The Vision-Driven Marriage

Struggling with Jealousy? Debunk These 5 Myths For a Deeper Understanding

March 22, 2024 Doug & Leslie Davis Episode 65
Struggling with Jealousy? Debunk These 5 Myths For a Deeper Understanding
The Vision-Driven Marriage
More Info
The Vision-Driven Marriage
Struggling with Jealousy? Debunk These 5 Myths For a Deeper Understanding
Mar 22, 2024 Episode 65
Doug & Leslie Davis

Is jealousy truly a hallmark of love, or have we been led astray by common misconceptions? Join us, Doug and Leslie Davis, as we embark on a journey to uncover the biblical truths about jealousy in marriage. We tackle the pervasive myth that jealousy is an expression of love, instead revealing how true love, as depicted in 1 Corinthians 13, thrives without envy or possessiveness. Our discussion delves into the nuances between jealousy and envy, dismantling the notion that the two are synonymous. We stress the importance of understanding the protective nature of jealousy, as opposed to the covetousness of envy, aiming to steer couples towards a union that encapsulates the fullness of God's intention for love and marriage.

This episode isn't just about busting myths; it's about finding strength and unity in the spiritual intimacy that prayer brings to a marriage. By drawing a distinction between the possessiveness often mistaken for jealousy and the humble, selfless love that Scripture advocates, we seek to enlighten our listeners on the true nature of divine jealousy. Where the world sees control, we find partnership and equality, grounded in a biblical understanding that honors and protects the sacred covenant of marriage.

In our closing segment, we open our hearts in a collective prayer, confronting the struggles that envy and jealousy can impose on a relationship. We share our gratitude for the righteous example of divine jealousy, using it as a beacon to guide us towards honoring, loving, respecting, and caring for our spouses in a manner that resonates with God's flawless design. We invite you to reflect on the insights shared and to join us in the ongoing quest for hope, encouragement, and practical wisdom as we navigate the complex emotional landscape of marriage together.

Let's Connect
HeartCall Ministries
Facebook: @Doug&LeslieDavis
IG: @TheVisionDrivenMarriage

Things we Mention:

Ephesians 4:26
1 Cor 13:4-7
1 Cor 10:13
Phil 4:13
2 Cor 5:17
Romans 12:1-2

Join The Vision-Driven Email Community and get the free Couple's Prayer Guide

Midroll Music credits:
In Next Life by Uneasy
ASLC-1E56A76A-F9B00E8070

INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC CREDITS
Theme music: Dead Winter
ASLC-1BEF9A9E-9E9D609662
Artists: White Bones
Composers: White Bones
Audio source: Epidemic Sound

Find out more about Doug and Leslie:

  • Free Resources
  • Social Media Links
  • Current episodes of The Vision Driven Marriage

Click Here

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Is jealousy truly a hallmark of love, or have we been led astray by common misconceptions? Join us, Doug and Leslie Davis, as we embark on a journey to uncover the biblical truths about jealousy in marriage. We tackle the pervasive myth that jealousy is an expression of love, instead revealing how true love, as depicted in 1 Corinthians 13, thrives without envy or possessiveness. Our discussion delves into the nuances between jealousy and envy, dismantling the notion that the two are synonymous. We stress the importance of understanding the protective nature of jealousy, as opposed to the covetousness of envy, aiming to steer couples towards a union that encapsulates the fullness of God's intention for love and marriage.

This episode isn't just about busting myths; it's about finding strength and unity in the spiritual intimacy that prayer brings to a marriage. By drawing a distinction between the possessiveness often mistaken for jealousy and the humble, selfless love that Scripture advocates, we seek to enlighten our listeners on the true nature of divine jealousy. Where the world sees control, we find partnership and equality, grounded in a biblical understanding that honors and protects the sacred covenant of marriage.

In our closing segment, we open our hearts in a collective prayer, confronting the struggles that envy and jealousy can impose on a relationship. We share our gratitude for the righteous example of divine jealousy, using it as a beacon to guide us towards honoring, loving, respecting, and caring for our spouses in a manner that resonates with God's flawless design. We invite you to reflect on the insights shared and to join us in the ongoing quest for hope, encouragement, and practical wisdom as we navigate the complex emotional landscape of marriage together.

Let's Connect
HeartCall Ministries
Facebook: @Doug&LeslieDavis
IG: @TheVisionDrivenMarriage

Things we Mention:

Ephesians 4:26
1 Cor 13:4-7
1 Cor 10:13
Phil 4:13
2 Cor 5:17
Romans 12:1-2

Join The Vision-Driven Email Community and get the free Couple's Prayer Guide

Midroll Music credits:
In Next Life by Uneasy
ASLC-1E56A76A-F9B00E8070

INTRO/OUTRO MUSIC CREDITS
Theme music: Dead Winter
ASLC-1BEF9A9E-9E9D609662
Artists: White Bones
Composers: White Bones
Audio source: Epidemic Sound

Find out more about Doug and Leslie:

  • Free Resources
  • Social Media Links
  • Current episodes of The Vision Driven Marriage

Click Here

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Vision Driven Marriage Podcast. If you're struggling in your marriage, or maybe you're wondering if it's even salvageable, before you give up or before you let things get too hard, let us come alongside you and help you solidify your marriage. We offer Biblical encouragement and insight to help you strengthen your marriage.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Vision Driven Marriage Podcast. We're Doug and Leslie Davis. Today we're going to continue to look at jealousy. We're going to be able to take a little bit of a deeper dive and to debunk some pretty common myths.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there are some pretty weird myths floating around out there about jealousy, isn't it? We believe all sorts of wrong things about jealousy. In this episode, that's what we're doing we're going to unpack five of the most common myths around jealousy.

Speaker 1:

Right. Jealousy itself is misunderstood. We were talking earlier Leslie and I were talking earlier about how there are certain things that God does, and he does them perfectly. Because he is perfect, we struggle so greatly. One example, just to make sure we understand this jealousy idea, is when we get angry, we sin. God doesn't. God's anger is righteous and holy every time, and he's even told us when you're angry, don't sin in Ephesians, chapter 4. But jealousy is a little bit of a different animal.

Speaker 2:

But that's not to say that God said don't be angry, right, right.

Speaker 1:

Because he never, ever is angry in His jealousy and he's called us also to seek to be right acting when we're angry. Now jealousy is a little bit different, because we know that God is jealous for us and we know that the basis of that is a really good thing, because he says you're mine and I want you and I don't want anybody else to have you, and the basis of that is a beautiful thing. The problem we have is that we, in our jealousy, sin almost every time, and it's an incredible struggle and it's telling us how to act in our jealousy. God's given us the specifics of what he does and he says do these things Like outdo one another in giving honor? Because if you love someone so much that they're yours and no one else can have them, you honor them. Or love, and this is what love looks like.

Speaker 1:

We've got an entire chapter. 1 Corinthians 13 shows us that love is patient and love is kind and love does not boast, it does not envy, because a lot of times we interchange jealousy and envy and so because of that, god doesn't even say be jealous. This way, he just doesn't address the jealousy issue at all. He says instead how we should behave.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so in an earlier episode we talked about the differences between jealousy and envy, where the world uses those two terms very interchangeably. They're not actually the same, and so I just want to just real quick reiterate the differences between jealousy and envy. Jealousy is when you are seeking to have something that somebody else already has. The Bible uses the term covetedness, and so when you're wanting something that somebody else has, you're envious of them. Jealousy is different. Jealousy is keeping something that you already have, and that's you know.

Speaker 2:

The Lord describes himself as a jealous God because he wants to keep that which he already has, and so when the Bible talks about being jealous, or God being jealous, that is Him in His essence being loving and respectful and kind and all the things that he tells us to do, and that's why the Bible, like you were saying, doesn't address us being jealous, because he teaches us how to love in a manner that keeps and protects the things, that which we have, and I think that's something that we misunderstand a lot, in that how the Lord teaches us to love is what protects our relationships.

Speaker 2:

It's what cultivates that solid relationships, that very few things can undermine.

Speaker 1:

Right, and when we respond to I love you and I want you and your mind, and I'm thankful that you're mine we can immediately turn to negative behaviors, which are the negative things that people usually define as jealousy and jealous actions, and so those are the things that we want to help shine some light on so we can see that that's not God's intent, and by doing that, we wanna show you some of the most common myths about what jealousy is and then share with you instead what God says.

Speaker 2:

The first myth that we're gonna talk about is that jealousy is a sign of love. And how easy is it for us to assume that because of the way that the Bible talks about God being a jealous God, and we know that God is love, then logically it would stand to say well, jealousy is a sign of love, but it's not.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of relationships. Especially when we're younger, we actually are kind of encouraged that somebody likes us so much that they don't want other people to be around us, and we kind of think it's cute and endearing. Well, when that is fed and when that grows, it can become really really, really difficult, because then we think, well, they're jealous, so they love me. Now, the other problem with this myth is that sometimes we find people who think, well, they don't act in a way that I describe as jealous, and so they question whether they're being loved at all.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's the flip side at that point and it's a dangerous.

Speaker 1:

dangerous thing because you can lose out on something that's an incredible blessing just because this person isn't acting in what you would describe as a jealous manner.

Speaker 2:

And I think one of the ways to determine whether jealousy is at a level that is unhelpful or even harmful to your relationship is that, if it is, you know love is outward. Giving you know love is when you say I'm doing this for my spouse's best interest, for the sake of my spouse. It's very selfless. But when it hits that level of I'm doing this to protect what I have and I'm doing this for me, that's when that level of jealousy can get to be harmful in a relationship and it would not be considered loving.

Speaker 1:

Right and we wanna make sure we differentiate, because when you are so grateful that your spouse is yours, it's great for you to tell them every single day I'm so thankful that you're mine and I'm so thankful that I'm yours. That's good. It's good for you to do things because I appreciate you and I'm so grateful that I have the privilege to do life with you.

Speaker 2:

Those are healthy things. I get those texts every morning. That says those things.

Speaker 1:

But those are the healthy things. Where it becomes destructive is when we once again, through our actions, start to use envy and jealousy as synonyms. Because when it becomes envious behavior, what were you doing, talking to them or where were you, your five minutes late? All of a sudden, instead of I'm thankful that you're mine, I'm afraid I'm going to lose you and you won't be mine.

Speaker 2:

And so we wanna make sure we clarify that's motivated by fear. I'm gonna fear, I fear losing you.

Speaker 1:

Low self-confidence, all kinds of things.

Speaker 1:

As opposed to something that's loving behavior that's motivated by a love or that other person's best interest, and so then it comes out as envy, and we know that envy, while we use that in the English language as a synonym with jealousy, it's not the kind of jealousy that God has for us, and so myth number one is that jealousy is a sign of love. If my spouse is jealous all the time, it means they love me so much. But what we get to see in 1 Corinthians 13, verses four through seven, includes, among the huge list of things that love is, it tells us a few of the things that love does not do, and one of the things that love does not do is envy. You know, love does not envy, love does not boast, it doesn't keep a record of wrongs, and so in that list in 1 Corinthians 13 of the things love isn't, it clearly blows up this myth, because jealousy is a sign of love, explodes in the presence of the light of God's word being shying on it.

Speaker 2:

The second myth that we're gonna unpack is jealousy is inevitable in a relationship, and there again, that is just not true, Right now little pieces of it, of jealousy itself rather than envy, will show themselves.

Speaker 1:

For example, what we mentioned earlier being able to show that I'm going to recognize how blessed I am because I'm yours and your mind and I'm so thankful and I don't ever want anything or anyone to be able to take your place in my heart. Those are all good things, right, but those things should be inevitable. The problem is negative jealous behaviors are not inevitable. You might be believing. It's just how it is. People are just jealous, they just act in an inappropriate manner when they love us so much. That's not true.

Speaker 2:

It's not true. And the reason why it's not true is because when we have accepted Christ as our savior, when we're walking with the Lord, we're a new creation and that means that we can walk in the love that Christ has for us and walk in the way that he's teaching us to love our spouse. That is a divine manifestation of that love towards our spouse and that means we can absolutely do that by the power of the Holy Spirit without the negativity of harmful jealousy in the relationship.

Speaker 1:

Now I do want to warn you, who are listening right now, one of the things that's really interesting and God shows us that this is true all the time Whatever you have your mind set on, it does control your behaviors. It really does so. If you have your mind set on the things of the flesh, you follow your flesh. You have your mind set on the things of the spirit, you follow the Holy Spirit. Well, let me give you a real quick warning.

Speaker 1:

Some of you may be saying well, we're listening to this episode because we really want to hear what Doug and Leslie have to say, but we're not dealing with jealousy. Let me make sure that I caution you. If you spend these 30 minutes listening about jealousy, what you're gonna see is just thinking about that word could spark a couple of jealous thoughts that maybe you haven't had in a very long time, because what we put our mind on can affect us. It really truly can, and so even just talking about the concept could make you realize places where you might be jealous that you've never acted on. And so here's the thing you know. You're saying well, so is jealousy inevitable? It's not inevitable. You're a new creation in Christ Jesus. You don't have to think about those things you can choose to think about. The glory that comes along with my spouse is mine, and I love her rather than what she's doing right now. Do I have to protect this?

Speaker 2:

So what I hear you saying is, if you're listening to us for the 30 minutes, focus on Christ, not on jealousy and not on jealousy.

Speaker 1:

Where is he, where's she at? They're late.

Speaker 2:

They should have been here by now, right.

Speaker 1:

Why did that person smile at them at the checkout lane? I don't care that she's 88.

Speaker 2:

Why didn't you look at him like that? Yeah, why did she? We have we've kind of had those conversations right, although I love those little ladies that give you hugs at church. It's the best.

Speaker 1:

But it's amazing how, even when you don't, you don't think about certain things. If you start to talk about them and start to have that term come up over and, over and over again, you're going to find out that there will be temptations in that area. Now, one of the ways that just blows up that jealousy is inevitable if you know Jesus Christ is your savior. 1 Corinthians 10.13 says not only that God is faithful, but he is faithful that when you are tempted, you'll never be tempted beyond what you can bear. And so God will give you the ability not only to bear under the temptation. You may be tempted to have jealous thoughts. He will give you the ability to bear up under that, not to give into them, but also, every time you're tempted, God promises that he will give those who belong to him a way of escape, and so you have that way of escape from the temptation.

Speaker 1:

And nowhere does it say that you won't be tempted, Right right, and just talking about the word jealousy might make you to be tempted to feel jealous, and so we just wanted to warn you. Right now, you're like yeah, yeah, I know you've said the word 17 times. And now I'm thinking about it.

Speaker 2:

thanks, yeah, thanks, doug, and I want to break in right here in the middle of this episode and tell you about a very special free resource that we've created for you. We know that most couples don't know how to begin a journey to spiritual intimacy. Some couples are just trying to stay on the journey to physical intimacy.

Speaker 1:

Praying together is one of the most rewarding disciplines of spiritual intimacy. It's the cornerstone and can deepen your love for your spouse and your commitment to your marriage, and that strengthens emotional and physical intimacy.

Speaker 2:

It's also one of the hardest to actually be disciplined at. You know things come up, excuses, bear weight. Time gets away from us. That's why we developed this brief guide to praying with your spouse. It includes how to overcome common barriers and seven things to consider.

Speaker 1:

Just as there are many reasons why it's difficult to pray together, there are equally as many ways to push through the barriers and incorporate a habit that will draw the two of you close to God and closer to each other.

Speaker 2:

We know firsthand and we're living proof. The spiritual intimacy can be developed by praying with each other.

Speaker 1:

To get this free guide called praying with your spouse a brief guide Just follow the link below.

Speaker 2:

And now back to our show. All right, moving on to our next myth. Myth number three is that jealousy is a sign of ownership.

Speaker 1:

Go ahead, jump in.

Speaker 2:

This is like the oh, this is like the, the cornerstone of narcissism, I think, and and or at least could be a building block of it. Because, oh, I don't even, I don't even know how to begin to unpack this. Look at where do you start unpacking the myth of ownership, because you know the Bible talks about that we do belong to our spouse, right, and our spouse belongs to us, and we're to humble ourselves to each other. But that ownership, that possession, doesn't the Lord never lords over us, and that's where that should never be emulated in a marriage, like a husband should never lord over a wife and a wife certainly should not ever lord over her husband, but that we should humble ourselves before our spouses. But nowhere does love equate ownership.

Speaker 1:

No, and there's a specific scripture that addresses that for you, for us, as men, in first Peter 3, 7 says husbands in the same way. You know, be considerate as you live with your wives. And you know we've talked before about how we are equally valuable in the eyes of God. But we're very, very different, very different from one another. And so you know there are going to be times where One spouse is going to be okay with a situation that another spouse is grieved by. There's going to be times where one spouse is broken by Circumstances and the other one seems to be sailing through those circumstances without catching too much. You know difficulty.

Speaker 1:

Often what we get to see here is is that men are just told look, your wife does things differently than you do, and so if it's one of those moments where she's broken, make sure that you live with her and honor her. Understanding that she's broken and just because you are not doesn't mean that you get the lord it over her now the the concept here applies way beyond that. We belong to one another, as Leslie said, and that's a great thing, but I don't have the right to Say I'm gonna take what belongs to me and lock it away in a tower. God never called men or women to lock their spouse away and to To say I have a plan for what you're going to do, instead of saying God has a plan for what you're going to do. Jealousy causes people too often, when they think of ownership, to say you're going to do what I want.

Speaker 2:

The sin in that is thinking that you have the right to plan Someone's life when God alone is the one who has that right and I think the you know from from the women's perspective, from a woman's side of it, you know thinking about, because more often than not, when you hear the word ownership, it's the, the, historically, it's the female who's being owned. But the Bible talks about we belong to each other.

Speaker 2:

Right you know, and so we're equal in the side of the Lord, and we need to understand that, where God's workmanship and that Working together makes us stronger than if we were to work individually right.

Speaker 1:

And so it's not just you know Rapunzel being locked away in the tower. Rapunzel shouldn't lock the prince there either it goes both ways, so what's? What's myth?

Speaker 2:

number four myth number four is that jealousy is always harmful.

Speaker 1:

Okay now, jealousy is always harmful. That sounds like it makes sense. Why doesn't it?

Speaker 2:

it doesn't, because the Lord describes himself as a jealous God. So we know that there is essence of jealousy that is not harmful or the Lord wouldn't have described himself as a jealous God. But I think it's very interesting, like Doug was saying earlier, that the where the Bible says the Bible instructs us not to be, not to sin in our anger, doesn't tell us not to be angry, you know. But the Bible doesn't say anything about us not being jealous. But the Bible does lay out all of the ways that the Bible lays out that we are supposed to love one another. That is how to love one another without being jealous.

Speaker 1:

And the other thing that's really difficult our flesh gets in the way. We can't be jealous the way God wants us to be, because we sit in it because we sin, and there are Countless numbers, huge numbers of places.

Speaker 1:

Nearly every letter to every church has something where it says do not envy. Do not envy is a command from God, and what we do is when we're jealous, we tend to envy. That's always going to be sin, and so you know. We don't have a. When you're jealous, do it like this, like we do with anger. What we have instead is the biggest place you're gonna mess it up is you're gonna turn it into envy. And we have command after command after command Do not envy.

Speaker 2:

Right, absolutely that'll preach.

Speaker 1:

All right. So what is the fifth myth?

Speaker 2:

The fifth myth is that-.

Speaker 1:

Say that five times fast.

Speaker 2:

Fifth myth. Fifth myth.

Speaker 1:

All right, myth number five.

Speaker 2:

Myth number five is that jealousy is unchangeable.

Speaker 1:

Right, and too often people think it's just the way I am. You know, it's just how I am. My parents were this way. My grandparents were this way. There's nothing that can be done. I will be this way forever. That's not true.

Speaker 2:

It's not true, but sometimes it's logical, because if we grow up in a household that has jealous parents and we see that modeled for us, we learn that Jealousy can also be acquired by having a traumatic loss as a young child or feeling incredibly out of control as a young child and needing to control the situation as an adult. And so it may seem logical because of the things that have happened during the developmental years. But it's not true. Jealousy is changeable. And there again we're back to the leading of the Holy Spirit, because the Lord invites us to learn how to love like he loves, and in that, learning how to love like he loves, he's gonna heal those places and that's going to allow you to develop the ability to love like he loves.

Speaker 1:

Right, and so the myth is that jealousy is unchangeable. The reality is, you might be experiencing that jealousy has become a habit.

Speaker 1:

Now habits are hard to break, but they can be broken, and so I wanna make sure that you have some hope. You might be thinking you're not understanding. This feels impossible for me. No, we do get it.

Speaker 1:

Habits, regardless of what the habit is, feel like they can't be changed, but that's not true. Our feelings deceive us all the time, and so you may have the habit of jealousy and it might be incredibly difficult. You might be firmly entrenched in it. But what Leslie just shared is really important. See, it became a habit, maybe because all of the adults in your life who you loved demonstrated this habit of jealousy too. So you think that's what adults do when they love, and so what God will do is God, if it's what you believe to be true, it's your mindset. God will start with your mindset. It may be through a traumatic event, and if it's through a traumatic event, god will begin by bringing healing. And it's not something half of what you're thinking is right. It's not something that you're gonna be successful breaking on your own, probably, but God specializes in the impossible. What's impossible for us is possible for God, and we get to see some of the verses that are used frequently get to demonstrate a little bit of that. You might be thinking I don't think I can do this, but if you lean on the Lord for it, philippians 4.13 really is important, because it doesn't matter what you're going through. I can do all things. Through Christ, who strengthens me, I really can.

Speaker 1:

Now one of the other things that's just amazing to me Leslie mentioned this that we read in 2 Corinthians 5.17 that through Jesus Christ, we're a new creation. We aren't what we used to be, and so those habits that are deeply entrenched, they do come from experiences that might be even before you knew Christ, and the behaviors that you've developed definitely are not the new creation God's intending for you to be. So take some hope and some courage by that. But how in the world do you do it? I love Romans 12, 1, and 2. And I don't think they're understood well enough, because we live in a world that says, well, this is just how it is, you're just stuck that way. This myth that we're busting is it's just how it is. I'm just made this way.

Speaker 2:

Unchangeable.

Speaker 1:

But the reality is, every day we have an opportunity to offer ourselves to God, to sacrifice ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. To say I can't do this, now, that's the big thing, I can't fix this, okay, it feels impossible. But when you give yourself to the Lord, say, will you do what only you can do? What you'll get to see is that your mind changes. You know, the thoughts that you have will change and the behaviors will change. Read Romans 12, 1 and 2. Look at the whole thing and look at how God says be transformed by the renewing of your mind, because he wants to do that for you.

Speaker 2:

I think part of that or at least in my personal experience, part of that transformation that takes that, you know, takes hold because of those verses, is my saying not, not only can I not do it, you know in my own strength, but I don't understand how to do it and I don't understand what needs to happen. Right, and I think a lot of times we don't press into those verses as hard as we should because we don't understand what needs to happen, instead of saying it's okay that I don't understand what needs to happen, because the Lord understands what needs to happen. The Lord understands what happened to that child that was traumatized. The Lord understands what habits that need to be, you know, needs to be changed or broken. So the Lord understands it. And we don't have to have that knowledge, we don't have to have that understanding. We just have to trust that the Lord has that understanding when we press into those verses.

Speaker 1:

Right. And you know, god's people, even in the Old Testament, felt the same things that you're feeling, the same things that Leslie just expressed and, through the prophet Ezekiel, god told his people I will give you a new heart, I will give you a new spirit. I'll put that within you. And so you know God wants to give you a new heart and a new spirit within you, and he is faithful and he's good. You don't have to have it all figured out, you just need to trust the one who does. And so, as we look at how we've got an opportunity to really shine light and to expose and to knock down these myths, there is hope. There really is hope.

Speaker 1:

Jealousy by itself is fostered by a good thing your mind, and I want you and I'm so glad and I don't want anybody else to have you. You belong to me. That's an awesome thing. The result of it, however, ends up being envy. That ends up being destructive way too often, because our flesh is weak and when we completely think about things like envy as thoughts, we become more and more and more willing to act on those inviost thoughts. Let's do a real quick recap what are the myths and what's the truth?

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, the first myth that we looked at was that jealousy is a sign of love, and that is not true. No, instead jealousy is a sign of envy.

Speaker 1:

God shows us what love looks like. Check out 1 Corinthians 13.

Speaker 2:

The second myth is jealousy is inevitable in a relationship.

Speaker 1:

It might feel that way for you, and again, little pieces of it seem to reiterate that somehow that might be true, but it's just not. You can have a healthy dose of honor, love, respect, rather than seeing the signs of envy enter into your relationship.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Myth number three is jealousy is a sign of ownership.

Speaker 1:

Again, we don't want to lock anyone away in a tower. Instead, we've been given the privilege that we do belong to one another, just the same way that my right hand belongs to my left hand, and if my right hand, you know, ends up with some kind of an injury, it affects my whole body. We belong to one another like that, not, you'll do what I say and I'm going to lock you in a tower.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. Myth number four is that jealousy is always harmful.

Speaker 1:

And we know that God's jealousy for us is not. The problem is that we are always flawed and fallible, and so what we need to do is look at the beautiful things God shows us to do, rather than looking at how jealousy ends in envy nearly all the time, and we know there's a clear command of that. That's what we are not to do.

Speaker 2:

And the last one was that jealousy is unchangeable.

Speaker 1:

Right, and there is nothing impossible for God. We know that. You know we are new creatures in Christ Jesus. God told his people even before Christ that he wanted to give them a new heart and a new spirit. He does that through Jesus Christ, and so when you turn to the Lord, you can see change, even in these places that feel like it's impossible. It's not true. These are myths that we know the light of truth will expose and there's a better way for you.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

So what we want to do is we want to pray for you real quickly before we let you go for this episode, and so, whether you're dealing with jealousy or not, we would like to lift you up in prayer, heavenly Father. We pray for our listeners, for those who are encouraged because they've found honor and respect and love. I pray that that would continue For those listeners who are struggling because they see envy come out and they don't want it to, but it's there and they're dealing with it and they feel anxious and they feel afraid and they're dealing with so many things that make them think these myths that we talked about today they think they're true. Lord, I pray that you show them that they're not true and that there is a way for them to be overcome, so that those myths are no longer feeling true and that the relationship for our listeners might become more and more and more something that honors you, that draws them to one another and encourages and strengthens them.

Speaker 1:

Lord, we're thankful that you're jealous for us and we're thankful that you're holy, but we admit we're not holy and we're not righteous, and we can't be jealous the way you are without sinning. We want to. So, lord, thank you for showing us honor, and you teach us what that looks like love. And you teach us what that looks like Respect and care, and you teach us what that looks like, lord, let us learn those things you've told us so that we can see the way you are jealous for us because we struggle with envy. Lord, god, let us give that envy to you that we might be changed by the power of Jesus Christ, and it's in His name we pray. Amen.

Speaker 2:

Listeners, we are so thankful that you are here, and if our podcast has given you hope, if it has changed your mind and the way that you're thinking, if it has encouraged you, if it has equipped you, we would love to hear about it. Could you please rate and review our podcast, where you listen to podcasts?

Speaker 1:

And again, we're Doug and Leslie Davis. This is the Vision Driven Marriage and we continue to pray that God will see it.

Debunking Common Marriage Jealousy Myths
Debunking Myths About Jealousy
Praying With Spouse and Jealousy Myths
Prayer for Overcoming Jealousy