Exposing the Spirit of Competitive

Jealousy

By

Pastor Creflo A. Dollar Jr.

©1993 Creflo A. Dollar Jr.

All rights reserved.

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WORLD CHANGERS MINISTRIES

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are

from the KING JAMES VERSION.

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

ISBN: 0-9634781-6-8

Copyright 1993, by Creflo A. Dollar Jr.

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy. .......................................5

Chapter 2

The Nature of Competitive Jealousy. ...................................11

Chapter 3

A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy. ......................17

Chapter 4

The Results of Competitive Jealousy. ..................................25

Chapter 5

Overcoming Competitive Jealousy. .....................................31

Chapter 6

Eight Steps to Freedom. .........................................................33

A Practical Confession for Overcoming the Spirit of

Competitive Jealousy. ............................................................39

Chapter 1

The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

1

There is a deadly spirit at work in the earth today. It is

a force that is doubly dangerous because it is so subtle.

Allow it to operate unchecked in your life and it will

destroy everything God wants to do in you. It is the spirit

of competitive jealousy.

The spirit of competitive jealousy has been seducing

God’s people since the beginning of creation. It is vital that

you understand this spirit because of its insidious cunning

and its potential to do enormous damage if allowed to

work its destructive way.

In fact, it could be harming your life right now and

you not really be aware of it, because you do not know

what the problem is or what is causing you to do the

things you do.

The spirit of competitive jealousy is a deceptive enemy

which steals in unnoticed and does great damage to your

soul and your relationship with others. Yes, even if you

are a Christian.

First, let’s define terms.

Competition

The words competitive and competition come from the

root word to compete which simply means “to seek or to

strive for the same things as another, to carry on a contest

or a rivalry for a common objective.” It is competition or

rivalry to seek to obtain the same goal or the same

objectives as another.

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

Competition, in and of itself, can be good or bad. Like

anything else, it depends upon your perspective or

context.

For example, there is a correct context for hate. I pray

that God would give me a hate for the presence of sin in

my life. When I hate sin, I am walking in the fear of the

Lord. In this context, hate is acceptable.

If, however, I hate my brother or sister, then I am

walking in sin. There are right and wrong contexts to these

things.

The same is true for competition. At the most basic

level, competition or competitiveness, is striving for the

same things as another or carrying on a contest or a rivalry

for common objectives. This is neither good nor bad. It is

the context that makes the difference.

Jealousy

Jealousy is the sense of uneasiness or anxiety that

stems from the fear of preference being given to another.

If, for example, a mutual friend invited you over to his

house for dinner and not me, I might become uneasy. I

could get into fear trying to figure out why you preferred

him over me.

Why is this so dangerous? Because as I begin to

compare myself with my brother in Christ, an uneasiness

creeps in, stemming from the fear that you prefer someone

else over me. A rivalry has developed. There now exists a

contest between me and this other person to gain your

attention and win your approval.

Competitive Jealousy

Take the powerful drive of competitiveness, combine it

6

The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

with the volatile poison of jealousy and you have a lethal

combination. But competitive jealousy is more than an

emotion, it’s a spirit. A spirit that has been confronting

God’s people since the very beginning of time.

It was competitive jealousy that triggered Satan’s

forcible ejection from Heaven. Cain killed his brother Abel

in a fit of competitive jealousy. It was competitive jealousy

that separated Jacob and Esau for so many years. And it

was the force that moved Joseph’s brothers to sell him into

slavery in Egypt.

The objective of this very subtle spirit is to deceive you

and to keep you from reaching your full potential in God.

Child of God, please understand this. When you allow

the spirit of competitive jealousy to control your life, it will

stop you from being all that God has designed you to be.

The spirit deceives you and that deception blinds you

from seeing what God has prepared you to be. It hinders

you from being all you can be in Christ.

If I am concentrating on why I don’t measure up to

Brother Jones, then I am not fulfilling nor reaching my full

potential that God would have me achieve in the things

He has called me to do.

Competitive jealousy urges me to compare my clothes,

my house, my financial position or my ministry with

others. Competitive jealousy drives me to compare myself

with someone else. It always provokes me to compete for

favor, for position, for power, for authority, for influence.

Ultimately, the spirit of competitive jealousy will

compel me to criticize others in order to make myself look

better.

The Comparison Trap

7

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

The media is constantly bombarding us with images of

the so-called “perfect man.” We’re told what we’re

supposed to look like and how we’re supposed to dress.

All are part of the false image of what it takes for a man to

have the right to feel good about himself..

Then, when you look at yourself and compare yourself

to that image promoted by TV and to your great surprise,

you discover that you do not measure up—you bust your

gut in a quest for that firmer physique, knowing full well

that you will never have bulging biceps or a washboard

stomach like those body-builders on TV.

You waste a tremendous amount of time and effort

chasing an illusion in an attempt to raise yourself to the

standard to which you are comparing yourself.

The same is true of women. There is in the mind of the

popular culture, the idea of the perfect woman. She looks

nothing like anyone I know in real life.

Starving yourself cannot create what nature has not

supplied. As a result, many women are trapped in a cycle

of guilt and denial concerning their physical appearance.

This not only affects the body, but the mind and emotions

suffer as well.

Who knows how much depression among women in

this country is caused by trying to compete with the false

images of Madison Avenue. It is simply not fair.

In fact it is not God’s will for you to get caught up in a

devastating quest to measure up to phony standards of

perfection. He did not intend us to endlessly compare

ourselves with these images. These are not His standards.

Many Christians, frustrated by the lack of success in

measuring up and the real inner knowledge that such

standards are false, resort to criticism.

8

The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

We say, “Look at that girl! She’s probably anorexic.

Who needs such a tiny waist anyway?” We think if we cut

others down it will make us look better at their expense.

The spirit of competitive jealousy is a subtle, but very

active enemy of the people of God. It will provoke a

person to compete for favor, position, authority and

influence. This unnecessary competition sidetracks us

from seeking the true goals God desires us to achieve.

Competitive jealousy causes us to lower our standards

from the divine to the false and corrupt images which this

world promotes.

The end result of chasing the artificial dreams of this

fallen world is always ruin and despair. Thank God that

we do not have to remain in such a state. There is a way of

rescue from the destruction of competitive jealousy.

Before we examine the way out, we must realize how

we got in.

It’s essential that you understand how this insidious

spirit operates.

9

Chapter 2

The Nature of Competitive

2

Jealousy

You’ll find the origin of competitive jealousy described

in the book of Isaiah. There, we discover even Heaven was

not immune from the ravages of this destructive force.

Read beginning in verse 12 of the 14th chapter of the

book of Isaiah, taking special notice to the repetition of the

word “I”:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of

the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground,

which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in

thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my

throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the

mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I

will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be

like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to

hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Whenever you encounter an “I” minded person, you

will also encounter the subtle spirit of competitive

jealousy. This caused the downfall of Satan. He compared

himself to the Almighty God and actually believed that he

could compete with the sovereign of the universe.

The world may call such talk “confidence,” but God

calls it pride. For this folly he was cast out of the presence

of God and now seeks to spread his vile addiction to man.

You encounter his influence everyday. Competitive

jealousy is one of Satan’s primary legacies to mankind.

This is so important. We must know the origin and

11

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

nature of this spirit if we are to combat its influence in our

lives.

The Demonic Pecking Order

Look with me at Ephesians 6:12.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but

against principalities, against powers, against the

rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual

wickedness in high places.

This makes it perfectly clear that our battle is not with

one another, although it may seem that way at times.

What we are examining goes much deeper than surface

relationships. Dealing with the spirit of competitive

jealousy means cutting to the root of why individuals act

the way they do. We are exploring what motivates us to

act and react. There are underlying causes to our behaviors

which at first glance are not readily apparent.

In the passage in Ephesians, there are four classes or

ranks of demonic forces, defined from lowest to highest.

The lowest are the principalities; the highest rank is

spiritual wickedness in high places.

The lower class demons are the type that cause

somebody to curse, act foolishly, spin around and spit

green stuff.

The high class demons are those that are much more

sophisticated in their operation. They function more on an

intellectual level. They want their work to go on unnoticed

until it is too late. They function very subtly and maintain

an undercover type of status. They seek to sneak into your

life with stealth and deception to destroy you. These are

the spirits which cause the most damage.

A Subtle, Sophisticated Spirit

12

The Nature of Competitive Jealousy

Competitive jealousy originates with spiritual forces in

high places—the highest order of demonic power. It is a

very sophisticated type of spirit. Let me illustrate the

nature of this demonic force from the passage of scripture

found in Ezekiel 8:3-6.

And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me

by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up

between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in

the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the

inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was

the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to

jealousy. And, behold, the glory of God of Israel was

there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes

now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes

the way toward the north, and behold northward at the

gate of the alter this image of jealousy in the entry. He

said furthermore to me, Son of man, seest thou what

they do? even the great abominations that the house of

Israel committeth here, that I should go off from my

sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see

greater abominations.

Here the prophet describes where the forces of

spiritual wickedness in high places reside. In this vision

Ezekiel sees the seat of jealousy.

God finds jealousy is disgusting. It is an abomination

in His eyes. I emphasize this in order to reveal the

deception into which a lot of Christians become trapped.

You may have heard someone say, “I don’t kill. I don’t

do drugs. I don’t do horrible things. I may have a little

problem with jealousy, but so what.” Perhaps you have

caught yourself rationalizing sin away in this manner.

The truth is, if you don’t rid yourself of competitive

jealousy, it won’t be long before you are killing and doing

drugs and behaving in all sorts of horrible ways in order

13

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

to compete with the false standard you’ve set up for

yourself.

You will become preoccupied with comparing yourself

with others only to discover you have failed to reach the

very thing for which you have been competing. Envy,

depression and shattered self-esteem are just around the

corner.

It may not be long before you’re reaching for pills to

change the way you feel. This spirit of competitive

jealousy is so very subtle. You can be ruined before you

are even aware of your real motives.

Equal Access

If you’ve seen yourself in any of the things I’ve just

described, take heart. All is not lost. God sent His Son,

Jesus, who suffered, bled, died and went to hell so that we

all could be His joint-heirs. His death enables us to enjoy

all the rights, privileges and access to God that Jesus has.

That’s right! As a result of what Christ has done for us,

God has given us equal access to His throne room. But

when you get caught up in comparing yourself to

someone else, you undo all that Christ has done. He died

so that you don’t have to compare yourself with anyone

else ever again.

God’s grace not only makes the playing field level; it

allows every pitiful sinner to be raised up from the gutter

to a seat with Jesus at the right hand of the Father in

heaven.

This acceptance from God is not based on talent, looks

or any form of conduct. God’s approval of any man comes

only through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. His

blood applied to our hearts makes us acceptable.

14

The Nature of Competitive Jealousy

Our competing jealousies of one another and one

another’s ministries are idolatry in the sight of God. They

shift our focus from worshipping God to worshipping self.

Competitive jealousy wraps us up in trying to come up to

par with what we are comparing ourselves.

Instead of all that focus being given to worshipping

God, it is wasted on futile attempts to measure up to some

false standard of the image to which we are comparing

ourselves.

Giving all of our attention to something is worshipping

another god. That is idolatry. Remember that God said,

“I,

the Lord thy God, am a jealous God.” God is jealous for

our attention and worship. Why else did He send His only

son to die for folks who seem to be oblivious of Him at

best and outright hostile at worst?

Competitive jealousy turns us into gods of self-

worship. We are trying to perfect ourselves according to a

self-made plan of what we think is right. We are

comparing ourselves to what we see in this world. We

have ceased to know and live by the truth that Jesus has

made us joint-heirs with Him and that He has given us

equal rights and access to the throne of God based on His

finished work on the cross.

It is the nature of the spirit of competitive jealousy to

divert the attention of the believer from this beautiful fact

of the Christian life. This unholy spirit steals in and says

that you do not measure up to some man-made image of

perfection. Desiring to be accepted, you fall into deception

by believing the lie.

The deception deepens until your whole being is

concentrated upon reaching for the illusion of perfection

that you have devised in your heart. Yet, all your efforts

are doomed to fail because the image is false.

15

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

So much wasted energy has been spent on striving for

something that you already have in Jesus. It is the nature

of this spirit of competitive jealousy to divert your

attention from worshipping the one true God to

dedicating your mind and energies to seeking to measure

up to some false standard of perfection.

Acceptance will never be gained by your hard work. It

can only be yours by surrendering yourself to Jesus Christ.

16

Chapter 3

A Classic Example of Competitive

3

Jealousy

Every believer wants to find success in the Christian

life. But to be successful, you must understand how

success is measured.

For the Christian, success is not measured in the same

way as the world measures it. Success in God’s eye is

measured by three things: obedience, faithfulness and the

attitudes of the heart. King Saul is a classic example of

failure through the deception of competitive jealousy.

He Failed to Obey

Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to

anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel;

now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the

words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I

remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he

laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from

Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy

all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both

man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep,

camel and ass... And he took Agag the king of the

Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people

with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people

spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the

oxen, and of the fatlings, and of the lambs, and all that

was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but

everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed

utterly.... (I Samuel 15:1-3, 8-9)

17

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

“Now therefore hearken unto the words of the Lord.”

Hearken means to hear and to do. There is always the

element of obedience implied in a Word from God.

Saul did not hearken to the words of the Lord. He

didn’t do what he was told. Why? Because he was

dominated by competitive jealousy.

The objective of the spirit of competitive jealousy is to

keep you from reaching your potential in God. It does this

by deceiving you. That is how it operates to hinder you

from achieving all that God has designed for you. It

functions through deception.

Deception is thinking that you are right when you are

wrong. The instructions of the Lord were clear and

precise, easy to follow; but Saul thought he knew better.

His Disobedience Exposed

... Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel

saying: It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be

king; for he is turned back from following me, and

hath not performed my commandments. And it

grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the

morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to

Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place, and is gone

about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. And

Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed

be thou of the Lord; I have performed the

commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What

meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears,

and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul

said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for

the people spared the best of the sheep and of the

oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest

we have utterly destroyed. (I Samuel 15:10-15)

18

A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy

It is always refreshing to see God’s sense of humor

revealed in the Bible. You can almost see the prophet’s

facial expressions, as he puts a hand to his ear and asks the

king in his most sarcastic vocal tones, “If you have obeyed

the Lord, then why do I hear the sounds of animals?”

If Saul was to utterly destroy everything—sheep, oxen-

everything; then just what was making those sheep and

oxen sounds? Competitive jealousy puts you in a position

where you are always trying to explain your own

deception and cover your sin.

His Deception Was Deep

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell

thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he

said unto him, say on. And Samuel said, When thou

wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the

head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee

king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey,

and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the

Amalekites, and fight against them until they be

consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the

voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and

didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto

Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and

have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have

brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly

destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took the

spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which

should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto

the Lord thy God in Gilgal. (I Samuel 15:16-21)

The situation ceases to be funny as the deception of the

king is made clear. He actually thinks that he has carried

out the commandment of the Lord. Tragically, King Saul

thought he was being spiritual when he was only being

religious.

19

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

It was a tradition to return from battle with the spoils

of war. It was a sure sign of success. Victory in battle was

proven by displaying the best of the enemy’s property.

Naturally, some of this “cream of the crop” spoil was

given to the priests to make sacrifices to the Lord for

granting the victory. This was a tradition—a religious

custom.

In this case, Saul was following the customs of his

people. The Bible says that the traditions of men have

made the Word of God of no effect. Saul acted religiously,

but he did not obey God.

The king’s crime is further compounded by his attempt

to shift the blame from himself to the people. He attempts

to explain his deception, but the prophet would hear no

excuses.

God’s Preference

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in

burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice

of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to hearken than the fat of rams. (I Samuel 15:22)

Samuel clears away any confusion in the mind of King

Saul by laying out the facts. Under normal conditions, the

king might have been within his rights to keep the sheep

and oxen as spoils of war, but in this instance to do so

meant disobeying the voice of God.

Given the choice between some old burnt offering and

obedience, which one do you think God would prefer?

Clearly, God prefers obedience.

Partial obedience is no different than outright

disobedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. When

God tells you to do something, you had better do it.

20

A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy

If God says, “Join that church,” and you say, “I’ll do it

next week.”; that is disobedience. When God tells you to

do a certain thing, you cannot get away with only doing

half of it. Partial or delayed obedience is no different than

rebellion.

No Small Thing

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and

stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou

hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also

rejected thee from being king. (I Samuel 15:23-26)

The prophet puts things in perspective as far as God is

concerned. This oversight on the part of the king was no

small thing. This was not simply a harmless mistake in

judgment that could be easily dismissed.

The reason God could not just sweep this incident

under the rug was that this action revealed the true

motivations of King Saul’s heart. His actions spoke clearly

concerning his attitudes and motivating thoughts. This is a

classic case of competitive jealousy.

Finally, Light! But Too Late

And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I

have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and

thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed

their voice. (I Samuel 15:24)

Now, we get to the nitty gritty of Saul’s problem. The

king admits that he feared the people and chose to obey

their voice over the voice of God. Out of fear he allowed

the people to keep the spoils of the battle.

Saul got his eyes off of what he was supposed to be

doing—destroying the Amalekites—because he was

21

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

looking at the wrong thing in comparison. He wanted

approval from the people and out of fear of their

disapproval refused to make them stop.

When God speaks, there can be no comparison with it.

When God tells you to do something, you don’t look

around to check to see what the other folks are doing.

“Why does God have me praying for four hours a day?

Why isn’t Brother Jones having to pray, too?” Don’t fall

into that trap. When you start making comparisons you

are headed for trouble. Do what God told you to do.

Saul didn’t. As a result of his transgression, he lost his

anointing to be king over Israel. It was too late for Saul to

change his fate, but it is not too late for you.

Learn from Saul’s example. Take a long look at the

man. He was deceived and was prohibited from fulfilling

the potential that God had for his life.

Are You Hearkening?

Are you listening to and obeying the Word of the

Lord? Are you doing what God has called you to do? Or

are you delaying obedience because the thing God has told

you to do seems small or insignificant to you?

Child of God, as far as the Lord is concerned there are

no small things when it comes to the issue of obedience.

When God asks you to do something, He doesn’t see it in

terms of being great or small. He sees it as a vital question

of obedience. But rest assured, those who are faithful in

small things will be entrusted with much more (Luke

19:17).

Are you content, regardless of whether the call God

has on your life is a public or private one? In other words,

does it bother you that God is using you behind the scenes

22

A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy

where nobody notices and nobody can see?

When you start comparing your private call with

someone else’s public, high profile call, you will find

yourself moving out of your anointing and focusing on

things you can do publicly. You’ll connive and scheme

until what you are doing is noticed by others.

When that happens you’ve stepped out of the will of

God, out from under the anointing, out of His covering of

grace. At that point you are not achieving any of the things

God has called you to do. You are not reaching your

potential in Christ Jesus.

You had better learn to prefer to scrub floors in private

and receive the crowns of glory, than to move into the

spotlight and do something you’re not called to do. Are

you content with a private call? The Bible promises great

blessings for those who serve in secret.

King Saul serves as a great example to us of what not

to do. But we must not judge him without first applying

the truths of his experience to our own lives.

You don’t have to suffer the loss of position or the

humiliation that Saul did. You can learn from his example

and save much pain.

Guard yourself against the spirit of competitive

jealousy. It’s a dangerous poison that can contaminate

even the purest in heart.

23

Chapter 4

The Results of Competitive

4

Jealousy

What does competitive jealousy look like? It takes

many forms, some more blatant than others. In this

chapter we’ll examine some of the varying ways this

destructive force can appear.

Self-Promotion

Let me bring our examination of the spirit of

competitive jealousy closer to home by posing a question.

Are you trying to climb a corporate spiritual ladder of

success?

In the corporate world you know how important it is

to climb that ladder of success. You’re aware of all the

politics involved in climbing that corporate ladder. If your

superior doesn’t like you, your career is doomed. No

matter how good a job you do, if you are not liked; you

will go nowhere. That’s just the way things are.

Tragically, a similar manipulative spirit has attached

itself to the church. You can seek to impress people in their

presence and act entirely different when they are not

around. You can rub elbows with the pastor, hoping to

gain some special place in his heart.

A good pastor will not be affected by such scheming.

He will only do what God tells him to do. If he can be

influenced by your behavior, he can be controlled by other

things more powerful and more lethal.

25

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

The good pastor has discovered that God-ideas are

always better than good-ideas because God’s ideas are

already anointed and will get results. Good ideas may be

only that, good ideas. They may go nowhere and produce

nothing.

Are you serving in the church only to promote

yourself? Do you have an agenda to advance in order to

receive glory from men? The first step in defeating the

spirit of competitive jealousy is to examine your motives.

As you do, remember, competitive jealousy can take many

forms.

Young pastors may begin to compare their churches to

those of other pastors. That is competitive jealousy. They

need to keep their eyes on Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Nothing but more stress and futile efforts result from

watching statistics and comparing their congregation to

that big church down the street.

Women often try to run the pastor’s wife or attempt to

usurp authority by pushing their agenda for the women’s

ministry. A battle ensues between those competing for

attention and limited funds. Church fights can get ugly.

Women controlled by the spirit of competitive jealousy

can wreak great havoc in an otherwise healthy body.

Associate Pastors with big dreams and visions don’t

always remain satisfied with submitting themselves to the

pastor. Many fall into the trap set for them by Satan.

“What does he have that I don’t have,” they say to

themselves. “I can preach just as good as he can. God

speaks to me, too.”

A lead singer may attempt to overrule the choir

director because she knows she is the only one in the choir

with the range to sing a certain song. Everybody in the

choir begins to compare themselves to her. Following her

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The Results of Competitive Jealousy

example, there are suddenly too many chiefs and not

enough Indians. A soloists whose voice cracks every once

and while, but sings from her heart is much better than

one who sings flawlessly but is motivated by competitive

jealousy.

Secretaries can become possessive of their job duties.

They can be heard to remark, “why is she doing that? That

is my job. I wonder why I wasn’t told about this.” It is

truly amazing how fast words can run. The fastest thing in

this world is not some supersonic jet. It is gossip

whispered by competitive lips to jealous ears.

Entry level staff members frequently try to elevate

themselves on the organizational chart. When they join the

staff, they try to figure out ways to stroke their superiors

to gain approval.

These are just a few of the manipulative ways the spirit

of competitive jealousy can be manifested.

Personal Offenses

One of the most common examples of competitive

jealousy is when one church member becomes offended

over the promotion of a newer member to a role of

leadership.

This is competition among the rank and file. Entire

church bodies may be involved in this on some level. This

is such a subtle thing; it can take over the hearts of people

with the best intentions.

Department heads can feel their programs deserve

priority over the others. Competitive jealousy can turn a

normally docile, compassionate man into a bitter old goat,

bent on vengeance.

When a leader feels like he has been passed over or

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

slighted, his offended attitude can be contagious. The

wedges of many a church split have been driven by men

in leadership who hold on to an offense. This is just

another expression of the spirit of competitive jealousy at

work.

Wrong Values Let me illustrate with a biblical

example. Look at the book of Luke, the tenth chapter,

beginning in verse 38:

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered

into a certain village; and a certain woman named

Martha received him into her house. And she had a

sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and

heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much

serving, and came to him, and said, “Lord, dost thou

not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”

Martha was saying of Mary that she needs to get up off

of her bottom and get in the kitchen and help! Martha was

making a comparison based on the values in her heart.

Martha saw herself as more spiritual based on her works.

She may have even reached a point of criticism with

her sister. “Who does she think she is?” But before you

begin to look down on her, check your own heart and

actions. Have you ever said in your heart, “Well, now I’m

a leader. I can’t possibly be troubled with cleaning up after

the fellowship.” Or “I have received a revelation from

God, I am above waiting on tables.”

We criticize to make ourselves look better when all

along we know we should be in the same place. It is so

easy to criticize. Again, the root of the action is

competitiveness and jealousy.

It is important to note how Jesus puts things in

perspective on one occasion. Remember when Martha was

upset because Mary had left her to do all the work?

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The Results of Competitive Jealousy

Martha thought the most important thing at the moment

was to get things cleaned up. Jesus’ response was much

different. In contrast to Martha’s complaints, Jesus

probably shook his head, thinking that she just had not

gotten it yet.

With masterful tact, the savior replies , “Martha, Martha,

thou art careful and troubled about many things.” (Luke

10:41)

Stress and busy-ness are two sure signs that

competitive jealousy is involved.

Jesus pointed out to Martha what was necessary. “One

thing is needful...” He told her (Luke 10:41).

Christ paints a vivid picture with this word “needful.”

In the natural we all have certain physiological needs.

There are things that one must have to sustain life. Jesus

was using this example from everyday life to describe

spiritual needs. Just as there are things which are needful

to sustain physical life, there are certain things which are

needful to sustain spiritual life.

Jesus says THE WORD IS NEEDFUL. If you will find

yourself involved in that which is needful, rather than

finding yourself involved in comparison and competitive

jealousy, that which is needful will guard your heart and

your mind and keep you in a position of obedience to God.

Comparing myself to the Word of God produces

positive change in me. When I get into the Word I must

continue to adjust my attitudes and actions to remain

obedient. I recognize that comparing myself to the Word

of God is a continuous thing. I know that I am not going to

be like Jesus until I see Him, but when I see Him I know

that I am going to be just like Him.

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Chapter 5

Overcoming Competitive Jealousy

5

Maintain a Proper Perspective

By now you may have begun to identify with the

damage competitive jealousy can do.

Perhaps you recalled the way you felt when you saw

some rich or attractive person on TV. Of course, there is

nothing wrong with wealth or good looks—as long as

things are in perspective. Just make sure that whatever

you do, you do it because you got it from the Word of

God. You don’t want to do anything simply because you

are comparing yourself with someone else.

Paul said “Follow me as I follow Christ.” (I

Corinthians 11:1) You can follow a man, but when you

follow that person to the point where you neglect to allow

those beautiful characteristics that God has put in your life

to come forth, things are out of perspective.

People have been heard to say, “Oh, I want to be just

like Mr. and Mrs. Jones when I get married.” They don’t

understand. There may be some beautiful qualities that

God has given that couple. Yes, you are to follow their

example as far as the Word of God is concerned.

But to try to duplicate those very special qualities that

God has given them at the expense of ruling out those

unique qualities God has given you is wrong.

If you do, the Body of Christ will not have the

opportunity to be affected by the attributes God has given

you that the other couple does not have. You have to keep

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

it in balance or you could miss out on something very

remarkable that you have to offer the Body as you attempt

to copy someone else’s walk with Jesus.

Follow them as they follow Jesus. You can do that

without hindering the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

God wants you to be the very best you that you can be for

Him.

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Chapter 6

Eight Steps to Freedom

6

Perhaps, as you’ve read the preceding pages, you’ve

recognized some of the symptoms of competitive jealousy

in your life. If so, you’ll want to get it out of your life right

away. The good news is you can.

These eight steps will break the grip of competitive

jealousy on your life and heart. You can be free from the

subtle spirit of competitive jealousy.

Number One: Take Stock of your Motives,

Honestly.

Take a personal inventory of the motivations behind

the things you do. Are your motivations right or wrong?

As you look inward, do you sense some involvement of

competitive jealousy? Take stock of your motives and your

life; do it honestly.

You are going to have to be totally honest with

yourself and God in order to be delivered of the awful

shadow. Don’t walk around denying that it is not there.

Don’t try to convince yourself that this doesn’t apply to

you, when you are the very one who needs to hear it most.

If you do, someday, somewhere, the vile spirit of

competitive jealousy will raise its ugly head. By then it

may be too late; not too late for salvation, but too late to

salvage the potential that God had planned for you.

The first step to freedom is to honestly take stock of

your motives.

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

Number Two: Repent!

After you have examined yourself, repent in the areas

in your life where you have found the influence of

competitive jealousy. Repent means to change your mind,

change direction. In this case, it is a change of heart

concerning comparing yourself to others. Repent and

forgive others who have competed jealously against you.

First, you must repent of competitive jealousy in your

life; then, if you know of anyone who has been involved in

competitive jealousy with you, forgive them as well,

because it has been putting pressure on both parties.

Number Three: Exercise Authority Over this Evil

Spirit

Exercise your authority over the spirit of competitive

jealousy in the name of Jesus. You have authority in His

name not to have your life controlled by this vile spirit.

Exercise your authority. Yes, you can help it. You have

been given authority in the name of Jesus to help it.

Number Four: Exercise the Spirit of Understanding

Learn to exercise the spirit of understanding in every

situation. Begin to see things from God’s perspective.

When you begin to see things from God’s vantage point,

you’re no longer seeing it from the world’s view.

Begin to have spiritual understanding of certain areas

in which you had previously tried to compare yourself

with others. Understand that it is the will of the Father

that you keep your eyes on Him. Don’t look to the right or

to the left and you will not get off into those things which

are according to the world’s system.

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Eight Steps to Freedom

Number Five: Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart by setting a watch over what you see

and what you hear. That is where it starts. What you see

and what you hear becomes your influence.

Watch over your eyes and ears. Stop comparing

yourself or your ministry with others and be content to do

what God has called you to do. Stop comparing your

hairdo with others. Be content. Wear what you wear; don’t

get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses. Look good,

but concentrate on obeying the voice of God.

Quit comparing yourself with others—the car they

drive, the house they live in—and learn how to do just

what God has told you to do. Be content with what God

has given you and what He has called you to do. Watch

what you hear and see. Guard your heart.

Number Six: Major on Being a Servant

Major on being a servant and let God exalt you in due

time. Hold on to the promises of God through faith and

patience. The Bible calls exalting yourself pride and pride

guarantees one thing: a shameful fall. It is inevitable. It

may not happen this month or the next, but it will come.

A man who operates in pride and competitive jealousy

will be brought down low and feel the shame. Let God

exalt you in due time, in His time. Don’t be comparing

your small ministry with somebody else’s big ministry.

The Bible says that the end is better than the beginning.

Your beginning may not be looking so good right now, but

stay in faith and the end is going to be better than the

beginning.

Major on being a servant and let God exalt you

according to His timing.

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

Number Seven: Be Glad when a Brother or Sister is

Exalted.

Instead of saying, “You think you’re too good to hang

around with me now that you got a new car.” Rejoice with

them. Be glad when a brother is blessed. Don’t compare

what you have with what they have received. “Rejoice

with those who rejoice.”

Don’t get caught up in asking, “Why them and not

me?” Be glad. What you should understand is that you

have no business comparing yourself with them when it

was God who has done this thing. Your due season will

come if you keep on keeping on where God has called

you.

The fact is, you may not be ready yet. Continue to be

faithful and content where God has placed you and

operate in that. When others are blessed or get a

promotion, rejoice with them. Be glad for them. Shout the

victory; do a dance!

I remember when I bought my last home. A friend

came over, walked through it, and began to weep. I said,

“Man, what is wrong with you?” He said, sobbing, “I am

so happy. I am so happy for you. It is just as if I got

blessed.”

I said, “Wow! this guy is setting himself up to get

blessed in the future like nobody’s business.” It happened,

too. Be glad. Don’t sit there and compare yourself with

other folks. Be glad.

Number Eight: Build Confidence in God’s Love for

You

Build up your confidence in the knowledge that God

loves you by spending time with him in praise and

worship and reading the word. Listen to His voice and

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Eight Steps to Freedom

obey. Build up your faith in God’s love for you by getting

to know Him. Spend time in prayer and reading scripture.

Build up your confidence in God’s love by spending time

with Him in praise and worship and reading the word.

There it is. These eight simple steps can take you from

the bitter bondage of living under the influence of the

spirit of competitive jealousy to joyous freedom in Jesus

Christ.

If you’ve discovered signs of this spirit’s presence in

your life, make a quality decision to be free. Don’t let this

subtle spirit remain unchallenged in your life another day.

Just get your eyes on the Lord and let His love change you.

37

A Practical Confession for

Overcoming the Spirit of

Competitive Jealousy

Wanting to be as practical as possible with this truth, I

have developed a confession which will assist you in

ridding yourself of the influence of the spirit of

competitive jealousy. It is simple and brief. Read it; repeat

it. Use it and apply its truths as often as needed. Learn to

walk in freedom and compare yourself only to the Lord

Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus, I make a decision of quality, and I now

renounce the spirit of competitive jealousy. In the name of Jesus,

I will not be deceived or hindered from reaching my full

potential in God. In the name of Jesus, I will not allow

competitive jealousy to urge me to compare myself or my

ministry with others. I will not allow competitive jealousy to

provoke me to compete for favor, position, power, authority or

influence.

In the name of Jesus, I will not be compelled to criticize

others to make myself look good. I declare now by the power of

God that I am free from competitive jealousy. I walk in a spirit

of love. I walk in the fruit of the spirit. My motives line up with

the Word of God. I repent of all areas where competitive jealousy

is found.

I exercise my authority in the name of Jesus. Spirit of

competitive jealousy be gone! I guard my heart by watching

what I see and what I hear. I major on being a servant and

allowing God to exalt me in due time. I hold on to the promises

of God through faith and patience. I am glad when my brothers

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Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

and sisters are exalted by God. For I have confidence in God’s

love that He cares for me.

Now, in the name of Jesus, I am redeemed of the Lord, I have

said it. It is so. I am free from the spirit of competitive jealousy.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Now, thank God for your deliverance.

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Document Outline

- Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

- Table of Contents

- 1 The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

- Competition

- Jealousy

- Competitive Jealousy

- The Comparison Trap

- 2 The Nature of Competitive Jealousy

- The Demonic Pecking Order

- A Subtle, Sophisticated Spirit

- Equal Access

- 3 A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy

- He Failed to Obey

- His Disobedience Exposed

- His Deception Was Deep

- God’s Preference

- No Small Thing

- Finally, Light! But Too Late

- Are You Hearkening?

- 4 The Results of Competitive Jealousy

- Self-Promotion

- Personal Offenses

- 5 Overcoming Competitive Jealousy

- Maintain a Proper Perspective

- 6 Eight Steps to Freedom

- Number One: Take Stock of your Motives, Honestly.

- Number Two: Repent!

- Number Three: Exercise Authority Over this Evil Spirit

- Number Four: Exercise the Spirit of Understanding

- Number Five: Guard Your Heart

- Number Six: Major on Being a Servant

- Number Seven: Be Glad when a Brother or Sister is Exalted.

- Number Eight: Build Confidence in God’s Love for You

- A Practical Confession for Overcoming the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

Table of Contents

The Spirit of Competitive Jealousy.

The Nature of Competitive Jealousy.

A Classic Example of Competitive Jealousy.

The Results of Competitive Jealousy.

Overcoming Competitive Jealousy.

Eight Steps to Freedom.

A Practical Confession for Overcoming the Spirit of

Exposing the Spirit of Competitive Jealousy

Table of Contents

Jealousy

The Comparison Trap

The Demonic Pecking Order

Equal Access

His Disobedience Exposed

His Deception Was Deep

God’s Preference

No Small Thing

Are You Hearkening?

Personal Offenses

Number Two: Repent!

Number Five: Guard Your Heart

Number Seven: Be Glad when a Brother or Sister is Exalted.