Are YOU even THANKFUL?

Why is murmuring and complaining such a big deal in the Bible? I mean… really? What’s so wrong with complaining a little? Not everything is always going right? A little discontentment should not be that bad…

Have you ever been around people who are always complaining about something? They’re so difficult to be around. It’s like listening to “trash radio” constantly.

The murmurer always begins murmuring in his heart first and that’s why it finally comes out of his mouth. Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh. Complainers never bring out solutions, they bring out the problems along with their whole sobby and soggy spirit added to it.

Plus, they’re never wrong. They love passing the blame. Murmuring is the voice of the Enemy and his doubts, and a critical spirit sows dissension, disunity and discord; one of the seven abominations to God! The only thing that makes a murmurer happy is more murmuring.

God hates murmurers. Look what happened to the older generation in the Sinai Desert! They had just been miraculously delivered by God from years of bondage in Egypt and they just couldn’t be thankful. 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 parts of the camp” (NUM.11:1). If we can’t be thankful for what we receive, we should at least be thankful for what we escape.

When we are murmuring, we can’t have faith. When you’re unthankful nothing makes you happy. And you want to bring the whole world down with you just so they’ll sympathize with your griping. There’s a progression to it. First you doubt, then you murmur, then you rebel!

God hates murmuring, complaining, grumbling, and grouching almost more than any other sin, because it’s putting the enemy’s doubts and fears into words, and sharing his lies with others. It has the opposite effect of witnessing the truth of the Word of God! It gets others down and unhappy and discouraged and doubting and fearing and finally murmuring and complaining just like you are.

God loves a thankful heart. Even in prayer, we are to “enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name” (Ps 100:4). God likes you to thank Him ahead of time. It shows you have faith.

When our kids were young we used to watch the movie “Pollyanna” with them almost once a week, just to emphasize the need to play the “glad game”. In fact, most of them have it memorized. Ha!

That night on the sea of Galilee when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to look down at the WAVES, he got worried and began to SINK!

The Devil’s always trying to discourage us and get us to give up and quit, especially when we’re going through rough times, times when we really need to walk by FAITH and keep our eyes on the LORD. (2 Cor 5:7) The enemy comes along to get us to look at the circumstances and to look at the impossibilities of the situation, to look at our own faults, failings and mistakes, because he knows that if we do, we’ll surely SINK!

So when you’re tempted to get down, disheartened and discouraged, that’s the time to FORCE yourself to PRAISE the Lord and count your BLESSINGS and fill your mind and heart, and even your voice, with positive thoughts and words of praise, quoting Scripture and singing songs to the Lord, and it will just chase the Devil away! Just let the LIGHT in–the Light of God’s Word, of prayer, of praise, of serving and helping others–and the DARKNESS will FLEE of itself!

You’re not gonna go far with God with a murmuring spirit. Get rid of it. “Do all things without murmurings and disputings” (PHI.2:14).

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 “Yes, it’s pretty hard,” the optimistic old woman admitted. “I have to get along with only two teeth–one upper, one lower–but, thank goodness, they meet.”