For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom…they are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. (James 3:15)

“Go ahead,” came a stranger’s voice from deep inside Bill’s heart. “Tell them what you think. Let them have it. They deserve a piece of your mind. After all you’ve done for them, and then they did that to you. Stand up for yourself…” If he’d listened a little closer, Bill may have noticed the hiss at the end of each word. Those weren’t his thoughts. They were suggestions from his enemy disguised as wise advice. Satan excels at substituting his thoughts for ours and makes us think our selfishness is honorable, our jealousy is justified, and our self-righteousness is valued by God. Satanic wisdom says, “They deserve your hate. Pray that they lose their jobs, it’ll be good for them. Get in there and fight for your rights, no matter what you have to do.”

Godly wisdom says, “Love your enemies. Pray for those who wrongly use you. Let God handle it while you trust Him.” And that’s when the inner battle begins. God’s way sounds great on Sunday morning, but Satan’s suggestions are very appealing in the heat of the moment. We may know that what we’re about to do isn’t wise, but how do we follow God’s way instead of our own? Wise people have learned that wisdom is a lifestyle. We build wisdom like we build a house—one brick, one decision, at a time. Whenever we chose God’s way over Satan’s, we strengthen our ability to do it again. We start to recognize the source of those hissing suggestions and we reject them. It becomes easier the next time. Wise people know the long-term value of building their lives on God’s wisdom instead of their own opinions—even in the heat of the moment.

Final Thought:  If you’re entangled in jealousy and selfish ambition, you’re listening to the wrong voice.

Prayer: Father, I need to learn the difference between my own ideas and your wisdom. Some things sound good to me in the moment, but turn out to be disasters. Help me get your word into my heart so I recognize your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.