I'm addicted to grumbling and complaining: Chapter 19
Simple6
Posts: 170 Member
Hmmmmm.............This is my second attempt at posting. In the spirit of learning not to grumble and complain, I praise God for the opportunity to spend more time meditating on His word and sharing. 
Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
This week's study is all about learning to recognize when our suffering is not honoring God. It does not honor God when the treasure of our hearts, that is coming out of our mouths is only comments on how little we have, or how hard it is, or even how we didn't get what we deserved. Boy, is this a treasure that has been displayed in my life this week. What I felt and what I thought about my situation came out in full force this week when I was faced with many situations that allowed me to praise or complain.
I choose complaining:
My family all has been sick this week. So finally after getting them all to the doctor and getting their medicine, my ear starts to hurt. Now, as you all know I am in a iron man triathlon and am in training. That requires I swim. I just completed my 2 miles and only have 18 laps left to go......but I cannot. My ear is hurting so bad. So I take myself to the doctor, yes, it is my fourth day in a row to go. Sure enough, the doctor diagnoses is swimmer's ear.
I go to the pharmacy to get my ear drops. The pharmacists tells me they are $52.00. That is just for one ear. I didn't have it. So, I call my husband and he had made enough at work that day to make up what was needed. He came and brought it for me. Here is what I sounded like:
Me: This is stupid! How can ear drops cost so much? Even with insurance? and it is only one ear! This just too much!
God: Nothing is too much for me........
Me: But God(hear the whine?) I need that money for the bills. Everything here costs so much! I just hate living here. It is ridiculous!
God: I provided you a job where you get insurance, I provided the money for your co pay and your prescription. I always provide for you. Nothing is too much for me......why are you acting like this is?
Me: Forgive me, Lord. Thank you for making a way for me to get into the doctor. Thank you for giving me medicine to help me heal and for providing the money to pay for the prescription. Yes, even thank you for living here in Minot, where I get to grow in faith every day. Please help that last part to be said from a sincere heart and not one of sarcasm.
See, complaining only lead me on the path of discouragement, despair and anger. It glorified me as a victim. WHen I opened my mouth and let praise flow out, it glorified God and refocused my heart. It empowered me to see His power, His ability, and His skill. My God never fails. In this situation, I was focused on my ability and my supply. What a sorry picture that made, but He stepped in and helped me see His perspective........unlimited supply. I learned from this situation, that when my body is physically challenged and my life plate is full, I need to watch what my heart is meditating on because it will surely show in the heat of the trial.
Joyce puts it this way:
"You and I do not complain with our mouths unless we have first complained in our thoughts. Complaining is definitely a wilderness mentality that will prevent us from crossing over into the Promise Land. Jesus is our example, and we should do what He did. The Israelites complained and remained in the wilderness. Jesus praised and was raised from the dead."
My dear friends, Jesus has called us to His place of promise.....let us choose not to remain in the wilderness any more. Step by step we will praise Him for all that He is and was and will be. For He is raising us from the dead places in our lives as we give Him all the praise. He is making a way where there seems to be no way, as we praise Him. Thankfulness out of our mouths allows our ears to hear and faith to be built up, which destroys unbelief. His faith in us moves mountains!
When we choose not to complain, He shines forth through us. This was proven to me this week also.
See, I choose not to complain but to be grateful:
The next day after my complaining tantrum, I arrive at work and go outside for recess duty. Did I mention that it is snowing and the temperature is 1 degree? Here is the kindness of God......my co worker turns to me and says " You are such a testimony. I never hear you complain and you are always so joyful." Yes, my friends, this is me the same person who threw a fit because the medicine was $52.00. I had to laugh when she said that. Yet, it was truly a God moment.......He shined forth through me. Yes, I made a mistake the day before and I am still learning but there is evidence that HE lives in me.
He is helping me to set my heart to gratefulness. To think it , speak it and sing it. He is helping me to let the same attitude that was in Jesus to be in me. Jesus was calm, cool and collected and righteously angry. He never worried about the cost of feeding His disciples or the cost of taxes. He never doubted God's ability to provide for Him or God's plan for Him. That is my aim, through His grace.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Father,
Thank you for always teaching me in the way I should go. Especially this week, which was so filled with challenges for me. I repent for using my mind and my mouth in unbelief that manifested in complaining. I ask you help me set my heart to gratefulness, seeing from your perspective. Help me to not only think grateful thoughts but to speak gratefulness, so that I will hear and faith will be built in me. Thank you for being so kind to me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
This week's study is all about learning to recognize when our suffering is not honoring God. It does not honor God when the treasure of our hearts, that is coming out of our mouths is only comments on how little we have, or how hard it is, or even how we didn't get what we deserved. Boy, is this a treasure that has been displayed in my life this week. What I felt and what I thought about my situation came out in full force this week when I was faced with many situations that allowed me to praise or complain.
I choose complaining:
My family all has been sick this week. So finally after getting them all to the doctor and getting their medicine, my ear starts to hurt. Now, as you all know I am in a iron man triathlon and am in training. That requires I swim. I just completed my 2 miles and only have 18 laps left to go......but I cannot. My ear is hurting so bad. So I take myself to the doctor, yes, it is my fourth day in a row to go. Sure enough, the doctor diagnoses is swimmer's ear.
I go to the pharmacy to get my ear drops. The pharmacists tells me they are $52.00. That is just for one ear. I didn't have it. So, I call my husband and he had made enough at work that day to make up what was needed. He came and brought it for me. Here is what I sounded like:
Me: This is stupid! How can ear drops cost so much? Even with insurance? and it is only one ear! This just too much!
God: Nothing is too much for me........
Me: But God(hear the whine?) I need that money for the bills. Everything here costs so much! I just hate living here. It is ridiculous!
God: I provided you a job where you get insurance, I provided the money for your co pay and your prescription. I always provide for you. Nothing is too much for me......why are you acting like this is?
Me: Forgive me, Lord. Thank you for making a way for me to get into the doctor. Thank you for giving me medicine to help me heal and for providing the money to pay for the prescription. Yes, even thank you for living here in Minot, where I get to grow in faith every day. Please help that last part to be said from a sincere heart and not one of sarcasm.
See, complaining only lead me on the path of discouragement, despair and anger. It glorified me as a victim. WHen I opened my mouth and let praise flow out, it glorified God and refocused my heart. It empowered me to see His power, His ability, and His skill. My God never fails. In this situation, I was focused on my ability and my supply. What a sorry picture that made, but He stepped in and helped me see His perspective........unlimited supply. I learned from this situation, that when my body is physically challenged and my life plate is full, I need to watch what my heart is meditating on because it will surely show in the heat of the trial.
Joyce puts it this way:
"You and I do not complain with our mouths unless we have first complained in our thoughts. Complaining is definitely a wilderness mentality that will prevent us from crossing over into the Promise Land. Jesus is our example, and we should do what He did. The Israelites complained and remained in the wilderness. Jesus praised and was raised from the dead."
My dear friends, Jesus has called us to His place of promise.....let us choose not to remain in the wilderness any more. Step by step we will praise Him for all that He is and was and will be. For He is raising us from the dead places in our lives as we give Him all the praise. He is making a way where there seems to be no way, as we praise Him. Thankfulness out of our mouths allows our ears to hear and faith to be built up, which destroys unbelief. His faith in us moves mountains!
When we choose not to complain, He shines forth through us. This was proven to me this week also.
See, I choose not to complain but to be grateful:
The next day after my complaining tantrum, I arrive at work and go outside for recess duty. Did I mention that it is snowing and the temperature is 1 degree? Here is the kindness of God......my co worker turns to me and says " You are such a testimony. I never hear you complain and you are always so joyful." Yes, my friends, this is me the same person who threw a fit because the medicine was $52.00. I had to laugh when she said that. Yet, it was truly a God moment.......He shined forth through me. Yes, I made a mistake the day before and I am still learning but there is evidence that HE lives in me.
He is helping me to set my heart to gratefulness. To think it , speak it and sing it. He is helping me to let the same attitude that was in Jesus to be in me. Jesus was calm, cool and collected and righteously angry. He never worried about the cost of feeding His disciples or the cost of taxes. He never doubted God's ability to provide for Him or God's plan for Him. That is my aim, through His grace.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Father,
Thank you for always teaching me in the way I should go. Especially this week, which was so filled with challenges for me. I repent for using my mind and my mouth in unbelief that manifested in complaining. I ask you help me set my heart to gratefulness, seeing from your perspective. Help me to not only think grateful thoughts but to speak gratefulness, so that I will hear and faith will be built in me. Thank you for being so kind to me. In Jesus name, Amen.
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Replies
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Hello all my lovely friends..
This is a chapter i can relate to so much.
In the past, I would have always related to life as a "Half empty" glass. <Complainer, and grumbling
Now, with looking through new eyes, provided to me by the Holy Spirit, my vision, and my PERCEPTION has changed from "half empty" to "half full!"
Why? I am learning to be content with what I have, instead of what I am lacking.
This, in itself, is HUGE for me. Although I learned a few years ago, that material things don't mean that much to me, I have taken stock in all areas of my life, and finally found out which areas I want a lot of WEALTH in, and which areas I can get by with the bare minimum.
My SPIRITUAL walk is a place I want WEALTH!!
I want a WEALTH of BLESSING's from the LORD.
I want a WEALTH of my time to be spent in PRAISE, WORSHIP, and PRAYER.
I want a WEALTH of CHRISTIAN SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS.
And, to have this WEALTH, I have to quit being negative, quit complaining, and quit grumbling!
"That *6(*8%776R56 person just cut me off." > Well LORD, they must be in a hurry. I pray for their safety LORD, that they get to where they are going without harm ton them selves or others." ...Note: Changing from my ROAD RAGE.
"I don't have enough money to __________________(insert frivilous item here) GRUMBLING..> Well Nicolette, the LORD provided you with XX amount of funds for this month. It was up to you to see that it was spent wisely. Did you need that Mocha Frappe in a MEDIUM the other day? Nope. Wasting the resources the LORD gives me, does not get me closer to being the wise steward of His gracious gifts on earth. And, He is watching to see how I use what is gifted to me on Earth, as a precussor to Heavenly gifts.
I have especially appreciative of the health gifts he has given me lately. The infection I had was a common Staph infection. I jumped to conclusions, and scared everyone, including myself. God had it in control all along..How about a little FAITH from me??
Well lovelies: Just wanted to add my comment.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Blessings abound-just look around!
Nicolette0 -
Oh, boy!! This is a doosy! After I finished the chapter, I quickly was reminded of something that happen recently and what my initial response had been. I knew at the time, that it was not the best response I could have spoken but it was said and there was no retracting it back. But my next response was more important, I do believe because it showed me the measure of my growth, personal growth of applying what I have been studying through the book so far. One thing that my dad would to say to me when I got myself in “sticky situations” was…”If you have to make excuses for something that you did, you probably had no business doing it in the first place, right?”. I loved my dad…and I love my heavenly Father. So, I found my thoughts quickly admonishing my poor response and asking forgiveness of God for the poor witness of my faith. “Be quick to repent” God’s word tell us. It takes only a moment to ask for forgiveness and help…but if left to our own volition without God in the equation…grumbling, faultfinding and complaining can turn into a lifetime of suffering and dissatisfaction in our life and those around us. We have hope…because we have an answer in the example of Jesus and the gentle teaching of the Holy Spirit who is our Helper in difficult times. What love…of our Father who art in heaven. :smooched:
I am encouraged.
I am grateful for this study. I am thankful for the support I find here with all of you “Ladies of Faith”.
My devotion is Romans 5:1-11
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through who we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
“ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
“ You see, at just the right time, when were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
“ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
“Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” ~~~~Praise Him!
Father God,
I may not have had a great beginning but I am determined to have a great finish. Amen.0 -
My Dear Generous Nicolette,
Truly, God is gifting you with His vision. He always sees things from a place of knowing everything and having more than enough to provide for every thing. That is truly a wealthy way of seeing things. I love that you wrote "Blessing abound, just look around." Thank you for the reminder.
Jenni 0 -
My Zoey,
I loved your devotion. In fact, it is the very portion our pastor read to us today. I know the Lord must have wanted me to read it and hear it. What is standing out in my heart is this:
I have peace with God~ No more trying to do but instead, just being me, allowing His peace to bring me into fellowship with Him. Living my life from a foundation of belief that the blood of Jesus justifies me. Allowing the suffering I am facing to build His character in me. By persevering in trial from the standpoint of being at peace with God. This peace always gives me hope. For I know that His love is what draws me, instructs me, and empowers me. At just the right time, meaning just as God has purposed and expressly ordained for me, when I am weak and lost in sin, the death of Christ manifests anew and brings me back into unity with His purpose and His plan.
Yes, my Zoey, you are a great finisher....because you take after your heavenly Father. 0 -
My dear friends,
I don't want to grumble and I don't want to complain, but I am SERIOUSLY struggling right now, and I do want to ask for your prayers. Struggling more with fear and worry and KNOW I need to get this battle in my mind won. Panic is taking hold and I don't want it to.
A family (4 kids and 3 adults) were taken hostage by islamists in N. Cameroon yesterday. NOT here, I know, but the terrorists involved have links to those here, and it seems clear that a French family was targeted because of the French involvement with the war here. I am NOT French, but we are white and are in M. Until now I had calmed myself by saying "They are not interested in taking kids hostage" - that was clearly not true! SO SO SO hard to send my kids off to school this morning.
I am trying to give this all to Him, but not being very successful and I REALLY need your prayers. Even my husband feels I am panicking unnecessarily! Please pray for me today!
THANK YOU!!!
And I will post about the not grumbling/complaining another time :-)0 -
THANK YOU for the lovely messages of encouragement and support that I received after I posted the last message I did on this topic! YOU ARE ALL SO FABULOUS! I am so grateful for the day that Jenni invited me to be part of this group.
To update - I am doing SO MUCH better now. God has been so incredibly faithful and I am learning so much. Thank you for your prayers - He DOES answer :-)
And so to "grumbling and complaining". I think for me the sentence that has summed up the whole of this chapter (and indeed much of the past few weeks for me) is this one: "Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." I have been working so hard at this, and God has been helping me to learn - little by little. I am not there yet, BUT with His help, I can make it :-)0
