B.A.I.K.

“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:16)

A boy showed up at school with the letters B.A.I.K. on his shirt. A friend asked him what the letters stood for and he said, “It stands for Boy, Am I Konfused.” His friend said, “But you don’t spell ‘confused’ with a “K”. The boy replied, “Well, evidently you don’t know how “confused” I am!”

James said, “where envying and strife is, there is confusion…” The word “confusion” also means instability. Often people say that they are uncertain about what to do or which way to go. There is an element of confusion and instability regarding the decisions of their lives.

James says that there are two specific things to look out for when life seems to be confusing.

FIRST—Confusion comes from ENVY.

When you become envious or jealous of another person, you have become more focused on what you don’t have than on what God has given you. Envy and jealousy will bring confusion and instability into your life because it takes your focus off of God and puts it on someone else.

SECOND—Confusion comes from STRIFE.

The word “strife” refers to a contentious spirit. When someone has a contentious spirit, it is evidence of pride in their heart because (Prov. 13:10) says, “Only by pride cometh contention…” Pride comes when we think only of ourselves. Therefore, since pride keeps our eyes on ourselves, it takes our eyes off of God and will then bring more confusion and instability into our lives. No wonder James put envy and strife together, they are like twins. Where envy is, strife will also be there and where strife is, envy is sure to follow.

God never intended for us to live a life of confusion. In fact, (1Cor. 14:33) says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…” If you allow envy and strife into your life it will mess you up; it will mess with your mind. You’ll end up more confused than a Chameleon in a bag full of Skittles!

So, keep your heart and mind right, and you’ll be surprised how much stability you will have in the decisions you make.

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