Spirit of envy

Description

Frank and Ida Mae Hammond explicitly include envy in their groups of demons. Derek Prince teaches about envy as a destructive and spiritually dangerous pattern, although he does not identify a distinct “spirit of envy” as clearly as the Hammonds do.

Envy focuses on the good another person possesses: “I want what they have,” or in a stronger form, “I do not want them to have it.” Jealousy more often involves fear of losing a relationship, position, or something regarded as one’s own. Everyday speech mixes the terms, but distinguishing them can reveal the true motive of the heart.

Envy may begin with constant comparison. In time, another person’s success brings pain or anger instead of joy, or their failure brings satisfaction. This can lead to rivalry, slander, and actions intended to diminish the good in someone else’s life.

The path to freedom includes repentance from envy and its resulting actions, healing from earlier rejection or favoritism, prayer for deliverance, and the practice of gratitude. The goal is not to abandon growth, but to gain the freedom to bless the good in the lives of others sincerely.

Symptoms / signs

Resentment toward others' well-being or success, constant comparison, a strong desire to possess what someone else has, satisfaction at others' failure.

Possible roots / causes

Constant comparison in childhood, sibling rivalry, a sense of scarcity, low self-esteem, the experience of others being favored and the belief that other people's success means one's own failure.

Doors / context

Consciously cultivating envy, feeding comparisons, rejoicing at someone else's failure, slandering or acting against someone because they have the good we want.

Effects

Chronic dissatisfaction, malice, competition, backbiting, destruction of relationships, difficulty rejoicing in the good in other people’s lives, and an increasing focus on comparing one's own life with that of others.

Help / what next

Repenting from envy and the actions resulting from it, forgiving where the root is previous rejection or favoritism, praying for deliverance, and practicing gratitude and consciously blessing the good in the lives of others.

“For anger is cruel and fury is like a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?”
Proverbs 27:4. Teaching sources: Frank and Ida Mae Hammond — the distinction between jealousy and envy; Derek Prince — teaching on envy and coveting what belongs to another.