Servias Ministries Blog

Envy is consuming and therefore it is destructive!

Envy is a hostile feeling toward someone because he has something – an advantage, a benefit, a position – that the other does not possess but would like to have: a despicable feeling toward a person with a perceived advantage that is so strong the one who feels “envy” takes action to remove that person’s advantage in the hope that it will pass on to him: a kind of envy that is evil, sinister, and full of maliciousness. 

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings (resulting in 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.

Our Heavenly Father was well aware that the chief priests had envy in their hearts and would use the works of their flesh to fulfill HIS plan, unbeknownst to them.

Mark wrote by The Holy Spirit in Mark chapter 15:

7  And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered Jesus for envy.

11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto Him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

13 And they cried out again, Crucify him.

Pilate knew their envy was the driving force of their insecurity of losing power and control over the people.  The priests had a deeply felt grudge toward Jesus because He possessed what they wanted: accomplishments, relationships, admiration of the people, and the title of King of Kings.  They resented His success and were attempting to remove Him from the midst of the people.  Jesus disrupted their control over the masses.  They needed to get rid of the competition.

The envy in their hearts was ultimately used against them and in turn, benefited you and me.

Wisdom wrote by THE SPIRIT in Proverbs chapter 14:

30 A sound heart is the Life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

In other Words, a tender, tranquil heart will make you healthy, but jealousy can make you sick.

Also in Proverbs chapter 23:

17   Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the Fear of the LORD all the day;

Envy is also described as: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck.

If we focus on walking by The Holy Spirit in all areas, we will not seek what others possess.  FATHER will provide exactly what we need and desire in the purity of the heart.  HE wants to bless us in all areas and knows what possessions we can have that will not impact our relationship with HIM.

I have observed people over the years “sucking up” to wealthy people as though the rich man’s wealth will somehow rub off on them.  I have also seen similar situations with ministries where people attempt to align themselves with the head of the ministry as though his anointing will transfer to them.

Be satisfied with what FATHER provides you in your calling.  That is where peace will prevail in your heart.

Witchcraft is more widespread than most realize when you understand its definition!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 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.

The word “witchcraft” comes from the word “pharmakeia” , the Greek word for medicines or drugs that inhibit a person’s personality or change his behavior: mind-altering drugs; where we get the words pharmaceutical drugs or the word pharmacy; used in connection with sorcery, magic, or witchcraft.

During Paul’s time, when the pagans were burdened and troubled by life, and when they went to the pagan temple, their pagan priests would take mind-altering drugs and mix them with wine.  The pagan would drink the wine and feel relieved… temporarily.  Once the drug wore off, they would repeat the process which resulted in addiction.

The root of the problem was in the mirror and no drug would remove the problem. 

In essence, witchcraft is any attempt to not deal with reality!

Don’t get me wrong, if your doctor has prescribed medicines to treat your symptoms, by all means follow his or her recommendations until FATHER heals you of your sickness or disease.  FATHER is not against doctors.  Without them, many believers would have a shortened life.

The work of the flesh is to deny and to ignore reality.  It is up to each of us to mortify the works of the flesh which are preventing us from having a deeper relationship with Our Heavenly Father. 

What would happen if those who are currently addicted to drugs were to repent and mortify their flesh?  The illegal drug trade would cease to be a problem because the demand would be eliminated.

Alcohol provides the same temporary relief as do drugs.  Governments have classified drug addition and alcoholism as diseases.  In the strictest sense, it is a dis-ease.  However, the root of the problem is spiritual, not physical.  You are not a victim of some external source causing your addiction.  You cannot blame your genetics.  It is your own flesh that has taken command of your life.

Only The Holy Spirit can lead you into your solution to overcome your flesh.  Your mind is where the decision is made to choose Life.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2^nd Corinthians chapter 10:

4  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Where do we cast down imaginations?  In our mind.  Where do we take thoughts captive?  Once again in our mind.  This is where the war is fought and where we are to overcome the flesh.

It is vital to our walk that we mortify the deeds of the flesh!

The word “mortify” means to put to death.

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Romans chapter 8:

13  For when you live controlled by the flesh, you are about to die. But if the life of the Spirit puts to death the corrupt ways of the flesh, we then taste his abundant life.  TPT

Each of us makes daily decisions of which path we take: Life or death.  These two paths are diametrically opposed to each other.  The issue isn’t just one step in the wrong direction, but it is the pursuit of the wrong path and becomes habitual in nature.

If I have a vain imagination, I immediately speak to it and cast it down.  If we allow ourselves to dwell on a vain imagination, we will ultimately take action to fulfill that imagination.  We have the option to decide on what we ponder.

Paul specifically encourages us as he wrote by The Holy Spirit in Philippians chapter 4:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

In other Words, keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and Holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.

He also wrote by The Holy Spirit in Colossians chapter 3:

5  Live as one who has died to every form of sexual sin and impurity. Live as one who has died to the desires for forbidden things, including the desire for wealth, which is the essence of idol worship.

6 When you live in these vices you ignite the anger of God against these acts of disobedience.

7-8 That’s how you once behaved, characterized by your evil deeds. But now it’s time to eliminate them from your lives once and for all—anger, fits of rage, all forms of hatred, cursing, filthy speech,

9 and lying. Lay aside your old Adam-self with its masquerade and disguise.

10 For you have acquired new creation life which is continually being renewed into the Likeness of the One Who created you; giving you the full revelation of God.

We do have the choice of eliminating all aspects of the works of the flesh.  Jesus made the way to enable us to live by THE SPIRIT.  Love gives us the choice.

11 In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference, nor your ethnicity, education, nor economic status—they matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything as He lives in every one of us!

Never look down or belittle another person.  They too are GOD’S creation.  Let The Holy Spirit guide you concerning any interaction with him or her.

12 You are always and dearly Loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been Divinely chosen to be Holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others.

13 Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.

14 For Love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity.

Each of us has the capacity to walk Holy and in Agape Love.

15 Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, Who called you to peace as part of His One Body. And always be thankful.

If you are not at peace, ask FATHER to show you what is causing you to be unsettled.  Peace is the umpire of any decision.

16 Let the Word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!

We must study the Scriptures in order to properly apply them.  My opinion, apart from The Word is rather useless.

17 Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

We must guard our words as well as our thoughts so that we will pursue Life rather than allow the works of the flesh to manifest.  The more I immerse myself in The Word, the less I have to deal with the flesh.  By taking such action, I mortify the deeds of the flesh.

How do we consistently walk in THE SPIRIT!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

16  I say emphatically: Walk (live) in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

In other Words, make the path of the Spirit the place where you habitually live and walk.  Become so comfortable on this spiritual path that you learn to leisurely and peacefully stroll along in that realm.  Living your life in this Spirit realm is the best and only way to guarantee that you will not allow the yearnings of your flesh to creep out and fulfill themselves.

17 When your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit you hinder Him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit.

The flesh produces works whereas the Spirit produces fruit:

19  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

The Passion Translation describes these works of the flesh in today’s terms as:

Sexual immorality

lustful thoughts

pornography

chasing after things instead of God

manipulating others

hatred of those who get in your way

senseless arguments

resentment when others are favored

temper tantrums

angry quarrels

only thinking of yourself

being in love with your own opinions

being envious of the blessings of others

murder

uncontrolled addictions

wild parties

and all other similar behavior.

These works ultimately produce death and destruction whether it be life or relationships with others.  Some are obvious whereas other works are subtle.  For instance, “being in love with your own opinion” is dangerous in a subtle way.

If a person has decided beforehand that nothing you have to show him is worth his time, he will be stubbornly stupid.  He will see it as foolishness.  He has no common sense.

Wisdom and understanding are necessary for us to fully embrace the beauty of GOD’S Word written specifically for our benefit.  The Source of our wisdom and understanding comes from The Holy Spirit, not from the opinions of so-called experts.

James wrote by The Holy Spirit in James chapter 3:

13  If you consider yourself to be wise and one who understands the ways of God, advertise it with a beautiful, fruitful life guided by Wisdom’s gentleness. Never brag or boast about what you’ve done and you’ll prove that you’re truly wise.

14 But if there is bitter jealousy or competition hiding in your heart, then don’t deny it and try to compensate for it by boasting and being phony.

15 For that has nothing to do with God’s Heavenly Wisdom but can best be described as the wisdom of this world, both selfish and devilish.

16 So wherever jealousy and selfishness are uncovered, you will also find many troubles and every kind of meanness.

17 But the Wisdom from above is always pure, filled with peace, considerate and teachable. It is filled with Love and never displays prejudice or hypocrisy in any form

18 and It always bears the beautiful harvest of righteousness! Good seeds of Wisdom’s fruit will be planted with peaceful acts by those who cherish making peace.

Every one of us produces fruit from our actions.  Our actions will result from either our spirit, our flesh, or both.  It is up to each of us on a daily basis, to decide whether we produce works of the flesh or fruit of The Spirit.

Take a moment each time you are confronted with the opportunity to respond.  As James stated in chapter 1 verse 19, “Be swift to hear and slow to speak… or respond, then decide on your response.

We are to live in THE SPIRIT, not the flesh!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Galatians chapter 5:

13  For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through Love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

The word “bite” means to wound the soul with words: to lacerate and rend with insults and reproaches.  The word “devour” means to eat, devour, gulp, or to swallow completely.  Participating in strife and contention only serves to be consumed by the flesh.

16  I say then: Walk (live) in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

In other Words:  Let me say emphatically: As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life.

We have the choice: yield to the Spirit or yield to the flesh!  The more we walk in the Spirit, the more we move toward eliminating strife and contention by simply not participating in the situation.  If someone is persistent in initiating strife and contention, distance yourself from him or her.  You may need to Love the person from afar.  Paul clearly states that we CAN walk in the Spirit all the time if we choose to.

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

If allowed, the flesh will hinder you from walking in the Spirit.  This is a war of two realms, and it is your choice which realm you walk in.

How can you more effectively pursue walking in the Spirit?

Jude wrote by The Holy Spirit in his letter:

20  But you, Beloved, building yourselves up on your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the Love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life.

One who speaks in Tongues advances his own Spiritual progress.  Paul was not reluctant to emphasize his own prayer life when he wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st  Corinthians chapter 14:

18 I thank my God I speak with Tongues more than you all;

When we align ourselves with The Holy Spirit and pray in Tongues, we are pursuing the Spiritual walk and subduing the flesh at the same time.  This has been vital to my growth and dealing with situations of strife and contention.

In Galatians chapter 5:

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Paul explains in Romans chapter 8:

5  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is Life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

We must restrain our flesh from entering into a situation of strife and contention.  The flesh would have us walk away from the fruit of THE SPIRIT and keep us from the path of Life. 

The adversary will attempt to challenge our walk by influencing others to evoke conflict.  If we are led by THE SPIRIT, we will navigate through these attempts without compromising our walk.

You are perfected in Christ by His unconditional Love!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5:

23  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

We are a three-part person, we have a spirit, soul, and body.  When we give our life to Christ, He perfected our spirit man immediately.  This did not apply to our souls or our bodies.  We are accountable to renew our minds and put our bodies under subjection to our spirit.  Our spirit was sealed by The Holy Spirit, but the other two parts were not.

Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in Hebrews chapter 10:

11  And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But this Man (Jesus Christ), after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the Right Hand of God,

13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

This is an unconditional act of Love!  We don’t lose our salvation every time we sin.  Our Heavenly Father’s grace and mercy are sufficient to keep us from losing our salvation.  By Jesus Christ’s one perfect sacrifice He made us perfectly Holy and complete for all time!

Further, in Hebrews chapter 12:

18  For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,

19 and the sound of a trumpet and the Voice of Words, so that those who heard it begged that The Word should not be spoken to them anymore.

20 (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.”

21 And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

As members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of Heaven!  We have come before Our Heavenly Father Who judges all, and Who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in His Eyes! 

We are now to come closer to God and approach HIM with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from HIM. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience.

Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!  So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us, knowing that God always keeps HIS promises!

Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of Love!  Let the perfection of our spirit man be manifested in our words and actions toward others.