Recently I was listening to a sermon which focused on a litmus test that
might help determine whether or not I was following the will of God for my
life, that is following the Holy Spirit's guidance in life. The three
checkpoints were

1. Am I frustrated?

2. Do I irritate others?

3. Am I jealous or envious?

I wouldn't limit these three negative or selfish emotions to that test for
sure as certainly there are others that would also serve to show the same
result, but I found myself focused on these three. I began to think of
jealousy or envy. I found myself looking back at various thoughts or
aspirations I had and found they were birthed out of a jealous or envious
heart. I look at some I know who never seem to have financial issues,
plenty of money to go around, and actually to be even more sinful as long
as I'm at it, notice they spend it very foolishly and much on self
indulgences. I sit back and wonder if I had that, how I could not only
live better personally, but just think how much I could help others in
need. Either buy them something they need, or give them money to help them
through a rough time, help fund a missionary work in other countries, go
on a mission work myself, and here these folks just spend spend spend
foolishly. And so, I found myself feeling jealous and envious of what they
have, the lifestyle they now have. Granted it wasn't always this way for
these people, they worked for it for sure, but still I had those feelings
nonetheless. Convicted after hearing this message on following the Holy
Spirit, I realized that perhaps my discontentment is birthed not out of a
real need fore more things and better lifestyle, but  that I really don't
have a clue on what god wants me to do with my life, and that I'm really
not letting the Holy Spirit guide me. Or if I am following what God is
saying, I've fallen off the spiritual wagon and drifted off to selfish
desires. It occurred to me that if I really, honestly, and confidently was
following the guidance of God through the Holy Spirit, it wouldn't matter
if a neighbor lived a life of perverseness and suddenly won the lottery,
or if a different neighbor who was a continuous financial bumbler
inherited a wealthy estate and now is set for life, or any number of
scenarios that seemed unfair or unjust were to be witnessed. If I felt I
really was following god, I would indeed be joyful, and satisfied where I
was no matter what I had or did or the like. Perhaps one might parallel it
to a husband and wife relationship. If a wife notices that a neighbor was
getting a bit friendly with her husband and she was glued with a boiling
rage as she watched them converse, if their spousal relationship was not
solid, jealousy would rise and take over her will. Where as if they had a
rock solid and integretous relationship, she could probably glance over
and without a care go change the clothes in the washer or some abstract
task. In other words, if we find discontentment, frustration, find
ourselves cool towards others or otherwise irritate or aggravate them,
become jealous or envious, perhaps we need to look at where we are in
relationship with God through his guidance by the Holy Spirit.  If we are
indeed following God, what could we possibly be frustrated, irritated,
envious or jealous about? We would know that where we are presently, no
matter what others may have has no affect on us as God is in control and
we are in tune with what is best for us. We know that God wants us to live
peacefully, abundantly, live prosperously and fill our days with his joy,
and the best method of achieving that in our own individual lives is to
follow God keeping our eye on him and not our neighbor. We can live
prosperously, abundantly, peacefully and joyfully no matter how much money
we have, no matter what we are going through currently in life knowing
confidently we are following God and just where we are meant to be at this
time.