MORE on "JEALOUSY and SABOTAGE" -by M. Liu. I would like to comment on this issue. Recently my friend and I were suffering intense persecutions from people we thought all along were good friends and 'mature Christians'. They started circulating vicious and untrue accusations about us among our circle of friends and some of these accusations were reported back to us. We prayed before the Lord, and prayed blessings over our accusers, and tried our best - asking God to give us ability - to forgive these people. The Lord then spoke to us. The Lord said, 'My favor is a test. Jealousy is the fruit.' The Lord then showed me over the next few days that when God pours out favor over us, some of our brothers and sisters will get so jealous and so mad that they will persecute us with all resources at their disposal. It is like Joseph being sold into slavery, and very nearly murdered, by his brothers out of jealousy. After receiving God's promises, Joseph spent years in an Egyptian prison without any visible 'public ministry'. Jesus was also killed by people many of whom were motivated by jealousy. Mary received a prophecy before Jesus was born that her son would save the world. But Jesus ministered three years, without much in the world to show that he had saved the world, when Mary watched her son died on the cross. The Lord later said to me, 'The alternative fruit is humility.' So what I have learnt can be summarised as follows: God sets up a test. He pours out favor, blessings and anointings on a person. The people around that favored person can choose to bless and support God's work in humility, or to oppose God's work out of jealousy and pride. At the same time, the favored and persecuted person is also under a test: the person needs to forgive, to love and to suffer graciously under persecution - just like Joseph and Jesus and the early apostles. Alternatively the person may choose to become disappointed, bitter and angry. The Lord requests that we bear fruit of the Spirit in our hearts. ----------------------------