A jealous God

When God was going to describe Himself, on one occasion He called

Himself, “Jealous.” This denotes something of God’s nature. “For you
shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a
jealous God.” Exodus 34:14. [Editor’s note: In other translations the
word ‘zealous’ is used – these words have the same root, and show
God’s character in vigilantly guarding that which is His.]

God breathed the breath of life into the first man. “And the Lord God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7. He
breathed this life into every person. God jealously yearns for – desires
– this spirit in us. “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The
Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?” James 4:5.

Battle for our spirits

God does not want our spirits to be consumed by this world or by the
god of this world, who is the devil. God wants a relationship with our
human spirit, so that He can instill His good will within us. If this good
relationship is established, He will guide us to a good and peaceful
life.

However, the god of this world, the devil, is active as well. He also
wants to get a hold of our human spirit, to influence us to do his
will. He has come to destroy us, and he speaks to our “fleshSin is
anything that goes against God’s will and His laws. To commit sin is to
transgress or disobey these laws. The lust to sin dwells in human
nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful
tendencies that dwell in all people as a result of the fall into sin and
disobedience in the garden of Eden. This... More.” “The flesh” refers to
mankind’s indwelling sinSin is anything that goes against God’s will
and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey these laws.
The lust to sin dwells in human nature. In other words, it is
contaminated and motivated by the sinful tendencies that dwell in all
people as a result of the fall into sin and disobedience in the garden of
Eden. This... More and earthlyRefers to everything of this earth, as
opposed to heavenly things. Example: Earthly treasures/heavenly
treasures. The earthly things pass away (are temporal), but the
heavenly things are eternal. (Matthew 6:19-21; Colossians 3:2; 1
John 2:17)... More lustsThe desires that we experience that go against
God’s will. In other words, a desire for anything sinful. See James 1:14.
Also called “sin in the flesh.” Although the expression “youthful lusts”
is often thought of in connection with sinful sexual desires, lusts
include anything that go against what is good and right in God’s eyes.
(2 Timothy 2:22.; Galatians... More, which we have inherited from our
forefathers, (see 1 Peter 1:18) and which originate from the fall. Here
there is a battle Almost all talk of battles and wars when concerning a
Christian life refers to the inner battle that arises when a sinful thought
tempts you. God’s Spirit and the flesh are at odds. When you have
decided to only do God’s will and are being led by the Spirit, a conflict
between the flesh and the Spirit arises: there is... More between two
forces, and in this battle God is a jealous God. He is zealous (jealous)
for our spirits. He wants us to be zealous, with “God’s zeal” in this
battle.

Opposing forces
The Bible speaks about these opposing spiritual forces: “the Holy
Spirit” vs. “the spirit of the antichrist.” Within the Holy Spirit is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2), while in
the spirit of antichrist is the influence of the devil to exalt oneself and
exclude God and His will. In this battle, God is zealous for us, and
provides us with this zeal as a driving force, an enthusiasm – to attain
God’s goal for us – that we overcome the spirit of antichrist. This
means that our human spirit is turned away from being directed
toward the earth. In other words, instead of only being occupied with
our own interests and needs and the things of this earth, we become
turned toward heaven and become united with God’s will, which is
good, perfect, and eternal.

In this work with us, God is zealous, and He instills this zeal in us who
believe in Him. God uses all the means at His disposal for this to
succeed, in the ups and downs of life. He sends us circumstances in
our lives that will show us the sinSin is anything that goes against
God’s will and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey
these laws. The lust to sin dwells in human nature. In other words, it is
contaminated and motivated by the sinful tendencies that dwell in all
people as a result of the fall into sin and disobedience in the garden of
Eden. This... More dwelling within us, and He gives us power and zeal
to overcome the sin that wants to destroy our joy and peace in God.
Also read: “The Holy Spirit vs. the spirit of the times: Who is controlling
you?”

God’s zeal vs. human zeal

There is a difference between God’s zeal and human zeal. God’s zeal
has a future and a hope, but the driving force of human zeal is only
about one’s own life, interests, and earthly advantages. God’s zeal
drives us into a new life where we are willing to give up our self-life to
find the life which is in Christ Jesus, eternal life.

This zeal drives us into the death of ChristThis most often refers not to
the physical death Christ died on the cross of Calvary, but to the death
of the lust to sin in His human nature, which task He fulfilled while He
lived on earth as a human being. (2 Timothy 2:11; 2 Corinthians
4:10; Philippians 3:10; Romans 8:3)... More – where we can put to
deathIs to overcome the temptations to sin that arise when our lusts
and desires draw us to react in ways we know to be evil (i.e. pride,
hatred, evil-speaking, envy etc.) It is the act of denying those thoughts
and refusing to agree with them. The lust to sin is not only suppressed,
but it actually dies. (Romans 8:13; Colossians... More the sin which
dwells in our flesh, and thus be made alive in our human spirit for this
eternal life. (2 Corinthians 4:6-18) The portion of our human spirit
which is made alive becomes our light and our radiance eternally.
God’s desire is for all people to enter into this cleansing and
development, by being delivered from the clutches of the fall of sin
and partaking in a victorious life, as Paul describes in Romans
6:22, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves
of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

God is a jealous God. He is zealous for this work. He is jealous for our
spirit – and He gives the necessary grace so that it will succeed.