POISONOUS NATURE OF UNTAMED ENVY
February 27, 2025
TEXT: “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” “Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.” (Daniel 6:3-4)
Envy is the feeling and demonstration of bitterness that arises in a person’s heart, accompanied by nasty and unpleasant feelings towards another person, especially when that person is prosperous in their field or endeavor. It is good to desire something good in the life of your neighbor, friend, or associate, but it becomes demonic and witchcraft-like when such desire is accompanied by thoughts of evil befalling that person. Many people today find themselves in this situation. They see others manifesting gifts they don’t have, and rather than approaching such a person and learning in love, they choose to despise, backstab, and gossip about such persons just to make themselves feel good in their own inadequacies.
In our given text, we see the case of a man called Daniel who was said to possess an excellent spirit. However, this excellent spirit of his brought him problems and challenges among the over 120 satraps and co-presidents of Daniel, who instantly became jealous of him and proposed a law that no one should pray to any god for a stipulated time, obviously because they knew that Daniel’s major stronghold was prayer. Eventually, they fell victim to their own laws because Daniel went on to defy the order and prayed ceaselessly until he was thrown into the lions’ den, but was divinely rescued, and his adversaries replaced him in the lions’ den. The above illustrates how far some people can go to bring others down out of envy. Daniel committed no specific offense against them, other than the fact that he was preferred above all the satraps in the land.
EFFECTS OF ENVY IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER
- It can lead to depression on the part of the individual. The more we express feelings of bitterness, the more our hearts become filled with bitterness, which may result in depression because the more you think of such a person, the more your heart gets shut up. (Job 5:2, Proverbs 14:30)
- It can lead to unhealthy competition. Envy makes a person run another person’s race instead of focusing on personal development.
- It can distract a person from the fulfillment of their purpose. This is because the person who is being envied becomes the focal point of one’s targets, such that one falls out of line with their own pursuit of purpose. (Proverbs 4:25)
- It can destroy valuable relationships because we end up hating those who should have uplifted us, merely because they possess what we don’t possess.
- Envy can also lead to spiritual stagnation because there’s no way you will keep demonstrating envy towards others and have a right heart before God.
At this juncture, I would like to emphasize that envy kills faster than envisaged. It is therefore important to maintain godly contentment. (1 Timothy 6:6) Express gratitude at all times for the situation you find yourself in, even if it’s not your targeted position. Finally, put your faith in God to better your lot rather than start demonstrating envy towards others.
SEARCHLIGHT: Godliness with contentment is a great gain.
PRAYERS: O LORD, help me not to run another man’s race due to envy and bitterness, in the name of Jesus.
BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 14-16, 1 Corinthians 5
PASTOR MICHAEL OMOLE
