I was once invited to pray for an elderly woman that was practically paralyzed from her hips down. As soon as I stood beside her sick bed, the Holy Spirit gave me the following verse and told me that her condition came from envy. Envy had eaten deep into her and rotted her bones.

Proverbs 14:30 NIV
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30 NLT
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

Envy —or jealousy— is deadly.
It rots the bones.
Don’t let it into your heart.
Guard your heart against it.

Allow me to show you a very powerful way to do that.

Romans 12:15 NIV
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

If you will rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and if you will mourn with those who are mourning, your heart will always be peaceful—that is free from envy and jealousy; and your body will always be healthy.

Look around you. Are good things happening in the lives of others: your relatives; your colleagues; your neighbors?

How about your competitors and your enemies; those you may not necessarily like; those you may be tempted to wish for their downfall; like, say, your ex, or those that hurt you deeply in the past? Are they enjoying progress and success in their lives?

Instead of thunder striking them dead, do they appear to be flourishing in their lives? Are good things happening to them?

Then, see it as an opportunity to practice the word of God; to rejoice with them.

I don’t expect this to be easy at all. At least not with man. But with the Holy Spirit it is possible. Pray to Him to help you sincerely rejoice with everyone you know that is rejoicing.

Receive grace today to rise above envy and jealousy. Receive a peaceful mind today. And may your body be filled with sound health. In Jesus name. Amen.