“Envy my enemy. Pride my opponent.”
I scan the war-torn battlefield for any signs of life. Is it over?
A plane had ripped through the skies above, dropping a massive payload in the middle of this war. A bomb that was designed to destroy the enemies, everyone on this field but me. The bomb, designated “Immanuel’s Blood”, had an air-borne pathogen inside that targeted the forces of pure evil, eradicating every tool and weapon of the demonic enemy.
Across the plain, broken up by trenches, foxholes, and all manner of heavy artillery, nothing moved. All was still and stale.
I had won this war. The united forces of G.R.A.C.E. and L.O.V.E. had destroyed evil in my personal firefight. I felt like a new man.
That is when I saw movement in a few different places on the horizon. I watched in horror as the limp bodies of my dead enemies rose up as if being pulled by invisible puppet strings. Though much of the evil had been defeated, pockets of resistance remained uneradicated. The several stragglers ran towards me, death in their hands, fury in their eyes.
I grabbed my gun, marked with a red “S.O.S.”, and looked at my belt to check if I had any grenades left. I had one left. I remembered that this was an experimental grenade under the designation “The Maker’s Hope”, although most people called it “Hope in the Maker”. I would fight to the very last breath, knowing that the Boys back Home had my back.
“Envy my Enemy. Pride my Opponent.”
The past several days have been an uphill struggle against two of my oldest “friends”. Envy came knocking at my door, and pride knocked it down. I kept comparing myself to other people and found myself wishing, once again, that I could be somebody, anybody, else. I closed my eyes and saw only pipe dreams, shattered hopes. I opened them and saw only my own failure.
When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, believing in His life-saving blood, He made me a new man. He destroyed my old heart and put fresh Breath in my lungs. He broke the chains of sin and showed me freedom.
That doesn’t mean, however, that I no longer deal with sin. It will be a life-long battle, one that I will be engaged in until the day I die.
It does mean, though, that I am much more prepared for any of their attacks and that I actually have a way out.
I asked for prayer from my squad the other day because of this issue. One of them reminded me of an amazing verse:
1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
We may remain tempted, but we are no longer hopeless God has given us so many ways to defeat and escape it, if only we choose them.
Prayer
Mark 14:38 – “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Fellowship
1 Peter 5:8-11 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
God the Father
James 4:7 – “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Jesus
1 John 8-10 – “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
The Spirit
Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The Bible
Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
We have so many weapons in this war against temptation, especially against pride and envy, if only we choose to use them.
As for me, I will clothe myself in humility and close my eyes to the deceptive beauty of envy.
I read a chapter from “#Stuggles” by Craig Groeschel today, which really helped. It was talking about how social media can bring us a lot of opportunities for envy, self-hatred, and deflated ego. This is definitely true for me. He said that when something comes along, instead of getting angry or beating yourself up or giving into the voice of pride, instead simply celebrate. Pray to God and bless that man or woman. Thank God that He is allowing that person to succeed and to have an impact for His kingdom.
And remember, pride and envy feed on the irrational human thought that we deserve success and blessing. We deserve only death, if not for the grace of God.
Do you struggle with envy and pride? Maybe you struggle with a different sin, another constant thorn in your side. Just remember, you do not fight alone. God has given you plenty of weapons (Ephesians 6:10-20). Pick them up and use them!
