly intelligent or they would realize that their disrespectful words and dismissive attitudes are not going to change those who know the truth.

Truth tellers are those who are bold enough to speak the truth and will not be intimidated by those who attempt to convince them they are insane. They are wise enough to know when to remain silent when someone is not listening.

Those who think highly of themselves lack the good sense to realize that demeaning someone who is bold will cause them to become timid is irrational.

Bold people do not intimidate easily and if they are wise they will dig in their heals to avoid becoming like the narcissist.

Proverbs 28:1 states, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion"

When the narcissists cannot intimidate and control the truth teller they will work to cause others to dislike them through lies and gossip. This doesn't work either because the bold truth-teller knows the truth and cannot be convinced through mocking and demeaning. Knowing the truth is enough for those who love Christ, they need not have friends or followers to remain faithful to God's Word.

The illogical self-aborbed narcissist is not intelligent enough to see these things because they are resistant to correction and learning about themselves, they remain less intelligent by choice.

Proverbs 18:1-3 "1 He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. 2 A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in airing his opinions. 3 With a wicked man comes contempt as well, and shame is accompanied by disgrace.…"

Proverbs 12:14-16 "…14 By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him. 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel. 16 A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult."

May the man and woman of God understand God's Word becoming strong while praying for those who torment them.

10 Signs That A Narcissist Is Not Very Bright

Pretenders Among the Sheep

Revelation 3:5 "5 The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."

The reason I believe every person ever born had their name written in the book of life is because God said that He blots out those who do not trust in Christ.

There is no place in the Bible that tells us when our names were added to the book of life, they were there from the beginning.

Christ said that He wished that all would become born again but knew that most would not.

2 Peter 3:9 "9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance."

Revelation 3:5-6 "5 The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’"

All those who are born again, changed into a new creation by Christ, will never turn back. They will endure to the end.

The only way to become born again is to confess your sinfulness and ask God to change you into a new creation. When He does this we no longer think the same way we used to think After salvation in Christ we hate sin and desire to please Him. We no longer depend upon ourselves to be good enough because we know we are not and never could be good enough to satisfy the Holy God.

If we fall because of our body of flesh which wars against the Spirit then God disciplines us to help us return to obedience.

Galatians 5:17-25

"17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.…"

Those who are ashamed of their sin and confess it to be cleansed are those who are born again. Those who rage at correction when they are offending God while defending their sin are not born again. These are those in the church who are pretenders, they are not teachable, refuse discipline and correction and display fits of rage when they have been chastised by believers.

Born-again believers do not struggle with admitting and confessing the sin, they are ashamed when they offend God and His people. They obey God when He said;

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Those who are pretenders are continually judging small matters against others while they treat disrespectfully anyone who will not bow to their way. They do not admit or confess their sins against others while they justify them.

Frequent disrespect and rage over disagreement are two very big clues that someone was never changed into a new creation by Christ.

When we speak of these things boldly we can expect the ragers and rebellious pretenders to become angry that we wrote them even if their name is never mentioned in the text, because they know who they are and what they do and that they are guilty. Because they do not have the Spirit of Christ and His Fruit, they can only do what their fleshly pride allows.

Galatians 5:22-23 " 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.…"

God said we will be able to discern those who belong to Him and those who do not.

Matthew 7:15-20

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Next time someone tells you that you cannot know the heart of a person remind them that Christ lives in us and tells us what to look for. The fruit of the Spirit are spiritual character qualities of Christ that can be seen by all those who are born again. We cannot know if someone is going to become saved in the future but we can know what they are as they show us by their attitudes that lead to unkind and unloving deeds regularly.

1 John 2:29

"If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him."

1 John 3:6

"No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him."

So many have fallen for the lies of the devil to intimidate us from speaking the truth or discerning attitudes when we see them standing in front of us. We can know the heart of a man by their attitudes and their deeds. God said so and I believe Him.

Every time God has shown me something was off with someone I prayed to learn what it was and He told me every time. Eventually the "good deeds" were seen I could tell if they were manipulation or done out of obligation without love or if they were genuine coming from the heart. Do not dismiss the warnings of the Lord, you will know it si from Him.

John 10:27-28

"27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

We can hear the voice of God, that still small inkling from Him when He speaks to us, we can trust it.