DATE: Thursday 30 July 2026
TOPIC: “BLINDED BY ENVY”
TEXT: Genesis 4:1-12
MEMORY VERSE: “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” – Genesis 4:9.
Envy is very subtle. It does not express itself on the day it is conceived. In fact, if one is not careful, you will not know that envy has already crept into your life, you will just find yourself exhibiting the full traits of envy.
Envy begins with a comparison of oneself to another, triggered by a perceived lack of desired possession, quality, or status that the other person possesses. It originates from feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem and a sense of injustice, often sparking the internal question, “Why not me?”
From our passage today, Cain and his brother, Abel, offered sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord accepted Abel and his sacrifice, but He rejected Cain and his sacrifice. The Bible says that “Cain was very angry and his face was downcast”. The Lord did not leave Cain in his angry and envious state, but He came to Cain and warned him. Unfortunately, Cain would not listen but allowed his negative emotion to take a hold on him and he killed his brother, Abel.
Cain became envious of his brother and he allowed envy to blindfold his sense of reasoning. When Cain invited Abel to the field, Abel went freely because it is probably the way they had always played together. It had been a great brotherhood between the two of them until that fateful day of sacrifice.
Cain would have been able to reflect on the kind of awesome relationship he had had with his brother until now, in fact, the only brother he had. What on earth would have made him to go to the length of killing his brother whom he had loved even after he was warned?
Envy has the capacity of distorting our sense of judgement and make us to take irrational decisions (Proverb 14:30). Let us hand our feelings and emotions over to the Lord and surrender our struggles to Him. No matter how we have been overcome by envy before now, we can talk to God about it and surrender our all at His feet. He can bring us out of this circumstance and grant us all round victory.
PRAYER: Father, deliver me from all negative emotions that do not allow me to walk completely in your will. I surrender my all to you, Amen.