Bible Reading: Genesis 21
Memory verse: Genesis 21: 10
And she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Good morning ladies and gentlemen! How are you all doing today? Ready for another Spirit- filled message? Well, today we are going to look at how jealousy and spite can cause us to turn away from God. Are you ready? Let us delve right into it.
From the memory verse, we see that Sarah approached Abraham to tell him to drive Ishmael and Hagar out of their camp. We see that Sarah was driven to do this out of spite. On the day of Isaac’s weaning party, Ishmael was mocking Isaac. This act created a lot of spite in Sarah’s eyes. This led her to do what she did.
Not only was she spiteful, she was jealous of the fact that Abraham also had a son with her servant and that son would have a share of Abraham’s inheritance. This even troubled Sarah some more and led her to think about ways to get rid of Ishmael and his mother.
When we allow such negative emotions to fill us up; it always drives us to make hasty decisions which are not from God. These types of emotions are not from God. They cause us to have angered and hurtful thoughts which are from the enemy. When we express certain emotions, the enemy has worked on a certain issue in your life for a long time. You have finally given him the way to act upon it.
Look at Sarah’s example, from the day her son was born; she was threatened by Ishmael’s existence. The enemy had constantly worked on her; bringing it up in her thoughts. She finally gave him the opportunity by becoming spiteful and jealous; telling Abraham to let them go. This is what the enemy does. We are stronger than that. We are conquerors. God has given us the power to overcome the enemy. We have to fight through it till the very end. It is not easy, but God is there to help us.
A lot of Christians fall like Sarah and they end up making decisions that God does not like. This leads them to turn away from God because they have disobeyed Him. This happens because some Christians underestimate the person they are fighting against. The enemy is very smart and tricky. Do not underestimate him. Secondly, some Christians do not have a lot of Faith to go through the battle till the end.
This can change if you ask the Holy Spirit to help you and you invest time reading your Bible (and meditating on it). These are the fundamentals to building your faith. It is possible to always beat the enemy even at his own game; through Christ’s help. Hallelujah!
If you are reading this message and you are constantly filled with spite, jealousy, anger and other negative emotions; the prayer below is for you. By praying the prayer, you invite God as your Lord and personal Savior and He will help you to conquer and overcome these negative emotions. Let us pray:
Dear Lord,
I come to you today as a sinner. I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus is your Son and He came on to this earth to die for my sins. Dear Lord, let your Son come and fill me. Lord, I ask that He cleanses me off my sins. I am ready to stand for you and profess your Name. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
If you repeated this prayer with all the sincerity of your heart, congratulations!! You are now a part of God’s family. Welcome to the greatest family ever. Heaven is jubilating on your arrival. Your fellow brothers and sisters are also excited to have you on board. You can now be exempted from the wrath of the enemy and of God. Not only do you experience this, but your whole family as well. Wow! Isn’t the God you serve so cool? He is. Not only do you enjoy this, but you enjoy other blessings God has in store for His children.
Being a child of God is a wonderful thing. The road might not always be easy, but God is with you each and every step of the way. Guiding you, helping you and encouraging up. You will never regret this decision; I can assure you of that. Two things I would recommend for you to do are;
Get yourself a Bible (in a version you understand) and meditate on it day and night. In Joshua 1:8, we are told that when you meditate on the Word day and night, you will be prosperous and successful.
Find a Bible- believing church to attend and fellowship with other Christians. This would help you grow spiritually.
I am excited that you made this decision. Welcome! If you would like some help or more understanding into anything, you can leave a message (adding your email address) and I would be willing and happy to help you out. Hallelujah!
Have a wonderful day and let God inspire you!
This is the end of the seventy- fifth Part of the Genesis Story. How did you find it? Please give us feedback on how this message (and previous messages) have spoken to you. Don’t forget to subscribe to get notifications once we post.
Always remember to show love to everyone, as this is one of the most important commandments God left for us – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In every situation, before you take a decision, remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Shalom.