How To Overcome Envy Series

Randy, you owe God a debt and here’s the thing about the debt. It’s a debt that I can’t pay on my own. Because of that, because God wants a relationship with me He paid my debt and forever erased the possibility of me owing Him anything.

When we get into trouble with envy is when we take our focus off of God and we put it on others or situations. When you focus on others you will always feel shortchanged. Others have a great marriage, why not me? Others have a healthy child, why not me?

You will always feel that you are owed something. When you focus on others’ skills or their stuff or their status or their social circle, you will completely miss the wonder that God has for you. And the design and the plan that He has for your life. Apologizing to God is the only way that I know to change that perspective.

This week when you feel envy coming alive you stop and you say, “I’m sorry God. I’m not going to believe the lie that you owe me. This week if you feel that God does not see your suffering, refuse to believe the lie.

God, you don’t owe me. I owe You. You love me so much that You paid the debt that I couldn’t pay on my own.” At the heart of envy is the lie that God owes us. It’s not true.

I want to end today with a very practical, a practical application. I acknowledge my envy. I apologize to God. What do I do when I feel it? When it’s between me and other people, what do I do? Here’s the only way I know of to break the grip of envy in your life. That is to…

Celebrate others.

You’ve got to learn to celebrate your rivals. A habit. To verbally say it. Here’s a great test: when a friend succeeds and you can’t find it within you to congratulate them that ought to be a big warning sign that envy is looming. And you will choke on it and it will harden your heart.

I was talking several people this week who are really stuck in their relationship with God. One of the reasons is they used to celebrate and bless others, and they stopped. They have pulled back from helping others.

You might be sitting there thinking, “Ok, I can see that. But what if the envy is so thick that I don’t feel like celebrating?” What if I don’t feel like reaching out? Here is the answer. Do it anyway. You don’t wait until you feel like it. You celebrate until you feel like it. You keep going and doing it.

Let’s go to some real life examples. You know the guy that brags all the time. Shows off his new boat, quad, and you’re fueled by envy. You can choose envy and start making rumors – “He’s a workaholic. The guy should go to church. He doesn’t spend time with his kids.”

And you begin to justify why you feel that way. Or you can say “I’m not going to let envy live in my life.” You walk down to his house while he is setting up the new boat; you walk over and say ‘nice boat.’ This is not an opportunity too be jealous, it is a door God has opened up for you to invite him to church. You celebrate it. You know what happens. It’s not going to grip you.

Or you’re really hurting in your life. So you pray ‘Holy Spirit comfort me.’ Then remember Paul’s words to pray ‘God please uses my hurts for your glory.’ Then you look up after you pray, look around. God will reveal a hurting person for you to invite over, to share with.