ENVY

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21). Strife! Murders! Witchcraft! Idolatry! “I would never be guilty of any of these things; after all, I’m a Christian.” Right there with all those “gross sins” is a word we just soon ignore, envy.

People confess a lot of sins but rarely do you ever hear of anyone confessing the sin of envy. Why? We’re just not guilty. Wait! Perhaps another look needs to be taken at this four letter word.

The enemy is envy! What is envy? “A feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.” (Dictionary.com). The Bible has much to say about this enemy:

“For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one” (Job 5:2).
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (Jam. 3:16).

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers” (Rom. 1:28-29).

“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:13-14).

This enemy will rotten the bones. Solomon wrote, “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones” (Prov. 14:30). Envy is like cancer in the bones. “Socrates, the Greek philosopher, said: “Envy is the daughter of pride, the author of murder and revenge, the begetter of secret sedition, the perpetual tormentor of virtue, a poison, a quicksilver, which consumes the flesh and dries up the marrow of the bones” (Sermon).

As Christians we must work to rid envy in our lives. The best place to start is confessing the sin and then going about changing it.