Topic > Life Struggles
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.
When Fear Creeps In
When my daughter exclaimed, “Mommy, a bug!” I looked where she was pointing and saw the largest spider I have ever encountered outside of a pet shop. Both the spider and I knew that he would not be allowed to stay in our house. And yet, as I faced him, I found I could not take one step closer to end the standoff. My pulse quickened. I swallowed and gave myself a pep-talk. Still, fear kept me frozen in place.
The Challenge Of Riches
While our family was living in Kenya in the 1980s, we drove a young woman from Nairobi to visit her parents who lived near Lake Victoria. On the way, we stopped in the city of Kisumu to leave our luggage at a hotel where we would stay after taking her home.
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.
A tragic illustration of the seriousness of envy
“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have gotten a man from the Lord.’ Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 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.’ Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’ And God
Insight into recognizing and avoiding envy
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
IDEA: Even people who have much to commend them can be driven to mean deeds through envy.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the power of envy to drive any and all of us to hurt others.
Let’s look at one of the most overlooked, and underrated, issues we face, envy
Why does envy make it onto the list of seven deadly sins; is it really “deadly” or is that exaggeration; and what can we do to conquer the sin of envy when it shows up in our thoughts and in the way we treat others and just in the way we’re looking at life?
An eye-opening discussion on the consequences of jealousy
“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said, “Here now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision, and I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses: he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” So the anger
Why God takes envy so seriously
Thursday, November 15, 2012, Part 1
“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said, “Here now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision, and I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses: he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned towar
