Are You a Complainer?

Please don't think I'm being judgmental with that question, it is aimed right at my heart but knowing people, I'm kinda figuring that there is at least one other person on the face of this planet that is also a complainer. So, as this is not aimed at you, but at me, if it manages to find it's way to you I hope it will do you some good just as it did me!

Here is a picture, taken from my wonderful iPhone, don't you just love how crisp the picture is? Thank you again to my wonderful husband for my wonderful birthday gift . . . truly it is the gift that keeps on giving. Every day I use it I love him for it! Ok back to the picture! This was yesterday's page.

Everyday is different. I've only had one day that I didn't put something down, but I'm pretty sure my bad attitude had a lot to do with that. Some days, it's very little, some days it's . . . well a picture is worth a thousand words!

Yes, I feel like I should have used a red pen today to represent all the blood pouring out of my sinful body from being so cut up by this wonderful King James Bible! The whole thing, all three chapters kept forcing me to realize what a complaining tongue I have! It's shameful! I'll highlight some of the things in case it's really hard to read this page.

1. In Numbers 11:1 it says, "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost part of the camp." It is interesting to not that even though the fire burnt among them, it only consumed those on the fringe.

a. Don't be a fringe person. Get in and commit to your church. Be %157 person of a christian! In every way, every day be ALL God wants you to be! Read your Bible, Be faithful to church, Give your tithe and above, Pray, Witness, Help those around you for Christ's sake!

b. If you are %157 christian don't complain killing those who are the fringe. I think one of the most destructive things I've seen since being in the ministry is people on the inside complaining and those who are considering coming to church or getting involved dropping out completely. If you have a position in the church, even if it's only being the pianist, don't complain. Support the pastor NOT just with lip service but with your actions. Realize that yes, he and his wife ARE human, allow them to make mistakes. Realize that it's taking you a LOT longer to get where you need to be and they have to put up with a LOT of your mistakes, quietly and sweetly. They make ONE major mistake and that's it, no more, you refuse to listen to them! SHAME on you! Have you even looked in the mirror? Let your pastor and his wife influence you. Yes, see how God works in their lives, in spite of their flaw and even through their flaws!

2. Numbers 11:11 I wonder how many leaders have ever felt as Moses felt? "And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in they sight, that thou latest the burden of all this people on me?" We can get all self-righteous here and think, Wow Moses, why would you even say this about the job God has given you! But this verse also begs the question as a follower how many times have I made the leader feel this way? Don't make the leader regret serving God! If you are currently complain, spreading strife, not following, then STOP!

3. Numbers 11:14-17 I love what Moses says here: "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me." I love what God does here. He doesn't say, that's it, you're done, when Moses realized he couldn't do it alone! God give his 70 men who follow Moses. God allows Moses to transfer his leadership, vision and burden to these men. This does two things, it gives Moses a break, and it multiplies Moses' influence! We need to realize that we can do nothing on our own and truly it is ALL God and nothing of us!

4. Numbers 11:21-23 The people are complaining for meat and God says they are going to get some. Moses asks if they are going to have to kill all their flocks or hater all the fish and God asks Moses an important question, "Is the Lord's hand waxed short?" You know, we still serve the same God today that Moses served. Do you have an impossible task ahead of you? Is his hand shortened? There is a passage and I couldn't find it that talks specifically about his hand not being shortened or else I'm hallucinating and it was a sermon I heard once but anyways, I didn't find two verses that talking about the Lord's hand, Philippians 4:5 says, "The Lord is at hand." and Psalms 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." God's hand is NOT shortened! He still provides! but . . .

5. I think this is so sad. One thing I determined as a teenager that I wanted to learn from my mistakes the FIRST time and because I was going to make so many in my life time I wanted to learn from ones from those I come into contact with kinda figuring I could save time and not have to make this mistakes as well! But here you find, first part of Numbers 11 that they are complaining and God sends a fire that consumes the fringe people . . . but the people don't learn! They continue to complain for meat and God hears them and He gives them what they THINK they want. He gives them quail and it talks about how greedy these people were filling up on quail and piling it up! As they are chewing and the quail is between their teeth God sends a plague killing those who lusted after the quail! 1st lesson, Don't complain, 2nd lesson, Don't continue to complain!

6. I think Numbers 12:3-10 is important to note, God takes it VERY seriously when you speak against HIS man! Miriam is given leprosy and put out of the camp fro 7 days. The whole camp was stopped for 7 days while they waited for Miriam. If you dare to complain about God's man He does hear and He will take care of you! But not just you, you could hinder a WHOLE group of people from being able to move forward! I have witnessed several occasions where people have complained about my husband and God has struck them that day, the very next day, and often within that same weak, with CRAZY stuff! Stuff they had been trying to get heeled and now permanently damaged. Stuff that they had never had problems with and BAM in the hospital! It is very serious to complain about God's man! He WILL deal with you! So if you are going to remember Miriam and just shut up!

WOW!!!! These whole three chapters were so convicting! All this complaining . . . they kept complaining and specifically had said they wanted the garlic, onions and fish they had had in Egypt. What is interesting to note was that it was LITERALLY just around the corner but instead they settle for quail. Then they have to wait 7 days for Miriam. The cleansing they had experience just a few chapters before was all gone. They had been spending their boldness complaining about God and what he was doing and about his man. Now they are faced with a REAL problem, not a perceived problem! And what do they do? They get scared. Complaining evidently leaves you weak and unable to fight the battles that WILL most definitely be brought in your life! I don't want to be like these Israelites. I want to learn from their mistakes and instead of complaints I want my mouth to be filled with praises for my God. Psalms 71:8 says, "Let my mouth be filled with they praise and with thy honor all the day." When our mouth is FILLED with God's praise, we won't have room for complaints!