I WON'T COMPLAIN


There's so much to complain about.

No matter how hard I try, I can't complain anymore. I'll literally start feeling bad when I begin to complain about something. I've also been having trouble with voicing my opinion on social media. I've spent up to 30 minutes writing a detailed response to someone's post to end up just deleting it. I don't know what it is, but I think I've started to realize the strength that words have when you say them out loud. I'm still struggling with speaking life though - it's hard to speak positively over a situation even when it seems to be the complete opposite. 

HOWEVER, complaining and venting just isn't my cup of tea anymore. If you are close to me you would believe me when I say there are SO MANY things to complain about these days. 

There's no point though - and I'll give you three main (biblical) reasons why complaining is pointless. These are three reasons that I use, and hopefully they will convict you to not do it anymore. 

REASON #1 - Complaining Blinds Us

In the book of Exodus (the second book in the bible) the Israelites (God's chosen people) were freed from the pharaoh's harsh rule in Egypt by God through Moses and Aaron. (Who were brothers separated at birth then reunited beautifully thanks to God's plan)...The entire time the Israelites were in Egypt they struggled tremendously. In the very first chapter of Exodus it says that "They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the field. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous." - Exodus 1:14 On top of that they were beaten like slaves and tortured. The more Moses tried to free them, the worse it got. After 10 amazing plagues from God, the hard-hearted pharaoh finally "let His people go". Not without a chase though - the pharaoh and his soldiers followed after the Israelites all the way up until they ended up getting washed away by the red sea...

Finally the people were free! No more torture! No more slavery! No more struggle! They were headed to the promise land! At first they were super happy, but it didn't take long for them to start complaining. Here are a quick three: 

They complained about not having any safe water to drink, so God gave them some (Exodus 15)
They complained about not having any food to eat so God provided again (Exodus 16)
When Moses went up to speak to God on Mount Sinai, he came back to find them worshipping a golden calf, because they complained about him being gone (Exodus 32)

You would think that after what they saw and what they went through they would have nothing to complain about, right? Nope, they complained about not living the very life that they once complained about. I'll give you the second example for instance:

"The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate the bread to the full, for you have brought us out into the desert to kill this whole assembly with hunger!" - Exodus 16:2-3

That's a harsh way to complain. However we do it all the time. We would much rather be back in the past struggling, going through the most, as long as we get to have that [ 1 ] thing we sort of like. They became hungry one good time and started complaining about how they use to have food back in Egypt. They also had to build a pyramid with straw (that they had to gather themselves). I'd rather be hungry. Complaining blinds us. It makes us forget where we once were, and stops us from seeing the good that is already in front of us. If we spend more time focusing on the good that God has done/is doing in our lives, it's kind of hard to complain. It could be so much worse. 

Reason #2 - God Doesn't Like Complaining

"So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was traveling before them during the three days' journey to find a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they traveled from the camp. And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, "Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!" And when it came to rest he would say, "Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel" - Numbers 10:33-36

These are the Israelites again. That was just background information. Now to the main point. 

"When the people complained, it displeased the Lord. When the Lord heard it, his anger burned, and so the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outer parts of the camp." - Numbers 11:1

So it seems like God had had enough with the complaining. 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." - Hebrews 13:8

If God didn't like it back then, what makes you think He likes it now?

Reason #3 - Complaining Doesn't Change Anything

Life and death are in the power of the tongue... (Proverbs 18:21) so why use that power to talk about all of the (seemingly) bad things that are going on in your life? Complaining is kind of like ignoring God and what He's already done/doing in your life. When you complain, it's like telling God that you're ungrateful for whatever it is that's happening. Imagine if Jesus were to come back at the very moment that you're complaining about your job... the very job that God blessed you with. What do you think he would say? Complaining doesn't change the situation, it just over exaggerates the situation at hand. If it does change it, it more than likely changes it for the worse. There have been plenty of times that I've complained about something and ended up getting it taken away.

Next time you realize that you're complaining, try to stop yourself and talk about something else. Trust me, it's not worth the energy. 

If you like -- check out a video I literally shot and edited yesterday called "I won't complain". The song is called "I won't complain" by Reverend Paul Jones. God bless.



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