USGN Article -April 2003
Terry & Barbi Franklin
By: Barbi Franklin

The Most Dangerous Secret

History tells us that the early Church Fathers saw envy as the “most dangerous and often secret evil in the life of Christians.”  Many Christians struggle with the temptation of envy these days.

A few months ago, I went through a few weeks where I couldn’t sleep at night.  A woman that I had befriended and tried to love had said some very hurtful things.  She then proceeded to give what I perceived to be a heartless apology for the anger she had displayed toward me.

Though I knew she’d been through much trauma, I was tormented by her words.  They kept ringing in my ears.  Some had told me that she had envy toward me.  Others excused her behavior as a product of her upbringing of abuse.  I didn’t care… it just hurt.

After going away for a couple days by myself to pray and get my heart right, the Lord spoke to me through His Word.  I did a word study on envy, thinking that I might understand this woman better.  But as I did, it kept pointing back to the words hatred, anger, and bitterness.  Proverbs 22:24-25 says,

                  “Do not associate with a man given to anger, or go with a ^hot-tempered man, or you will ^learn his ways and ^find a snare for yourself.”

                  I realized that I had let this person get the best of me.  I had actually been becoming just like her by the bitterness her actions and words were cultivating in my own heart.  This was convicting.  It was amazing that, right then, after I repented to the Lord of my anger and bitterness toward her, I slept like a baby!

                  Let’s make sure that we continue with child-like hearts full of loving compassion for others; that we would always be peace-makers, not trouble-makers.  As I Peter 3:8-9 says,

                  "^To sum up, ^all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, ^brotherly, ^kindhearted, and ^humble in spirit; ^not returning evil for evil or ^insult for insult, but giving a ^blessing instead; for ^you were called for the very purpose that you might ^inherit a blessing.”

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