Topic > Life Struggles > Jealousy >
Sibling Rivalry
It is our human nature to compare and our siblings are the most available person to compare ourselves to. Hence, if you are not the only child, probably, you have experienced what is commonly known as “sibling rivalry.” According to Dr. William Antonio Boyle, sibling rivalry is defined as “the antagonism or hostility between brothers and/or […]
Almost Content?
As I stepped into the restaurant parking lot after lunch, I saw a pickup truck speeding through the parked vehicles. While observing the driver’s reckless behavior, I noticed the words on the truck’s front license plate. It read, “Almost Content.”
More, More, More
Some people love to shop. They have a perpetual desire to buy, buy, buy. The craze to find the latest deal is worldwide. There are huge shopping malls in China, Saudi Arabia, Canada, the Philippines, the United States, and around the world. A rise in store purchases and online buying show that buying is a global phenomenon.
A unique and readily available tool to banish envy for good!
“By faith Abel . . . , By faith Enoch . . . , By faith Noah . . . , By faith Abraham . . . , By faith Sarah . . . , By faith Isaac . . . , By faith Jacob . . . , By faith Joseph . . . , By faith Moses . . . , By faith Rahab . . . But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11).
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand that faith is an important resource in dealing with sin in our lives.
How an eternal outlook displaces envious attitudes!
“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Discover a powerful antidote for the poison of envy in our lives
“Love does not envy” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: . . . envy . . . and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love . . . And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:19-24).
Discover another crucial step in overcoming the issue of envy
“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:4).
Find a fresh perspective for overcoming envy
“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:4).
Practical tools for ridding our hearts of envy, and finding freedom in Christ
“Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, . . . not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:12-14).
The impact of envy on our relationships with others, and with God
“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there” (James 3:14-16).
IDEA: Envy is a poison that destroys relationships that ought to matter to us.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the power of envy to destroy relationships.
Discover what God’s Word says about envy
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in the past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13-14).
IDEA: God doesn’t forbid envy to deny us pleasure but to guard our joy.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand that envy destroys us as well as others.
Get a clear understanding of envy, so we can recognize it, and choose a better path
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, not his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).
IDEA: Covetousness and envy are similar but not the same: covetousness is wanting what someone else has; envy is simply begrudging what someone else has.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the difference between covetousness and envy.
Let’s look at the story of Leah and Rachel, two sisters whose envy gets the best of them
Monday, November 26, 2012
IDEA: Envy doesn’t get us what we lack, but it does make us miserable.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the self-defeating nature of envy.
Discover insight into ways to combat envy in our own lives
Friday, November 23, 2012
IDEA: Envy can cause us to miss what God is doing in the world.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the pitfalls of envy.
Have you ever missed something really important to you because you were pouting or envious or were tied up in knots about some technicality or an
Recognizing envy in our own hearts
The word “envy” comes from the Latin—and literally means to look against or to look with ill will against another person. In our conversations we’ve seen the power of envy to blind judgment, to spoil relationships, and cause us to do things we never thought we were capable of. And so we hope our conversations this week are helping you to understand the seriousness of envy.
