Her Calling is Not Your Competition

In this episode, we dive into what it truly means to covet—and how easily we confuse someone else’s success with our own failure. Through a faith-filled lens, we unpack the trap of comparison and how it steals our joy, confidence, and clarity of purpose. You’ll be reminded of your divine identity in Christ and encouraged to walk boldly in the calling God placed on your life. Comparison is a thief—and it’s time to take back what’s ours.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Her calling is not your competition. And her success is not your failure. You see, the enemy wants us to get so entangled in what we don't have and so fixed on what we think we should have that we forget the blessings that we do have. Welcome to My Father's Business Podcast, where we explore our divine purpose and identity in Christ. I'm your host, Lindsay Cope, and I'm about my father's business, seeking to live a purpose-driven life. In each episode, we'll discuss various topics that connect to God's will. Just as Jesus devoted himself to his father's business, we'll see how understanding our identity in him helps us navigate life. So join me on this journey of discovering how to align our lives with God's plan and fulfill our unique God-given destinies. Wow, this is exciting. This is surreal. This is my first podcast. I just set my mic up yesterday, got my editing suite set up. I still don't know where I'm going to publish this or how I'm going to make that happen. But the Lord said, do it. He said, do it. What are you waiting on? You are your own biggest obstacle. So I encourage you, if you have been thinking about writing a book, doing a podcast, what is that next big thing that the Lord has put on your heart to do? Don't allow yourself to be your biggest threat anymore. Just do it. Just do it. Praise the Lord. My father's business. I'm about my father's business. So the Lord gave me this title years ago, and at the time I wasn't sure exactly how it would be used. Was it a ministry name? Was it a book title? And here we are. So my father's business comes from a story in the Bible, and it really resonates with me. Not only that, it's actually pretty funny. You can find the story in Luke chapter 2. So when Jesus was 12 years old, he went to this festival in Jerusalem with his parents. And after the festival, they started to go back home. And his parents thought Jesus was following along behind him. But he wasn't. I mean, can you imagine your 12-year-old is with you one minute and the next you turn around and they're missing? Has anyone ever had that happen before? I mean, at this age, you don't know whether to be angry or scared. I mean, imagine the panic that started to set in. And it was a day later when they realized that he was missing. First of all, y'all must have been in some deep conversation to not realize that your 12-year-old son was not walking behind you until a day later. And so the scripture references how Mary and Joseph began to worry and then they turned back around to go look for Jesus. And after three days, I mean, we'd have the police out, we'd be filled out a missing persons report. The links we would go through at this point. And then they find them and he's fine. I mean, in fact, he's more than fine. He is in the temple talking with the teachers and asking them questions. And these questions were probably Jesus' questions, which are rhetorical questions to get you thinking. We know Jesus he taught in parables and he was witty, and he would teach in the form of questions to get you thanking. So then the scripture says, and everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. So he probably had the answers to his own questions, knowing Jesus. And Joseph and Mary are like, Jesus, where you been? Where you been, hon? So in Luke 2, 48, so when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said to him, Son, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have sought you anxiously. So they're anxious, they're upset, they're not happy. And then you have 12-year-old little Jesus turns around and says, Why do you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business? Ooh, can you imagine? Talking about little pop. Little little pop is warranted at this point. So, and obviously, I'm speaking in the natural how we would probably react. And Joseph is probably like, Boy, I am your father. What are you talking about? Where have you been? And so Jesus here, he was telling his parents, hey, I have to focus on God's work, not earthly matters. You see, this is so significant because it marks a pivotal moment in time where Jesus recognized his need to fulfill and walk in the calling and the purpose that God has for him. That is the mission here: to do good works, obeying God, centering our life around him, and discovering what our identity is, what our purpose is. So that's how the Lord led me to my father's business because I am about my father's business, about a kingdom mindset, kingdom alignments, kingdom assignments, and advancing the kingdom. Hallelujah. Y'all gonna love the topic that we're talking about today because we are talking about a very tough subject that just about everybody struggles with or has struggled with at some point in their life, and that is comparison. And the first thing I want to say about comparison before we reference scripture here is her calling is not your competition, and her success is not your failure. You see, the enemy wants us to get so entangled in what we don't have and so fixed on what we think we should have that we forget the blessings that we do have. You know, it's okay to desire things and even be inspired to desire certain things based on what other people have. Like, for instance, if a girl has a nice purse or a nice pair of shoes, yeah, I'd like to ask her where she got that from because I love that. I love your shoes. But when we begin to compare ourselves and we begin to covet, then jealousy roots from that. It shifts from liking something to wanting something to having a strong and appropriate, unhealthy desire for what someone else possesses. And that is covetedness, it's one of the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not covet thou neighbor. The definition by Hebrew definition, the word covet is translated to Hamad, H A M A D, and it generally means to desire, to lust after, or have a strong desire for something. And if you were to look up the word covetedness in the concordance, you'll find an insatiable desire for worldly gain. It's described as idolatry, root of evil, never satisfied, vanity, and there's scriptural references for all of this. So I encourage you to go look this up. It's productive of theft, lying, murder, falsehood. And when it says murder here, that's defamation of character. How often do we compare ourselves to other people and quickly try and find their faults to make ourselves feel better? That's defaming their character. So what is comparison? Well, first of all, I'll tell you that comparison is the thief of joy and contentment. We've heard that, we know that. But it is a form or a manifestation of insecurity, and it comes from lack, lack of purpose, lack of confidence in who we are, lack of understanding of our identity in Christ. It comes from believing the lies of the enemy and not believing who God says we are. So when we compare ourselves to others, essentially we're saying, I don't believe in who God says I am. We compare because we're searching for a sense of security outside of ourselves. We're searching to fall within um a significant hierarchy that will help us feel secure if we are somebody to somebody. But guess what? It doesn't matter what people think. What can mortal man do to you, says the scripture. For if God is for me, who can be against me? You are the head and not the tail, you are above and not beneath. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, you are the victor, not the victim. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. You are chosen, wanted, blessed. He delights in you. God is in the midst of you, and you shall not be moved. You are made in his image, you are called by his name, you are his, you are free, you are forgiven, you are brave, you are a warrior. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are saved by grace, you are known, you are loved, for he has great plans for you to prosper you, to give you hope and a future. Before you were born, he knew you. Before the foundations of this earth, he knew you. He knitted you together in your mother's womb, and he knows every hair on your head. He loved you at your darkest. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God is within you. You are not ugly, you are not useless, you are not stupid, you are not unlovable, you are not weak, you are not a failure. You are not full of fear, you are not full of doubt. Stand on your identity in Christ and who he says you are. And I want to revisit how her success is not your failure. I'll say there are days when the comparison game is strong, y'all, especially when I am scrolling on social media and I am aimlessly doom scrolling. The enemy wants to get you so caught up in what other people are doing. And of course, our lives look glamorous on social media. Do you think anybody's gonna put their dirty laundry out on social media? Well, some people do, but that's another story for another day. But our lives are gonna look picture perfect on social media. But here's what's true is we all fall short. The issues that you struggle with are no different than the next woman's or than the next man's. No different. Social media is not real life. It's important to remember that everyone and every family has their own struggles. Here's one good practice that I've adopted while I'm scrolling on Facebook. If I am not in a heart posture where I am celebrating the successes of my friends, then I need to get off because something's wrong and I need to do a heart check. You see, jealousy is the byproduct of the fear of losing something. Maybe you fear losing your status or your significance. You see, humans have two basic emotional needs, and that's security and significance. And when things in life fail to meet those needs, we begin to lose hope and we begin to lose confidence. And Satan's lies are built around two things as well: fear of loss and desire for gain. The fear of loss as being afraid of losing our security and significance. And jealousy is the byproduct of the fear of losing something. So the desire for gain, the only reason we would desire to gain something would be to increase our security and significance. And desire for gain is revealed by envy. And let me tell you something else about envy. Scripture tells us very clearly that envy is rottenness to the bones. That comes from Proverbs 14:30. It says, A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness to the bones. Envy can lead to spiritual and emotional decay, affecting your entire well-being and your relationships. Scripture tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Comparison makes you proud because it's all about self, it's about self-gratification and self-satisfaction. What about me? Am I good enough? I want to be the best, I want to be better than her, I want to measure up. It's fleshly, it's carnal-mindedness. We're told to die to self, die to our fleshly nature, crucify our flesh, and take up our cross and live for Jesus to allow him to live in and through us. And he doesn't compare us or himself to anyone because he is the great I am. Comparison is a thief. It kills joy, it kills contentment, it kills your influence. It steals, kills, and destroys, just like the enemy seeks to do. You see, the enemy hates the plan that God has for your life, and he wants to do anything he can to stop it, to hinder it, to throw every fiery dart your way to trip you up and get you confused about who you are in Christ. We give the enemy way too much power in our lives. He's up there swinging on a swing set, playing in our mind. When we forget the authority that we have been given, the word says the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. The word says that we've been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. We've been given the power to bind and loosen things. We have so much more power than we give ourselves credit for. And we forget the authority that Jesus gave us. We have got to take authority over our minds. We have got to cast down every argument and every pretension and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and cast it down and bring it under the obedience of Christ. We have got to take those lies captive and silence the voice of the enemy. See, when we give in to coveting and comparison, we are giving the enemy a foothold in our lives, and he sets up a stronghold in our mind, and then we are not able to experience the fullness of what God has for us. We are forfeiting the plans and the purpose of God when we choose to fall prey to comparison. And that's right, it's a choice. It is a choice to choose contentment and joy and peace in Christ. You choose to compare yourself. It's like any other sin. We must commit ourselves to a lifestyle away from that thought pattern, asking God to renew our minds and transform us from the inside out. Her calling is not your competition. You have your own unique identity in Christ. You have your own unique gifts and callings that the Lord has called you to. Stop sticking your nose and what the Lord is doing in someone else. Maybe he's expanding your capacity to carry the promise that he has for you right now. Maybe he's got you in a pruning season. Maybe he's got you in a waiting season. Maybe if you would give up something that you're holding on to, he could give you the bigger promise that he's got holding behind his back, waiting on you to surrender. Maybe he's wanting to match your level of obedience to give you the blessing that you're snooping around in jealousy, peering at your neighbor for. The word of God says that the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. He has placed something inside of every single person that he's created. And there are gifts that he wants to stir in you. He wants to do something new, and he wants you to press in, get before him, lay down every burden, lay down every fleshly nature and every carnal-minded attitude and surrender and obedience. So that those gifts can be brought forth. So that he can stir in you and bring those gifts to the surface. Obedience is the key. So now I want to revisit how covetedness is rooted in the heart, and it stems from a heart condition. So Mark 7, 20 through 23. I'm gonna read this real quick. And he said, This is Jesus, this is the words in red, my friends. What comes out of a man that defiles a man? For from within, out of the heart of man, proceeds evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetedness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil things come from within and defile a man. This is a heart condition, my friends. The word also says that people look at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Maybe it's time to check your heart and ask the Lord to reveal anything that doesn't belong. Ask for him to create a clean heart within you and renew a steadfast spirit, a right spirit within you. Ask him to give you a heart that loves what he loves and hate what he hates. Ask for him to break your heart for what breaks his. To cut away the fat, to cut away every evil thing that doesn't belong. Maybe there's some deep-rooted sin within you that you're not even aware of, but it begins to rise up when you begin to covet what others have, when you begin to wish evil upon people that seem to have it all together when you don't. So what do we do with that? What is the antidote to to coveting? Contentment. Contentment, godliness with contentment is great gain. Timothy six six through eight. I'm gonna find that and read that, but right now I have my finger on Philippians 4 11 where Paul says, Not that I speak in regard to the need, for I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to be abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to be abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I went on to verse 13 in that. You see, Paul was imprisoned. Imagine the hardships that we complain about, and look back and see what this man suffered and how he still was able to be sustained by the love and the strength that came from Christ. Here's a really good quote. I really don't know who the author is of this quote, but it's so good. It's contentment is not the fulfillment of what I want, but the realization of what I already have. If we can realize and be thankful for all that has already been given to us instead of wanting the next best thing all the time, we can learn to be content.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

First Timothy six. I like my paper Bible. Y'all hear that? That sounds so good.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Now, godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. Praise the Lord. My friends, fix your mind upon things that are eternal. The word of God says to fix your eyes upon the things that are unseen because they are eternal, the things that are seen will perish away with this world. So, friends, I implore you to fix your eyes on things that will last, things that will fulfill. Thank you, Father. And I'm gonna pray for you before we go, but I want you to pray this out loud. Lord, I confess that I have fallen prey to comparing myself to others. And sometimes I'm doing it without even knowing it. I want to know my identity in you. I want to walk rooted in Christ. I desire full, true confidence which comes from my relationship with you. Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a steadfast spirit. Replace covetedness with contentment, and may I remember that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Amen. Thank you for joining me on this episode of My Father's Business as we strive to understand our divine purpose and align our lives with. God's will, I encourage you to seek his face and his guidance in every step you take. May He bless you with clarity, strength, and a deeper understanding of your identity in Him. Until next time, remember, you were created on purpose for a purpose, and it's time to rise up, live intentionally, and embrace the unique plan God has for you. God bless.