Hollywood Prayer Network On Jealousy And EnvySample

DO NOT COVET

"The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you." Bette Midler

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.” Ann Brashares "He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." Socrates

PRAY:  Father in Heaven, I ask that You teach me to not covet what other people have, but to focus on what You've given me and be satisfied with that. You tell us not to covet our neighbor's house, wife, servants or property because You know that we are always looking around and comparing our possessions and our success with the people around us and wondering if we're better off than they are, or if they have more than we do. Oh, Father, free me of that burden for it is a sin. Let me celebrate the people around me, or the people I see on TV or in the movies, and be thankful for everything I have. Help me to keep my eyes only on You and not on other people in my world. You are all that matters and I need Your help to live out that truth. Thank You for always wanting the best for me and being right here to help me learn and grow. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

REFLECT:  Have you ever thought about how much time you spend comparing your life to others? If you have, did you notice that your scope of comparison isn't very big. It's usually just between you and the people in your home, your neighborhood, at work, or whom you read about and watch on the news or on TV shows or in movies. We can easily find people around us who have more money, better relationships, more status, fame, or power. But if we had a heavenly perspective on the whole world and then compared...we would find horrible poverty, crime, abuse, violence, neglect, deep need, and hopelessness. Our jealousy would be immediately replaced by compassion, humility, and a desire to help! Watching the rich, famous, and powerful people on the news makes us jealous. Watching beautiful people who are bigger than life in films makes us compare the stars' perfect bodies with our out of shape bodies, thin hair, double chins, and worn out clothes. Looking at the media is an easy way to stimulate envy because it's not the full perspective. How will you stop coveting what you see other people have? around you? What steps do you need to take to get a Godly perspective on life? Think about how you're affected by comparing and coveting and then what you can do to stop that in your life.

ACT:  Now is the time to stop being covetous, jealous, or envious. Coveting starts or ends in jealousy and envy. You're either jealous of what someone else has and then you want it for yourself. Or because you want that "thing" you become jealous of anyone who has it. You can stop these emotions right now by watching less news, analyzing what you watch on television or in the movie theatre, and understanding the lyrics you're singing from your favorite songs, and start being honest about the impact the news and entertainment is having on you. The media and entertainment subtlety tell you how much you should weigh, what you should wear, who's cool and not cool, and what's important and not important. Be aware of that and don't let it lead you to covetousness, jealousy, or envy. Be stronger than all of the worldly influences around you and stand firm as a child of God, knowing what's true, right, and beautiful in God's eyes is not what the world and our culture will encourage. From this moment on, if you feel jealousy toward anyone, ask WHY you feel that way and then seek out God's perspective on that feeling. It will be very different than what the world is telling you!