Activate Abundance 4: Refuse to Compete, Reject Jealousy

In the last few posts, we’ve talked about the power of lifting others up—through prayer, through encouragement, and through collaboration. All of these flow from a heart that values unity in the body of Christ. We’ve got one more obstacle we have to be on guard against if we’re going to walk in true unity: the spirit of competition. Nothing derails teamwork faster than rivalry, jealousy, or the need to “outdo” someone else.  You cannot compete with a member of your own team and win: we are in this together! You must refuse to compete within the Body of Christ.

Paul started encouraging the believers in this a long time ago, this is not a new concept at all. He wrote to the Corinthians, “There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts” (1 Cor. 12:12-14). 

He didn’t stop there - he went on to a rather lengthy explanation of what we probably consider an elementary concept: the body needs eyes, nose, ears, feet, hands - one cannot leave the body to work on its own and they all need each other for the body to work properly.  (I wonder if the Corinthians thought as they listened, “Really, Pastor?  I think we are beyond this!” - but Paul knew differently! They needed the lesson again - and so do we!)

Competition Steals Joy and Kills Collaboration: Refuse to Compete!

God’s call on your life is unique—you’re not running someone else’s race, you’re running your own. Let’s learn how to silence the voice of comparison, embrace our God-given assignments, and celebrate abundance in the body of Christ.

Competition often comes from insecurity and fear of losing what we think belongs to us. That’s what we have called “scarcity mentality” throughout this series (link here).  I’ll say it louder for the people in the back: there is no room for scarcity mentality in the Body of Christ! Please remember: in the Kingdom of God, there’s no scarcity—only abundance. The Bible gives us sobering examples of where jealousy and competition destroyed lives, relationships, and even nations.

Jealousy & Competition in Scripture: A Trail of Destruction

Saul and David

1 Samuel 18:7–9 – “As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’ Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.”

• Saul’s jealousy of David turned celebration into suspicion.
• Instead of mentoring the next leader, Saul spent years trying to destroy him.
• Competition blinded Saul to the bigger picture—God’s kingdom was advancing.

David and Absalom

2 Samuel 15:6 – “Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.”

• Absalom wasn’t content to support his father’s throne; he wanted it for himself.
• His ambition divided the kingdom, caused war, and ultimately led to his death.
• Competition drove him to manipulate people rather than serve them.

Mordecai and Haman

Esther 5:13 – “But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

• Haman had wealth, power, and influence, but envy consumed him.
• His jealousy led him to plan genocide against an entire people.
• Competition with Mordecai revealed the emptiness of his heart.

Warnings from Scripture About Envy & Jealousy

Grab your bible and your highlighter, here we go:

James 3:14–16 “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

• Jealousy is not a minor flaw; it opens the door to evil.
• It breeds chaos, division, and destruction.

Galatians 5:19–21 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

• Paul puts jealousy and envy in the same list as idolatry and immorality.
• Competition is not harmless—it is a barrier to the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

• Envy corrodes us from the inside out.
• Jealousy doesn’t just damage relationships—it destroys the person holding it.

Honestly, I can keep this up all day - let me stop there before I wear both of us out.  Thanks for staying with me!

Shifting the Lens: The Beauty of Collaboration & Teamwork

Not all stories end in rivalry—many show the fruit of unity and partnership. Where competition kills, collaboration brings life and multiplies impact. Look at the flip side with me: 

David and Jonathan

1 Samuel 18:3–4 – “And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.”

• Jonathan could have seen David as a rival for the throne.
• Instead, he laid down his own claim to stand beside God’s chosen king.
• Collaboration in friendship preserved David’s life and secured Israel’s future.

Paul and Timothy

Philippians 2:19–22 – “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”

• Timothy wasn’t in competition with Paul—he served alongside him.
• Their collaboration was marked by mutual trust and shared mission.
• This partnership advanced the gospel across the world.

The Early Church

Acts 2:44–47 – “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

• Collaboration wasn’t optional—it was the way the church survived and thrived.
• Unity led to generosity, joy, and exponential growth.

Choosing Abundance over Competition

Competition, the scarcity mentality says: “There’s not enough room for both of us”, “If you are loved, it must be that I am unloved”, “if you are talented/successful, it must mean that I am not talented/succesful”, you see how the downward spiral goes. 

I want to return to Haman and Mordecai for a minute, this is such a powerful and sobering example of the scarcity mentality. Look at this:

“That day Haman was happy. So he left the palace in a good mood. Haman called together his friends and his wife Zeresh…. He bragged to them about how rich he was. He talked about how many sons he had. He spoke about all the ways the king had honored him. He bragged about how the king had given him a high position. It was higher than the position of any of the other nobles and officials. “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the feast she gave. Now she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But even all of that doesn’t satisfy me. I won’t be satisfied as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.” Esther 5:9, 11-13

Don’t miss this: Haman recognizes that Mordecai’s presence has absolutely nothing to do with him.  Even when Mordecai was honored, there was no loss or demotion to Haman in any way.  Somehow, the enemy twisted it in his mind - he adopted an imaginary offense and a scarcity mentality.  Being afraid that he had risen as far as he could go, he decided that the only option was to kick others down in order to make himself look good. Read this book (the Bible) or this book (my commentary on Esther), the scarcity mentality will bring you down.

Teamwork says: “There’s more than enough in the Kingdom of God.” Refusing to compete puts us in line with  Christ’s promise of an abundant life in John 10:10, :I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. Envy robs us, but unity multiplies blessing. 

Is there someone else in your field? Rejoice because more work is being done!  Is another minister preaching the Word?  Was your church preaching the Word while the church parking lot down the street was also full?  Celebrate that neighbor pastor - Jesus is being glorified! If your co-laborer is winning, friend, guess what?  You are winning too!  

Lay down competition, refuse to participate in jealousy. When we work together, we activate God’s abundance - and receiving His promise, actually living the abundant life that Jesus promises is a treasure that you won’t want to let go!

Let's continue the conversation on the podcast this Thursday! Subscribe at https://www.youtube.com/@JenniferWSpivey so you don't miss it!