green-eyed monster | A Satisfied Spirit

Recently a friend purchased a new winter coat. It was a beautiful purple wool with a silver fox collar. I knew how good I would look in the coat and also knew I simply could not afford it. So what happened…my eyes turned green with envy and I couldn’t even make myself tell her how nice she looked in it. (BTW I’m not proud of my reaction!)

Whenever you envy another”s things, looks, or skills it causes problems for everyone involved.

When I got home I decided to search the Word for what God has to say about this issue.

James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy (jealousy) and contention in your hearts, do not brag, and do not lie against the truth. (New Testament Breakthrough V ersion)

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (New International Version)

The Message translates envy as the opposite of wisdom.

James 3:17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

End of 5 minutes…but continuing on.

So what is envy? Envy is the desire for some object, character trait or skill that another already possesses. Why is it not a good thing? Easy answer…because it takes our focus off of God.

God has told us clearly that He can and will supply everything we need. All we have to do is ask. Check out Philippians 4:19 and Matthew 7:7. No one has more than God and His desire is to give it to us.

So then why do we envy? Why do we desire what belongs to someone else? Because satan knows, just like he did in Eden, that if he can get us to take our eyes off God and focus them on something else (the Green-eyed Monster) he wins.

Do not let this happen. Do not let evil win. Keep your focus on Jesus! Here are some verses to memorize and keep in your arsenal to defeat the enemy.

I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. Proverbs 8:17 NKJV

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV