Scripture: Genesis 37: 8 and 11v (NIV)
Subject: "Conquering Jealousy/Envy" (Part III The Conquering Series)
I: In the article "How to Deal with Jealousy" the author writes: "Unsurprisingly, studies have shown that increased jealousy correlates with lower self-esteem." Dr. Lisa Firestone, the author of "Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice" noted: "Many of us are often unaware of the basic shame that exists within us, because it comes so naturally to think self-critical thought about ourselves. Yet, shame from our past can heavily influence the degree to which we feel jealous and insecure in the present."
II: There are many who believe that jealousy and envy are the exact synonyms, while others believe they are complete opposites. According to Webster, jealousy is "an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has." Envy is, "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage." Whether its jealousy or envy, both ultimately possess a desire to have what someone else possess. That is precisely what we encounter in our text when we take a closer look at the attitude and response of Joseph brothers. The brothers become jealous/envious of their brother Jospeh over a dream. A closer look at the actions of the brothers in juxtaposition to the response of their father, will assist us in discovering principles to conquer jealousy and envy.
III: We conquer jealousy/envy by.........
#1) Not coveting what others possess
-The brothers become jealous of their brother over the imagery of a sheaf.
-The brothers became so concerned about Joseph sheaf that they failed to realize they had their own bundle of grain stalks (sheaf)
-Jealousy/envy will cause you to pay more attention to what someone else has rather than focusing on what you have.
-God knew the dangers of jealousy and paying more attention to what others have that God put it in a commandment.
#2) Working on your own dreams rather than trying to destroy someone else dreams
-Jacob's response to Joseph dream is drastically different than that of his sons.
-Jacob knew something about dreams. Genesis 28:10-15
-Jealousy will cause you to stop working on your own dreams in order to work against someone else dream.
-Stop wasting your energy to kill someone else dream and start using your energy to bring your own dream to fruition.