“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” James 3:14-16
Today’s Christian daily devotional
Bella heard the DJ announce her name above the din of the early weekend crowd. Rising from the empty table, she tugged on her short spandex dress. Although she had a few minutes to spare before her stage appearance, anything was better than sitting by herself. The strip club can be a very lonely place for the prettiest girl in the room.
As Bella’s long legs stirred, the action in the showroom seemed to pause momentarily. Trying her best to look occupied, she grabbed an ankle from behind to stretch her legs before her performance. Bella’s beauty was the kind that made everyone uncomfortable—most of all, herself.
Standing by the stairs of the stage, her skin prickled with every jealous stare. Bella’s tender heart pattered nervously as she took a deep breath, feigning confidence.
The slight tilt of her chin only stirred her envious rivals into a ravenous frenzy. It fueled the lies they whispered to each other and about how prideful and icy Bella was.
They relished any opportunity to tear her reputation to shreds. Why should Bella have it all? She was already blessed with supermodel looks! If there was anything that they could do to make her miserable or affect Bella’s money making potential, her misery was their euphoria.
Every night that she worked, Bella powdered her face and donned a thick layer of eyelashes; feeling like she was dressing for war. And when the night was over, she would try to nurse the wounds that eyes could never see but her heart could always feel.
The more Bella worked, the less human she felt. And, she started to question if life was really worth living at all. It all began to spiral into a numb and meaningless existence.
A strip club isn’t the kind of place where one would expect the works of heaven being performed. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has entered that hasn’t been affected by it—in some negative way or another. A place like this will affect every aspect of a person: their relationships, reputation, spirit, self-worth and even their quality of life.
James 3:14-16 reminds us that the attitudes of bitterness, envy and strife are the very heartbeats of satan himself. One would naturally assume that any environment that breeds these things would have to be the devil’s playground.
It’s sad to see a girl like Bella; one whose beauty and personality are exploited to the point of destroying her very heart.
This environment wasn’t created to nurture. In fact, the very nature of it was fashioned to corrode the soul.
And so, true to the beast that exotic dancing was, one shift at time, night after night, tip after tip Bella felt herself change.
One day, she looked in the mirror and no longer saw the Bella God created her to be; but the Bella she had created for herself. And, she didn’t like it.
Who are you today? Are you the person God created you to be? If you can’t say that you are, don’t panic. Things will turn around the minute you let God turn your life around.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
There is something inside that keeps telling me that I’m worthy of so much more than I’m settling for.
Yet, every time I try and move out of the place that I’m in today, it seems like a legion of strongholds keeps holding me back.
I find myself at the very place I started in, only more defeated and hopeless with every failed attempt to do better.
Lord, I have made some seriously bad choices in my life. Some of them I’m so deeply entrenched in, I cannot see how there is any way out.
I know with you, all things are possible. So, today Lord, I am going to step out in faith. I am going to call on the name of Jesus to save me. This time, I will listen to that still small voice of wisdom. Instead of hoping for an instantaneous miracle, trusting that you will guide me step by step, day by day.
I promise to give you just as much time to heal me as I gave to the enemy of my soul who wished to destroy me.
I will be patient; I will be obedient. I will not try to do this on my own anymore. I will let you guide and I will follow the wisdom I receive in prayer and by reading your word, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: James 3:14-16
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan