Admiration Turned to Envy & Bitterness- Part II

Ecclesiastes 1:14: Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This is also vanity and grasping at straws.

How does someone go from admiring a person to becoming envious and jealous of that very same person ? And even deeper—how can those emotions eventually lead someone into practicing witchcraft?

People can see your light. And that light draws them—some with good intentions, and some with the assignment to kill, steal, and destroy.

In my last blog, I mentioned something important: you may think you don’t have anything that others would want, but you do. The presence of God in your life is visible. Some people are drawn to it in a positive way, and others want to dim or destroy it simply because it shines. They see the light, even when you don’t.

It doesn’t matter what the relationship is, how long you’ve known someone, or how close you are—this can still happen. That’s why we must stay alert and stay in prayer at all times.

So let’s break this down. What is the progression of thoughts and behaviors that could lead someone to a place where they would actually turn to the enemy’s tactics to harm another person?

Admiration: something regarded as impressive or worthy of respect or approval.

For someone to want or desire something, they must first see it as impressive or valuable. They must deem it worthy of respect or approval. Thus, jealousy or envy must first start from a place of approval and respect for something.

This is where we can enter a dangerous place in our admiration of others and the things they possess.

If my admiration of someone is from a place of righteous love, brother and sister in Christ type of love, hope that God can bless me as he has blessed others love and contentment with what I have, then my admiration will remain pure and clean in its nature.

Godly Ways to Love One Another :

1. Agape love- unconditional love

2. Philia- brotherly love

3. Storge- familial and natural love

4. Eros-passionate love

When we fail to love others from these holy places and see ourselves as lacking something or more deserving of something than someone else, we open the door to the spirit of Jealously, Envy, and Bitterness!

I want to stop here because, believe it or not, it is not just someone feeling like they want, desire, or are lacking something -it is also the feeling that they are more deserving of something than you are !

That part!

So, you may have been the underdog all of your life , not having had the things that other people had at one point or another, or you may not have been conventionally attractive. But here you are today, blessed and highly favored, just thriving! God made the latter greater than the former, and they are surprised and astonished at what God has done in your life. This entitlement to your blessings stems from their view of you as being less than them; they felt superior to you for whatever reason, and now that the tables have turned, they are struggling to cope with the changes that have occurred in your life.

James 4:2

You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

These situations can be healed if both parties are willing to come together and address the feelings of offense and envy before they grow into something darker. We are human—everyone experiences envy or jealousy at times. The difference is in how we handle those feelings.

When these emotions go unchecked—when a person refuses to humble themselves before God, refuses to repent, refuses to examine the root of why they feel the way they do—those feelings become an open doorway. And through that door, the spirits of envy and bitterness walk right in. They don’t come quietly either—they move in, unpack their bags, bring their relatives, and get comfortable.

And the longer they stay, the stronger they become. Eventually, what forms is a stronghold.

It took me years to fully understand what a stronghold truly is. You can hear the definition, but sometimes it doesn’t sink in until you’re watching it play out in your own life and are seeking to be delivered from something.

A stronghold is anything deeply rooted and hard to remove- it could be a mindset, a feeling, or a behavior. It is a spirit that claims territory in a person’s life, family line, community, or environment—and refuses to move with just prayer alone. A stronghold keeps people in bondage. For most of us - It is that thing you cannot stop doing, no matter how much you want to. It’s that situation that never seems to change, no matter how hard you try. That is a stronghold.

Once a stronghold takes root, it opens the door to the next spirit: bitterness. Envy and jealousy can lead a person into manipulative or controlling behaviors (which is witchcraft), but bitterness—paired with anger—can push a person much further than they ever thought they would go.

Proverbs 27:4Wrath is cruel and anger is a torment, but who can stand before jealousy?

So what happens when admiration shifts away from godly love—when instead of celebrating others, we begin wanting what they have, or worse, wanting to see them lose it?

Envy, jealousy, bitterness, and anger are just like lust: they are never satisfied. Their appetite only grows. And as they grow, they drive people into levels of darkness and behavior they never imagined themselves capable of—manipulation, sabotage, curses, rituals, even summoning demonic forces.

This is why the Lord tells us to guard our hearts because out of it come the issues of life. Once these spirits take root, they do not leave quietly.

Romans 1:29

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossip.

 When you continually think evil thoughts and consistently speak evil about others because they have what you want  - you are just steps away from wanting to see that person be physically hurt- It sounds dramatic but think about the last time you were big mad, hot, the angriest you have ever been – can you say that you did not have thoughts that you were later ashamed of and would never want anyone to know, but you and Jesus? And maybe not even Jesus! Exactly!

Job 5:2 For wrath kills a foolish man, and envy slays a simple one.

Being envious or jealous of someone isn’t the only way people open the door to bitterness and, ultimately, witchcraft. The spirit of offense—holding onto unforgiveness—is another doorway many believers overlook.

When someone is offended by you and refuses to let go, that grudge can consume them. Their desire to “get their lick back” or see you fall can open them to spirits of envy, jealousy, and bitterness—especially when desires and their attempts to hurt you fail because God is covering you and not allowing the weapons formed against you to prosper.

Jealousy, envy, bitterness, and offense are all rooted in a lack of contentment and peace. A person who is jealous is not content with their own life, and a person who is bitter is never at peace.

God is not lacking- I repeat - (GOD IS NOT LACKING ) and there is no poverty in His Kingdom. He is more than able to give you the desires of your heart. The challenge is that many of us grow impatient with God’s timing. We want what we want right now, and the enemy will gladly offer instant gratification—but it always comes with a cost, one many are not prepared or willing to pay.

And then there are the times when God simply says no to something we desperately want. Whatever you desire, make sure it aligns with His will. When it does, trust that you will receive it—in due season—if you do not faint.

Hebrews 13:5: "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."