Envy has serious consequences and devastating affects on us and those around us, and it must be confronted aggressively.
I shared in the last devotional about God’s view on envy. This devotional examines some of the Biblical characters’ choices and the serious affects that envy had in their lives.
Envy leads to evil and confusion
The scripture in James 3:16 tells us: “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”
Because of its subtle nature, envy can easily get hidden from people’s eyes, but that’s not the point or the goal. Those who operate in envy open the door to confusion and every evil activity. We see the perfect example of this in Adam & Eve.
Eve was tempted to take the fruit in the Garden because it would make her wise. The serpent told her that the reason God didn’t want them to eat of the fruit was because they were going to be like God. The truth was she didn’t intimidate God, neither was He afraid of having a competition! Eve was the one who was trying to be like God by taking the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil; then Adam followed suit. That wasn’t God’s plan for their lives. Adam & Eve overstepped their boundary in desiring something that didn’t belong to them which led them to sin, evil, and separation from God!
Envy causes moral corruption
“A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:30
Bones are an invisible parts in the body, but they are the ones that shape one’s frame. Envy goes to the core of the person and disfigures their identity. Envy eats away at the person from the inside out. It takes away their joy and peace and replaces it with discontentment, hatred, and resentment.
Cain became jealous of the fact that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and his wasn’t. The jealousy led him to killing his brother. The Lord told him,
“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:7
God had a solution and a desire to accept Cain, but Cain refused to follow God’s instruction and instead he became envious of his brother who was doing it right.
David coveted Uriah’s wife, which led to adultery with Bathsheba and eventually killing Uriah. God chastised David by allowing the baby conceived in adultery to die. Nathan the prophet spoke the word of the Lord to David by saying:
I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 2 Samuel 12:8
The Lord had abundantly blessed David with much provision. David wasn’t suffering from lack. In addition, God was willing to give him more if he had asked for it. David was just being selfish!
This is an important principle to remember. The root of envy is not lack, but it is selfish desires and pride. We can’t give ourselves permission to covet or desire someone’s blessings. God has allotted possessions and blessings to all of us. However, it doesn’t mean that we will have everything we want. When we appreciate the blessings we already possess, they increase in value before our eyes. If we don’t value what we have already have, no amount of possession, status, or position can satisfy us because there is always more to be had!
Let’s ask God to uproot any deep-seated envy in our hearts. Every root, tentacle, branch, and fruit of envy must get annihilated. Don’t give it any room or excuses. Repent from envy. That’s not God’s method of blessing us. It is opposed to His kingdom principles. If we want to be on God’s side, we can’t have envy and expect him to bless it.
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