Power Loss

Text: “For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:3).

Have you ever been envious of someone because they have received something that you wanted? Maybe in the workplace you were passed over for a promotion. Perhaps someone doing the same job or having the same position or qualifications you have received an increase in pay, but you didn’t. How did this make you feel?

You probably didn’t feel very good and in fact you might have even made remarks about the fortunate person. You should have been happy for the person and you should have congratulated that person. The truth of the matter is you were not happy for the other person and perhaps you even aimed to seek revenge.

We are all human and we were born with a sinful nature. Since we do have a sinful nature, we tend to look out for ourselves without giving consideration to the feelings of other people.

Envy is one of the “Seven Deadly Sins.” “Pride, Greed, Anger, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth or laziness” are the other six relatives. Envy is very common today just as it has always been. The poor or less fortunate envy the more fortunate or wealthy. People who are not outgoing tend to envy those people who are outgoing.

For example, a young high school girl who is not popular with the football players may envy a girl who captures all of their attention. A young high school boy whose parents are not able to provide him with his own car to drive becomes envious of the classmate who has his own car plus an allowance which enable him to enjoy a life of ease.

Many adult men and women are just like the young people. They desire to have what other people have. They tend to want to do what their neighbor does. They get themselves in a financial crisis trying to keep abreast the Jones.

Proverbs 14:30 tells us that “envy rots the bones, but a heart of peace gives life to the body.” Envy will destroy us. It will suck all the joy and happiness out of our life. We will not be the person God intends us to be. Our life as well as the life of those around us will be miserable. Envy will ruin our physical health as well as our spiritual health.

Envy drains our spiritual battery. It takes life out of us and we are not what we should be. Envy causes our outlook and our attitude to be negative. The love that should be in our heart is gone. The radiant Christian smile has vanished from our face. We become a different person because we have let Satan take possession of our mind.

Very early in Scripture we read about a young fellow named Cain who became envious of his brother Abel. His envy led him to murder his brother. Cain was envious of Abel because Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable to God and his sacrifice was not acceptable. Cain knew what God required and although he was a farmer or tiller of the ground, he could have purchased an animal and offered the required blood sacrifice to Almighty God. (Genesis 4)

When our spiritual batter runs down or becomes drained, we do things and say words that are very hurting. We become rotten to the core. We make remarks about and to people because we lack what they have. We don’t understand the reason people living worldly seem to get all the breaks.

People who openly cheat and steal appear more successful than us. The wealth of the wicked people will eventually move us in the wrong direction. Their wickedness begins to look good to those of us who are faithful because they have and we do not have.

Our Scripture reading says that “God is indeed good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts. But I have nearly lost confidence; my faith was almost gone because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked: (Psalm 73:1-3).

We know God is good to us, but because we do not keep a full charge in our spiritual battery we begin to lose power and become weak. Remember the story of Job, who lost everything, including his family. He was a very wealthy and prosperous man, but he was also a man of great faith. Satan was given permission to test Job hoping that at some point, Job would curse Almighty God.

Job was a man of God and he kept his spiritual battery at full charge by staying focused on his Father. He did not lose his faith and therefore he did not falter or lose his footing. Job knew that God was well aware of what was happening to him; how he hurt; what had taken place with his family; and his physical suffering.