Tag Archives: overcoming envy

Don’t Go There Again

Posted on July 6, 2023 by expressyourself4him

History repeats itself when individuals fail to remember past mistakes. To prevent this from reoccurring, Jewish families spent time each evening recalling the lives of their patriarchs. This practice began after Rachel’s life. Apparently, she hadn’t heard about Sarah’s irrational decision to let her husband sleep with Hagar. Or she was so desperate, Rachel would have done anything to have a child, even allow her own husband to sleep with her maid.

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing [children]. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I can obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her Egyptian maid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife. 4 And he had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant; and when she saw that she was with child, she looked with contempt upon her mistress and despised her, Genesis 16:1-4.

When Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael, Sarah was filled with envy and jealousy. Since Ishmael went on to become the father of the Arab nations, Israel is still dealing with the consequences of Sarah’s irrational decision. If only somebody warned Rachel of Sarah’s stressful ordeal, she might have been persuaded to not go there again. Nonetheless, human nature is a real force that leads many individuals into repeating the same mistake over and over again.

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die! 2 And Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children? 3 And she said, See here, take my maid Bilhah and have intercourse with her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it upon my knees, that I by her may also have children. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her maid as a [secondary] wife, and Jacob had intercourse with her, Genesis 30:1-4.

Looking back on my own life, high school and college relationships taught me a lot about myself. As long as I avoided desperate situations, I didn’t do something that I regretted, Romans 7:16-18. However, when I put myself into a tempting situation over and over again, I did the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. Therefore, if you find yourself slip, sliding away from the Lord, 1 Corinthians 10:13, look for the way out of temptation so that you don’t go there again.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Human Side of the Bible

Posted on June 24, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Emotion runs deep within every young man and woman. When you add the element of physical and sexual relationships into this equation, emotions can become raw. As a young bride is eager to have children, Moses describes Rachel as an emotional wreck. After years of trying, Rachel approaches her husband, hoping for some type of sympathy. This is the context which illuminates the passage below, touching on the human side of the Bible.

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die! 2 And Jacob became very angry with Rachel and he said, Am I in God’s stead, Who has denied you children? – Genesis 30:1-2

There are certain things in life that only men and women can identify with or understand. When a woman loses an infant prior to being born, a husband can try to console her, yet not have a clue on how she actually feels. At this point in the Old Testament, a woman’s success was based upon how many children she gave birth to. Subsequently, Rachel’s emotional outburst in the passage above magnifies the human aspect of the Bible.

Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. 15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it—Hebrews 12:14-15.

Similar to the envy and jealousy that waged war upon Cain’s soul in Genesis 4:6-7, Rachel reached her breaking point. Meanwhile, the roots of bitterness due to Leah’s ability to have children forced Rachel to publicly announce the pain within her heart. Although her individual quest to have children were put on hold, Rachel relied on her own maid to bear what she could not currently conceive. Based upon a recent study, 12-15% of women in America understand Rachel’s pain. May this portion of the Bible help readers connect with the human element of the Bible.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Signs of a Comforting God

Posted on June 18, 2023 by expressyourself4him

Whenever anyone is suffering from depression, there is a tendency to put blinders on; only seeing the negative aspects of life. From my own personal experiences as a teenager, part of me wanted sympathy from my peers. Unfortunately, I was too immature and didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. Subsequently, I wasn’t looking for signs from a comforting God.

And Jacob lived with Rachel also as his wife, and he loved Rachel more than Leah and served [Laban] another seven years [for her]. 31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was despised, He made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren, Genesis 29:30-31.

Based upon the words of Moses in today’s featured passage, Leah was suffering from envy and jealousy. If you want to put her feelings into a more visual context, Rachel received Jacob’s full attention. Meanwhile, Leah was an afterthought, getting whatever energy Jacob had left over from his daily encounters with Rachel. As each day wore on, Leah began to feel dead inside her soul.

And Leah became pregnant and bore a son and named him Reuben [See, a son!]; for she said, Because the Lord has seen my humiliation and affliction; now my husband will love me. 33 [Leah] became pregnant again and bore a son and said, Because the Lord heard that I am despised, He has given me this son also; and she named him Simeon [God hears]. 34 And she became pregnant again and bore a son and said, Now this time will my husband be a companion to me, for I have borne him three sons. Therefore he was named Levi [companion]. 35 Again she conceived and bore a son, and she said, Now will I praise the Lord! So she called his name Judah [praise]; then [for a time] she ceased bearing, Genesis 29:32-35.

During this time of despair, Leah cried out to the Lord for some sort of help to endure the pain inside her heart. The first answer Leah received was in the form of a son named Reuben. From Leah’s perspective, the Lord has seen her affliction and granted her a sign of comfort. When Leah was blessed with 2 more boys, God removed her pain by replacing it with a Spirit of praise. This is one of many signs in the Bible of a comforting God.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Stop Unwholesome Thought From Staying in Your Mind

Posted on January 16, 2023 by expressyourself4him

According to the words of Moses, sin is crouching at your door. Crouching is a position where the knees are bent, and the upper body is brought forward and down, sometimes to avoid detection or to defend oneself: If sin is still crouching at your door in 2023, you might as well get all the way down on your knees to start fighting back spiritually. The earthly brother of Jesus clarifies that this has nothing to do with God. Rather, unwholesome thoughts come from desires, enticement and lust, James 1:13-15.

But for [a]Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed. 6 And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it, Genesis 4:5-7.

According to the temptations of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 and their son Cain in the passage above, the process of sin begins with an unwholesome thought that enters your mind, James 1:14-15. The serpent tried to convince Eve that God was holding her back by prohibiting access from the Tree of Knowledge. Meanwhile, envy and jealousy were putting thoughts into Cain’s head about eliminating the source of his frustration. Despite God’s warning in the passage above, Cain acted upon the unwholesome thought that remained in his mind.

For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), 6 Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete, 2 Corinthains 10:3-6.

The apostle Paul provides a solution to stopping unwholesome thoughts from polluting your soul in the passage above. If Lucifer is a fallen arch angel who is ruler over the air on earth, Ephesians 2:2, physical means of protection will only go so far. The best way to stop unwholesome thoughts from staying in your mind is by using the armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-20. When these spiritual weapons are exercised daily, God will shield you from the Devil’s attacks. As Christians use prayer as a vehicle to put on each piece of spiritual armor, your thought life will become obedient to Christ, causing unwholesome thoughts to flee.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Are You Able?

Posted on December 4, 2021 by expressyourself4him

The first organized sport that I played after moving to Delaware was basketball. Unlike baseball which is more of an individual sport when you’re batting, I learned that you needed all five players on the court to be on the same page. If someone forgot their position and role, the play our coach called didn’t work. During a timeout, I can remember one of the coaches asking, “are you able to do this?”

And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering, 5 But for [a]Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed, Genesis 4:4-5.

According to Moses, Able was the second child born on earth to Adam and Eve. While his older brother Cain followed in his father’s footsteps as a farmer, Able decided to become a shepherd. Perhaps Cain was pressured by dad to carry on the family business. Whatever the reason, Abel seemed to delight in his new trade. This contentment inside of Able made Cain envious and jealous.

[Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking, Hebrews 11:4.

This internal struggle forced God to intervene in Genesis 4:5-7. Apparently, God approached Cain and spoke to him about what was going on. Commenting about his depressed appearance, God asks an open-ended question. “Are you able to master the sinful thoughts crouching at the front door of your soul?” This question is repeated every time human beings are confronted by a tempting situation today. The next time you find yourself in a similar state as Cain, are you able to overcome sinful desires?

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Devil or Bad Decisions?

Posted on January 16, 2021 by expressyourself4him

Behind the scenes, ungodly beliefs and self fulfilled prophecies lurk within human minds. Whispers of “you’re not good enough, you’ll never amount to anything or everybody else is doing it,” play like a commercial in your thought life. Depending upon how you deal with these distractions, you might blame the Devil for your current ordeal. However, whenever individuals lose confidence, circumstances are prime for bad decisions to be conceived. When common sense is ignored, consequences of poor choices come to the forefront.

And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why do you look sad and depressed and dejected? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it, Genesis 4:6-7.

Take the first child born on earth. Cain followed in his father’s footsteps as a farmer. However, as the curse in Genesis 3:17 commenced, the earth’s soil turned from fertile ground into an arid desert. Subsequently, as his younger brother Abel prospered as a shepherd, envy and jealousy began to consume Cain’s soul. This dire situation caused God to intervene, warning Cain of the sin crouching at the door of his heart. Unfortunately, the Lord was too late as Cain already made up him mind. It was only a matter of time before Cain’s thoughts were acted upon.

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. 14 But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). 15 Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death, James 1:13-15.

The earthly brother of Jesus makes sure God is not one to blame for temptation. Rather, those who give into temptation slowly ponder their options before finally taking steps toward the dark side. Whether it’s a second glance, a season of idleness or lustful passions that you can’t hold back any further, when sin is conceived it fills your minds until you finally give into a variety of fantasies. In the end, the only way to escape temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13, is by purging all reminders of your past sins so that you find the way out that God provides.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Spark that Makes Dreams Come True

Posted on July 11, 2020 by expressyourself4him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW-pHVPAATs

Modern plows are large farming structures that implement one or more blades fixed in a frame drawn by a tractor. These expensive pieces of equipment are essential for farmers who own hundreds of acres of land. Back in biblical days, this technology wasn’t available, forced to rely on horses, mules or oxen. These animal driven plows were used for cutting furrows in the soil and turning it over, to prepare for the planting of crops.

Do I say this only on human authority and as a man reasons? Does not the Law endorse the same principle? 9 For in the Law of Moses it is written, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it [only] for oxen that God cares? – 1 Corinthians 9:8-9

As the first son of Adam, Cain found farming to be a thankless trade. This likely explains why Abel decides to become a shepherd, moving his flock once the land became arid. Abel’s initial success combined with Cain’s struggles sowed a seed of jealousy within Cain’s heart. This is the exact opposite thought that the apostle Paul suggests in a letter to the church of Corinth. When you begin to plow, you should expect God to bless your effort as long as you give 100%.

Or does He speak certainly and entirely for our sakes? [Assuredly] it is written for our sakes, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher ought to thresh in expectation of partaking of the harvest. 11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits? – 1 Corinthians 9:10-11

Paul seems to be referring to self fulfilled prophecies. If you think you are going to have a bad day, the probability increases that a bad day will come. However, if you remember how God has provided for you in the past, you’ll be more optimistic about plowing in hope of a productive harvest. Therefore, if you want to claim God’s promises in the Bible, faith is the spark that makes dreams come true.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

The Parable of the Unknown

Posted on January 21, 2020 by expressyourself4him

A young native American was tracking prey at the base of a mountain when he came across an undamaged egg which fell out of a nearby eagles’ nest. After trying to place this egg back where it belonged, the ledge was too steep to climb while holding this egg. Instead of abandoning this egg, this boy found a similar vacant nest closer to camp. Approaching quietly, this boy carefully placed this egg next to three addition eggs.

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot, Proverbs 14:30.

Several weeks later, all four eggs hatched. Instead of being the ugly duckling, the eaglet stood out among the other three flightless cormorants. As his adopted mother taught him to swim, another bird caught his eye, flying and soaring high above this lake. As the eagle above gracefully glided in the air, the swimming eagle became jealous, wishing he could fly instead of just swimming. While the others were natural swimmers, this eaglet struggled to find his way through life.

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life, Psalm 119:93.

This parable that I recently heard struck a nerve. Sometimes I am so focused on how gifted other people are that I forget my own blessings, gifts and talents. Meanwhile, when I spend too much time focusing on what I want or need, I neglect God’s expectations for me as a Christian. When there is no one else around to point you in the right direction like the adopted eaglet, the Bible is available to show you the way. May you follow in the footsteps of Joshua 1:8, meditating on God’s Word day and night.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Learning to View Life Through God’s Eyes

Posted on January 15, 2020 by expressyourself4him

Feeling empty is a common occurrence as disappointment by how a day, month or year turns out can lead to depression. Whenever expectations aren’t met, individuals tend to wonder, “what went wrong? What did I do to deserve this?” Meanwhile, if a friend, family member or neighbor seems to be blessed over and over again, envy and jealousy enter the equation. If this sums up your first few weeks of this new year, perhaps its time to learn how to view life through God’s eyes.

When the water in the bottle was all gone, Hagar caused the youth to lie down under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about a bowshot, for she said, Let me not see the death of the lad. And as she sat down opposite him, he lifted up his voice and wept and she raised her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the youth, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the youth where he is, Genesis 21:15-17.

In the passage of above, Hagar was abandoned, asked to leave by Sarah, left alone in the wilderness with her newborn son, Ishmael. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, Hagar ran out of water, placing her son in the shade before dropping to her knees to pray. Hagar reached a point in life where she ran out of options, with no one else to turn to but God. This state of devastation opened the door for God to intervene, sending an angel to comfort this young woman and her baby.

And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you should strike me these three times? 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have ridiculed and provoked me! I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you! 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, Am not I your donkey, upon which you have ridden all your life long until this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so to you? And he said, No. 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His sword drawn in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell on his face, Numbers 22:28-31.

While angelic encounters make for great drama, the presence of God is often overlooked in day to day events. The passage above illustrates how God can use animals and pets to save someone’s life. The old show “It’s a Miracle” on Pax Television contained several episodes showing how God used a cat or dog to rescue those in grave danger. If God can enable a donkey to speak, then the Lord has unlimited power to alter your current state of depression, sadness and unhappiness.

When the servant of the man of God rose early and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. Elisha’s servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do? 16 [Elisha] answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them. 17 Then Elisha prayed, Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha, 2 Kings 6:15-17.

The prophet Elijah introduces his understudy Elisha to the spiritual realm. While you may find your self in a situation where you are outnumbered physically, you need to open your eyes to what you currently can’t see. As God’s people pray, angels are ushered into action to serve as personal guardians on earth. Although you may never see one, they exist as the passage above illustrates. While you may not be satisfied by your current state of affairs, fast and pray so that you will learn to view life through God’s eyes.

by Jay Mankus

Leave a comment

Posted in Truth and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.