Did you know that being envious is extremely dangerous? I know, I know. That’s a bold statement. Stick with me here.

The Bible says that “Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice.” (James 3:16 NIV)

Let’s break down the two main results of envy listed in this verse:

1. Disorder. Things being *not*as they should be. Out of order. A mess.

2. The presence of EVERY evil practice. In other words, not a singular evil act is left out of the equation.

Think about all the things people are willing to do to “get ahead” or to get something that someone else has. They backstab. Steal. Lie. Murder. Commit adultery. Conspire to commit fraud. It gets pretty dark pretty fast.

Yet, consider how our culture views jealousy. It is almost normalized. 

People often say, “Ooooh I’m so jealous” when someone gets a promotion…OR “Must be nice!” when someone has a healthy relationship…OR “Wish I could go on a vacation” when their friend goes somewhere beautiful.

I don’t want to overgeneralize here. Some of that is innocent; simply friends joking around with one another. No true underlying envy exists. 

But more often, there is a deep, dark, insidious force at work. Envy is eating away at the soul.

If we are honest, we all sometimes want what others have. This is not an *others* issue, this is an *us* issue. Ouch.

But the Bible leaves no room for envy, pointing it out as a dark sin that God does not condone. Check out just a few of these verses:

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV): “ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy…” 

In other words, the apostle Paul paints a clear contrast between love and envy, indicating that love and envy cannot coexist.

Titus 3:3 indicates that envy creates a slave of the one who possesses it: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” 

The Bible takes it further than this, too. You might need to take a deep breath before this next one, because James doesn’t pull any punches when he says:

“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”  (James 3:14-15 NIV) 

James is clear: bitter envy and selfish ambition comes straight from demons. WOW.

Just because our culture downplays how serious envy is, God does not.

In fact, if we consider the tactics of Satan, it makes sense that he would infiltrate the culture to make such a dangerous sin seem so innocuous. That’s how he works! His sole desire is to destroy the lives of all (John 10:10). 

As such, one of his trickiest tactics is to work hard to convince you that something so wicked is actually OK and normal.

But envy is anything but normal. It’s twisted, dark, and selfish.

So how do we fight this insidious sin? 

1. Ask the Holy Spirit for help! 

As we can clearly see in the Scriptures, envy is demonic at its root. Mere humans are not strong enough to fight demonic forces. BUT the Holy Spirit of God, who is at work in the soul of the believer, is MORE than powerful enough. So ask Him for help. Ask Him to remove the root of envy from your mind every time it begins.

2. Be on guard! Protect your heart! 

How do we do this? First and foremost, we can stubbornly decide to celebrate others. When they “get ahead,” get the promotion over us, get the relationship before we do, get the recognition before we do, we make an intentional choice to be happy for them. 

The Bible tells us to not conform to the pattern of this world (ie: normalizing envy), but rather to REnew our minds (Romans 12:2). One way to do that is to purposefully and consciously push out dangerous thoughts to replace them with godly thoughts.

3. Intentionally remember all the ways God has blessed you! 

If you’re struggling with envy, sit down and write down the dozens of ways your life is incredible just as it is. You can get as simple or as broad as you like, but you will likely be shocked to see how far-reaching the Lord’s blessings are.

At the end of the day, for a believer, we don’t have to envy because we can know and trust our Heavenly Father has good in store for us, too (Matthew 7:11).

When we recognize that our Father owns the entire universe and all it contains (Psalm 24:1) then we are reminded that He will not suddenly run out of resources when it comes time to bless us!

However, as a disclaimer, He will choose to bless in HIS timing and in HIS ways, not in the ways we have dictated. So, as we walk this journey of rooting out envy, we will need to choose to trust Him. 

But here’s the best news of all: He is trustworthy, always. Your trust in our powerful God is never misplaced.

Til Next Time,

Liz

Want to Memorize James 3:16 with me in less than 5 minutes? (“For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every evil practice.”)

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Life Update:

You guys! I HAVE SIGNED WITH THE LITERARY AGENT!!!!!! 

I can’t even fathom what the Lord is doing in my life, but I am so humbled that you guys are here on this journey alongside me.

Here is how the agent closed out his welcome letter to me, and it honestly made me tear up: “As you know, we work in a fiercely competitive business. From henceforth we are in this battle together.”

I cannot wait to see what doors the Lord opens as He takes me to the next steps in this ministry of writing. I’ll keep you guys updated. 

In the meantime, I would be honored if you would pray. It will only be through the Lord’s grace if–through the partnership with myself and my agent–we land a book contract with a major publishing house. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance and open doors!