KINGDOM LIVING - NO SIBLING RIVALRY

Dear One,
   Yesterday we looked at the story that Jesus told about the son who became an obvious sinner who was eventually restored to his original place of honor by his loving father.  There was no requirement of punishment, prolonged payment for his sins or a tongue lashing from his father.  Instead, the son's apology, his desire to  turn from his frivolous living and his willingness to share bread with the servants showed the state of his heart.  He was immediately restored to his royal position in the family with no punishment.  It was a story comparing My kingdom of heaven to an earthly situation. (Luke 15:11-32)
    The only darkness in that whole story had to do with the attitude of the older brother who was angry that the father had treated the disobedient son royally upon his return.  He said that their father had never treated him with such favor.  However, his father assured him that everything the father owned had always
also been the property of the older brother and that the father had never withheld anything from him.  Jealousy and sibling rivalry had attacked the mind of the older brother, even though the father had not really favored the younger son but had merely welcomed him back into the family and restored his fortune to him.  The father told the older brother to rejoice because his brother had been dead but now was alive, was lost but was now found. 
     Jesus revealed that the devil takes advantage of any opportunity to send a jealousy demon into the minds and hearts of people.  When there is a tiny opening, the devil sends a jealous demon to sow strife in a family, a church, an organization or a nation,  Jealousy is a controlling demon and has many demonic spirits in unity with it.  In fact, I said that where there is jealousy, there is strife and every evil spirit. 
    The demon of jealousy entered the earth through Adam, of course, and it manifested itself when Cain killed Abel.  (Genesis 3:4-8) Cain thought that Abel was My favorite child and evil entered into him and made him angry enough to kill his brother.  Before the murder, I had warned them that the devil was crouching at their door, desiring to have them as his own but that they must rule over that demon of jealousy.  Cain did not recognize that evil demon when it attacked his mind.  He thought that he was justified to be angry because Abel seemed to be favored.  Adam's family was cursed with that demon of jealousy from that day forth.  You are also subject to be tormented by it and led to kill others because of it.  Always remember that jealousy and strife have a large demonic family in hell and I said that every evil demon accompanies jealousy.
    The teaching of Jesus about the son who returned after riotous living and was restored to favor with his father is also a picture of the nation of Israel who was blessed because of Abraham's faith.  I chose Abraham so that the spirit of My Son Jesus could enter the world through the flesh of a descendant of Abraham because of Abraham's faith.  It was purely Abraham's belief in what I said that qualified his descendant to be the vehicle through whom My Son would enter the world in order to save it from the works of the devil. 
    Later, when the people who received the ministry of Jesus were the poor, the maimed, the blind, the deaf and the downtrodden instead of the people of the nation of Israel, jealousy entered into the rulers of the nation and they killed My Son.  When He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to live with Me, He sent My Holy Spirit into the earth to minister to the Gentiles first because unbelief was still rampant among the Jews.
    Today in My children there are still religious people who are  jealous of My attention to the poor, the maimed, the dirty, the blind, the deaf, the prisoners and the ones whom they consider sinners.  The religious jealousy demon tells the religious people that they are the people who are right because they never sinned like the afflicted people have done.  The religious people would prefer that the afflicted people would worship at another church instead of theirs.  The jealousy demon also afflicts families because the devil enters into the mind of a member of a family who feels that he or she is not getting as much attention as deserved.  Husbands kill wives, wives kill husbands, children kill each other, children kill parents, boyfriends kill the children of their girlfriends because of the attention of the girlfriend to her own child, and the demons have free reign in families.   I warned about the demon of jealousy at the beginning and Jesus pointed out the problem in the parable about the prodigal son and his older brother. (I Corinthians 3:2-3; James 3:16)      
    Jealousy is a controlling demon in the earth.  Moses wrote about it when he wrote about Cain and Abel.  Jesus pointed it out in the parable of the prodigal son.  James wrote about it when he said that wars are started in families and relationships because of jealousy.  He said that if you don't have something that you desire, that you must pray for it instead of murdering for it. (James 4:1-3) 
    The truths in the parable of the prodigal son are given for your good.  The first one is that I welcome everyone into My kingdom living who comes to Me and then I give to them the power to turn their backs on an evil life.  The second truth is that you must be alert at all times for the demon of jealousy to flood your mind.  As you have seen from the history in the world of the demon of jealousy and what he has done to the lives of My children, you must always be alert to his temptations.  Resist him and be willing to take a back seat in all things, refusing to demand attention from anyone.  When you humble yourself, I will exalt you and your exaltation will be grand.  The angels in heaven and I will rejoice and you will be grateful for My work in your life.
    Remember that the parables that Jesus taught are stories comparable to My kingdom living, comparing them to earthly situations so that you will learn from them and know how to incorporate kingdom living into your life.
    Avoiding the demon of jealousy is the primary warning.
    Your Father Who Frees You With Truth