Complaining

Exodus 15:24     "And the people complained against Moses saying, 'What shall we drink?' "
Exodus 17 :2 -3 "Therefore the people contended with Moses and said, 'Give us water, that we may 
                            drink.' So Moses said to them, 'Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt 
                            the Lord?' 
                            And the people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses 
                            and said, 'Why is it you have brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children
                            and our livestock, with thirst.?' "

Grumble, grumble, complaint, complaint, in fact moaning and groaning. The Israelites were never satisfied. God had used Moses to bring them out of Egypt, to freedom and all they could do was moan about him. They were totally ungrateful and were getting ready to stone Moses because of their feelings.
The main thing here, is that they were looking to man to provide not God. They had placed their trust in Moses instead of the Lord Almighty. Jeremiah 17:5 says, " Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh is strength. Whose heart departs from the Lord." It is futile to put our trust in another person.

An important point here is that, it is so easy to put your trust in a pastor because, after all, he is our leader and like a shepherd, he leads us in our walk with Jesus. That is ok if we don't put him in God's place. We should always have trust and respect for our leader but it is God who supplies, not him or her. It is God who will take us into Heaven, not the pastor. It is God who died in our place and no one else.

Point two, is grumbling and complaining just separates us from people. Who wants to spend time with a moaning old and so? All that does is rob us of our peace. It does not build us up.
Philippians 2:14 tells us, "Do all things without complaining and disputing". And that includes having the mental thoughts and questions in our minds. Deal with these thoughts before they lead you further from God.

God deserves our praise, not our moans and groans and dis-satisfied comments. How can people see Jesus in us when we are angry, disputing things and generally being dis-satisfied. What if God were to moan and groan about us. He would find much more to grumble about in us. However, He gives Grace. We don't deserve it but we get it and honestly, we should be so grateful to Him that through Jesus, He sees no stain on us.


                   

A.W.I.P.

1 John 3:2 - 3 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure."

We have a hope that one day we will see Jesus face to face; we will be with Him eternally. That is our hope. However, the word hope can often seem more like a wish. We often say to someone, 'I'll see you later hopefully,' or, 'The job will be finished this afternoon - hopefully.' Really what we're saying is wishful. We're not certain that we can fulfil what we've said, but we'll try. Look at the word 'hope' here in verse 3. It's a Biblical hope, it carries with it a certainty that it will happen. The word hopefully, is therefore stretched into 'hope - fully'. We fully hope that this will happen. There is a certainty about this.

Kenneth Copeland say, 'Wishing will not accomplish anything in the Kingdom of God. But hoping will, especially when you couple it with faith and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

If we are believers, that is if we have asked Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour, we have a Biblical hope that one day we will be with Him. It's not a 'hopefully' it's a 'hope -fully - a certainty.' However, we can often fear that we won't be good enough to get to Heaven. You may think that, because you keep on letting God down with this sin and that sin, that there is no chance whatsoever.

Wrong. you are 'A.W.I.P. This means you are 'A Work in Progress'. You are. 'Under Construction.' God knows where you fail. He knows how hard you try to be a Christian - how you try and live up to His Name. The thing is, he knows our hearts. He knows our intentions are good and He knows how sad we feel when we mess this up.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6:
"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

We are A.W.I.P - a work in progress. We are under construction. However, as Christians we have that Biblical hope that we will make it.

'Will my flesh rule this moment, or my spirit?'

The way we react to certain things is so important that we need to look at it, time and time again. We can either react in a way that creates a great atmosphere or react in a way that keeps things calm. However, I believe that it is a life long practice, one in which we have to be on guard day and night.
One never knows from one moment to the next what we're going to be faced with. Therefore, that is why it is so important to start the day by having a 'Quiet time' - reading the bible and praying, also ensuring that we are equipped with the Armour of God. (See a previous message).

Psalm 37:8 says, "Cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret, it only causes harm"

I love what RT Kendall says, 'Will my flesh rule this moment, or my spirit?' In other words, how are we going to react to a certain obstacle in our lives. We can either look at it in a suspicious and angry manner, which will obviously shatter any peace that existed; or react in a way that brings about peace and integrity. Don't get me wrong, I know this isn't easy. Some people have to go into therapy and undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help them with their thoughts and actions. This is very successful as it helps people to sort out why they did a certain thing or why this was said and how could it have been done better. If you have been referred for this, keep at it as it will help.

However, from a Christian point of view, as we read about the great people in  the bible we often see that many were angry, depressed and wanting to pack it all in. Some, like Peter were prone to a quick temper at times and could be outspoken. At one stage in the Garden of Gethsemane he cut off someone's ear with a sword. You may not have gone that far but you may identify with this reading.

What are your reactions like? I'll be honest, mine are not good at times and I have to work at how I handle myself. God knows this. He knows how we are. He created us and gave His life for us and He puts up with us daily - thank God. But at times, we need to let Him help us sort stuff out. We need to be honest, He knows about how we react anyway. As we offer ourselves to Him, asking for His help, He will teach us to learn how to react differently. How to change how we think (Romans 12:2), and begin to help us to be free from making a mess of things on a frequent basis.

It can start with allowing time each day to spend in God's Word, spending time with Him and learning be more like Him.
Give it a try and before long, you will be allowing your spirit to rule, not your flesh.

Enjoy your day

"This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118: 24 NKJV

As I sit at my window the weather is awful, teeming down with rain, the wind is blowing things all over the place. Looking out of the window at all of this, I notice rubbish bins blowing all over the garden but it is so wet and cold, I don't want to go out and rectify this.
Have you ever felt like this? What about when you wake up and realise it's not the weekend, it's a work day and possibly the busiest you're going to have for ages. How you wish you didn't have to go to work, 'If I could only win the lottery.'

At times, we're very tempted to say that it's an awful day, because of the weather or because we have such a massive workload ahead of us. Really though, why not turn this thought around and be grateful that you have a job to go to; a job that provides your needs. Many wish they had this. The weather may be awful but thank God we have weather. Many people who have died would give anything to have the weather back in their lives. The weather may be atrocious but that doesn't mean it's a bad day, just that the weather could be better than it is.
It comes down to choices. We have the choice to make the best of the day; to seize the opportunity and enjoy what life may bring. Or we can be down in the dumps and moan and groan about it.

The Psalmist tells us, 'This is the day the Lord has made.'  God has made this day for us - another day of our life. Many people won't wake up today, we have and He has given us a day to enjoy, to breathe in the joy He gives us.
Next the Psalmist says, 'We will rejoice and be glad in it.' This part of the verse could be personalised by submitting the word, "I," instead of "We." As I've mentioned, we have a choice, the bottle is half full or half empty. We can say 'I will rejoice in it,' or we can moan and whinge about all we have to do and it's not fair that we have to do this etc etc. We can either throw a pity party or rejoice and be glad.

Jesus Christ is faithful. He loves us more than we could ever realise and He wants us to get the most out of what He has given us to do. There are people dying in this world right now. People are starving and/or homeless. How grateful we should be to Jesus that by His grace, we are not one of them. The thing to ask ourselves, is, 'Can I do anything to help them? Can I pray for them or send an organisation some cash to help deal with a crisis? Can I personally do something and make this day a day that can promote rejoicing?
Think about it.

Being stubborn

Exodus 8:32
"But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused  to let the people go"

Stubborness can be described as a person showing total determination not to change one's mind, attitude or position about a particular thing. Despite heated arguments and pressure, a stubborn person may refuse to cooperate . They can be obstinate and hard-hearted, difficult and pig-headed in their approach. Data taken from (the Free Dictionary online).

Pharaoh's example of having a hard heart and stubbornness was through total unbelief in God. However, we as Christians can come pretty close at times especially if someone has hurt our feelings in the church or through lack of grace when we feel that we are right and everyone else is wrong. This type of stubbornness can lead us to being unteachable if we're not careful. Our attitude can stink and then we end up completely on the verge of ruining our credibility.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4: 1 - 3 'Therefore, I the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the body of peace.'

Sometimes we can be certain that we're right about a particular thing. In this case we need to talk the subject through with whoever it is that has caused you an upset or disagreement, if this is at all possible. Failing that, run it by a pastor or leader to gain some wisdom on the subject. Whatever happens, avoid the temptation to be stubborn, claiming, 'I'm right and no matter what, I will not change my opinion.' all this does is drive a wedge between  us and the peace of the Holy Spirit lifts off of us. (Not leaves us - ever, but we seem to lose our anointing).

We've all been stubborn at times. Come and live with me for a week or so and you'll discover that I am far from perfect. But then again, we are all the same in various levels.

Is there anyone that you may have offended in this way. Is it possible to speak with them and put things right, so that the unity of the Spirit can flow again. Stubbornness can lead to hard-heartedness. That is something we really need to avoid.                          

You can do it

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13 NKJV

This verse does not mean that if you decide to do something like swimming the channel when you can't swim, God will give you the strength to do it. What it does mean that Jesus will enable you to do whatever He asks you to do. Nothing is impossible when He calls you to do some work for Him.

The thing is, if God called you into His ministry and asked you to give up your job and go to
wherever, would you do it? Many people have and many have not. It is something that would need much wisdom, especially if you have a family to provide for. You would have to be sure that He was calling you out. That's not easy. Many have felt they are called and have failed because they got it wrong. The fact of the matter is, if Jesus calls you to go to bible college; go and work abroad on a missionary field etc. etc. He will clarify this. You will feel deep in your heart that this is the real thing. When you do, then comes the time when you have to put this into action. That can be the scary bit. 'How will we manage?' 'How will the bills be paid?' 'Who is going to foot the bill for all of this?' Some organisations provide finance to train, with housing. However, many don't, so it becomes a faith thing.

Bob Gass says, 'How many times does something look impossible simply because you think it is?' At a time such as this, our thought life can play havoc and it would be so easy to pack it in thinking you've got it wrong. That can be the wrong decision. If God is calling you out, He will provide what is necessary!. Check out: Philippians 4: 19:

"And My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

God is our source. We need to believe Him and receive His supply to us. This is where the faith thing really kicks in. There's no need to beg Him. He will supply and I know from experience that, even though it can seem scary at time, it is exciting watching Him supply in the most amazing ways.

Is God calling you out? Is He asking you to do a particular thing for Him? You may feel petrified about this. You may feel inadequate and think that you can't do that. God doesn't get things wrong. If He is calling you, it is because He trusts you and thinks you are very capable - with His help - to fulfill what He has in mind for you to do.

Get alone with Him and listen to what He is saying. Ask Him questions; He'll let you know. People like Moses had big doubts when God called him to go and speak with Pharaoh. He tried his best to get out of it. (Exodus 3 & 4). However God provided the way for him, and He will you too.

The Armour of God

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."   Ephesians 6: 14 - 18. NKJV

The armour is based on the first century battle dress that a Roman soldier would wear. Many Christians read this passage but don't fully understand the meaning of it. Let's take a few minutes to look:

(1) The belt of truth It refers to the truth of scripture in contrast to the lies of the devil. We live by the truth of God; He has set us free and people should be able to see in us, integrity and dedication to our faith. When we live in the truth, the devil finds it hard to hoodwink us.
(2) The Breastplate of righteousness This breastplate covers the heart and vital organs of our body. It is Jesus' righteousness  that protects us - not ours. He gives us this freely. The breastplate protects us against the accusations and charges that satan spreads about us. We are  righteousness but it's Christ's righteousness, not ours.
(3) Shoes of the Gospel of peace We are to advance in peace as we meet and speak with people. There's enough hatred and unrest in this world. We, as Soldiers of the Lord, put on the shoes of peace and we walk into every kind of situation, spreading the Peace of God, wherever we go.
(4) The shield of faith Roman soldiers used to carry a very large shield when they went into battle. It would cover the whole of the front of their body and would be covered in very thick leather, which they would saturate in water. Often the enemy they met would fire arrows at them that had been dipped in pitch and tar. They would then be lit. The arrows would sink into the shields and be extinguished because of the water. Satan attacks us with fiery darts or arrows which can come in the guise of doubt, fear, accusation, temptations and lust, to name but a few. Ensuring we hold up our spiritual shield will help us to combat these attacks.
(5) Helmet of salvation The helmet protects the head and is symbolic of making sure we use this to protect us from all the bad thoughts that may come into our minds, the one's that bring doubt and suspicion; jealousy and envy.
(6) The sword of the Spirit We need to read our bibles so that we will be equipped to combat false truth that may come our way. In the Word of God, there are promises we can stand on; there is direction that we surely need and assurance of God's love and commitment to us. As we memorise these scriptures, we are able to use them in time of need. However, if we don't read, we'll be in need when the flak comes against us and we may live to regret not studying it. It is food to Christians, if we go without food, we will soon become ill. In the same way, if we fail to eat of God's Word, we will suffer.
(7) Prayer Prayer is quite simply our conversation with God. However, it is more important. Prayer changes situations. People become healed when we pray. Amazing changes can come about by praying. We need to pray all the time. You don't need to get down on your knees each time. We can pray in the shower, the car, the supermarket in fact, wherever we choose. God speaks back to us but we need to learn to recognise His still, quiet voice.  In a nutshell, prayer changes things.

We all need to put on the armour each and everyday. We never know what we will meet as we leave home and go into this busy world. Make a practice of doing this each day. Also, find time to study this piece of scripture yourself. There is far more in it than I could cover here.