Thursday, October 10, 2013

Lord, Change My Complaining Attitude

If you’ve been looking for a Bible study to do at home, I HIGHLY recommend this one! We just started it and God has already begun an incredible work in my heart. Wanted to share notes from the first week…

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”- Philippians 2:14-15"

Lord, Change My Attitude

Introduction:

1. com·plain

to express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event.

synonyms:

protest, grumble, whine, bleat, carp, cavil, grouse, make a fuss; More

object, speak out, criticize, find fault;

informalkick up a fuss, raise a stink, bellyache, moan, snivel, beef, sound off, gripe

In the short term, complaining separates us from God. In the long term, it becomes a lifestyle that casts us into the wilderness. By clinging to the idol of a perfect life, we are flushing away the grace of God. The root of complaining is unbelief (about God, His promises, etc.). Complaining is not just a habit to kick, it is a perspective to change. It is a BIG deal to God and will not be tolerated. God never shrugs off complainers- He deals with them. If you are a chronic complainer, just set your watch: discipline is coming. Complaining isn’t just a little problem with attitude: it’s a major problem that poisons you and everyone around you. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and invited the enemy to cause havoc in our lives.

Ex: God rescued the people of Israel from Egypt, yet they still complained and were sent to live in the wilderness.

- Numbers 11: 1-10, 18-20, 23, 31-34; 14:2

Complaining is a sin (missing the mark; failing in regards to God’s holy standard and just demands):

Ø Against yourself

Ø Against God

Ø Against others

Are you a complainer??

-What is your attitude when you first get out of bed in the morning?

-It’s easy to see it in others. It’s hard to see it in ourselves. When we complain, we think we’re just getting things off our chest. When others complain, we think, “Now that’s not helping anything.”

Three Common Complaints:

· Complaints of the Flesh

· Complaints of Jealousy

· Complaints of Authority

-Complaining is destructive. As we’ve looked at how God dealt with the Israelites, we understand that He takes complaining personally. He considers our grousing an act of unbelief directed toward Him. He’s the One who provides us life, breath, health, security, food, and drink; yet we complain and we’re saying His provision isn’t good enough.

“And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” -1 Corinthians 10:10- 11

“And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.” -Numbers 11:1

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” –Ephesians 4:29

“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” – James 5:9

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Philippians 4:8

What promises of God & blessings are you forfeiting when you complain? (John 10:10, Ephesians 3:20)

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EVERY person has something difficult in their lives about which we could complain. Embrace difficulties as a tool God is using to keep you humble and close to Him. He wants us to change our attitudes and he will NOT tolerate complaining.

Questions to Ponder:

- Are you restless in your faith because you haven’t seen an answer to some important prayer?

- Have you been grumbling because you’ve trusted God for a need you feel He hasn’t met?

- Have you been ungrateful for what the Lord has given you?

- Do you start to complain when you focus on what you don’t have rather than trusting God to provide what you need?

- Do you tend to notice the bad in others and situations rather than the good?

**Start a list of situations where you complain, when you hear complaining, or when you’re tempted to complain. Learn to be more mindful of it in others and ESPECIALLY in yourself. Make an effort and begin a habit of replacing that negative thought before the attitude of complaining leads you into the wilderness.

Reference: MacDonald, James. Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (April 1, 2008)

7 comments:

Amy said...

Perfect timing...God has been dealing with me on this very issue lately! Specifically with work and some of the people there. THANK YOU so much for this post..I should really print it out and carry it with me :) I'm getting that Bible study!

Unknown said...

Oh, I need to check this out!!! Also, have you read "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young!!! It's a great, short read for a pick-me-up, randomly during the day!!! It's a short verse and a little example! Check it out! They have a free, 5-day trial of it in the App Store!!

Caroline @ Adventures in Living Lean said...

I might have to check this out! I've been working back through Breaking Free by Beth Moore recently. Also, I love the THINK method of evaluating what you say.

Unknown said...

Definitely what I needed today. It's so much easier to find the bad rather than the good. I need to show the kids I nanny for the THINK method. Complaining is something we definitely need to work on in our time together. Thank you so much for posting this!!!

Anonymous said...

Love this post, exactly what I needed today. I am going to get this book!
Happy Friday!

Unknown said...

Great post. Just what I needed this morning. Going to print this out and carry it with me for awhile. Also going to check out the bible study. Thanks!

Holly said...

This looks like an excellent book to read. I'm in the middle of 'Idol Lies' with my church's Bible study so that's been giving me plenty to think about, but this really looks awesome and I'll have to remember it when this one is over!