Dealing With Envy…..


I was preparing to teach at Kids Church this week and the topic we had to read on really spoke to me. It’s one of those things where you are reading for the sake of teaching but God begins to work on you because that is something that needs to be dealt with. As God was showing me things about myself I began to wonder how many people were going through the same thing hence the post. Envy is one of the ten commandments but one would think it’s not too serious, but it actually is. It is devastating to a person.  The first thing I would like to start with is the meaning of envy. What is envy? Very simply put it is wanting something someone else has. But I went deeper and searched other definitions of envy and one stood out to me. It said,

Envy is the painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage!!!

That hit me like a ton of bricks because God showed how I was doing that. I couldn’t believe it. The thing about envy is it can’t be spotted easily compared to stealing or murder or something like that. Envy is a heart issue. You can hide envy easy but God knows. So the lesson I learned is this:

– Envy can be hidden in our hearts                                                                                                                                                                                 – Even though no-one else may know we are envious, God knows.

Envy is hard to detect and because of that we need to be extra careful about what we harboring in our hearts. Envy is sin. You cannot have what somebody wants. I was envious about a situation and I wanted it to turn in my favor but that is a sin. I repented to God. The other thing that shocked me was how quietly it crept into my heart.  Envy will creep into your heart so stealthily. Do you have envy in your heart? If so, it needs to be dealt with. Ask God to show you if you have envy in your heart.

What is the answer to envy? Being content with what you have will help. It may be small or seem unfair but be content. This is something I am learning. I am being content knowing in due time God will bless me as well. It takes trust to be content. Be content with what God has given you at this time because He will bless you even more at the right time. Instead of envying someone else, be glad that person has those things. God will bless you when you bless someone else.

I am saying that by faith as well. It is not easy dealing with envy but it needs to be uprooted out of your heart. Just ask God to uproot it. That’s what I did. I am so glad that God does not leave us. He cares for us so much that when He sees something destroying us He will come in and help us get over it. That is the same for you. God will help you when you call on Him.

Rolain