OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL...
DATE : WEDNESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2015

THEME : DANGERS OF ENVY I

Memorise:
A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
Proverbs 14:30

Read: Genesis 4:3-8
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

Message
From Proverbs 3:31-33 we understand that oppressors should not be envied, because there is a divine curse on their households. If you envy an unbeliever for any reason, you may be attracting the curse on such a fellow to yourself. Furthermore, Psalm 37:1-2 admonishes us to look beyond the material blessings of sinners, as they are heading for a tragic end. Besides not envying sinners, Galatians 5:26 makes it clear that it is equally wrong to envy one another. Envy is dangerous, because it can trigger a chain of negative events in the life of the envious. If there is envy in the heart of a person and it is not dealt with, it can lead to murder, as was the case with Cain. Cain and his younger brother, Abel, offered up sacrifices before God.

While Abel's offering was accepted, Cain's offering was rejected. Instead of going back to God to find out what he did wrong, or going to his brother to find out what he did right, so that he could adjust and offer an acceptable sacrifice, he took the mean option of giving room to envy. He nursed envy in his heart until the day they had a quarrel over some other issue. On this day, he hit his brother so hard that he died. Envy leads to murder. If you are envious, a seed that can grow into murder is already in your heart.

Similarly, in Genesis 37, we see how Joseph's brothers were taken over by envy. They envied him because he was their father's favourite son. This they did instead of finding out what they could do to make them partake of their father's favour. When Joseph had a set of dreams revealing a great future ahead, they envied him the more. Envy made them forget that Joseph was their younger brother and of the same blood with them.

Envy affected their reasoning to a point where they became very irrational. Come to think of it, if their younger brother's dreams of greatness were realised, would it not positively affect their position in several ways? This should have made them encourage him to fulfil his destiny, so that they could become co-beneficiaries. Instead of this, envy poisoned their hearts against their own blood and got them to take up the assignment of killing his dream. Are you envious of anyone? Are you out to kill other people's dreams because if realised, they could become greater than you? It is evil! Repent today!

Key Point:
Envy distorts the rational thinking process of the envious and makes such a fellow more subjective than objective.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: DEUTERONOMY 8-9 and EPHESIANS 3
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE

Thanks a lot.
God bless.

Today's Open Heavens (Wednesday October 28th 2015)- DANGER OF ENVY I

1.Thank you Father for your word, today, which has opened my eyes to the evil of envy.

2.Thank you Father because your word says,"I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.

3.Father, please, have mercy and forgive me in everyway I have harboured bitterness and malice against anyone who offended me.

4.Father, let every spirit of unforgiveness in my life be consumed by your fire.

5.Father, let every curse upon my life as a result of envying the ungodly, be destroyed today, by the blood of Jesus.

6.Father, let every spirit of envy and malice in my life be consumed by your fire.

7.Father, no matter the situation I find myself, let me never loose hope or see myself as a failure.

8.Father, please, give me a new heart, a compassionate, kind, loving and forgiving heart, like that of Jesus.

9.Father, please, help me to love my enemies, do good to those who hate me, bless those who curse me and pray for those who despitefully use me, in Jesus' name.

10.Father, let me never be a victim of vicious and destructive envy in Jesus' name.

11.Father, arise, and frustrate every evil and wicked plans of the envious against my life and destiny.

12.Father, I receive grace today, to overcome every spirit of envy.

13.Father, please, grant unto me patience, to wait for your timing for my life.

14.Father, release upon me, the spirit of contentment and godliness, in Jesus' name.

15.Father, let every secret plot to harm me and to cut short my life, by the enemies of progress, be exposed and frustrated.

16.Your Personal Petitions. (Phil 4:6)
17. In Jesus' name I pray. (Jn 15:16)
18.Thank you Father for answered prayers.(1 Thes 5:18)