Do everything without complaining

Phillipians 2:14-15
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

I have been slightly absent from blogging lately, but it is not for a lack of things that I am learning and want to share. I started James MacDonalds new workbook study Lord Change My Attitude to see if I want to lead it next before Esther comes out in November. Whew! Let me tell you I have been noticing some wilderness attitude in myself. I don't think I have realized how much complaining I have done under the name of "justification". Also, as I have been thinking on the LORD of all the Universe this past weekend (side note: I went to Secret Church and it was all about "Who is God?" so I have had so much to process...we took 73 pages of notes. We met for almost seven hours and I was literally on the edge of my seat meeting with God. Not because of the preacher but because of God showing up through this man who is 29 years old and brilliant, the Spirit of the Lord just rests on him. He has a fire in his bones for God's word. Lord, help me to be like that.)

So, I have been asking God to show me areas where I am complaining and ungrateful. I want to be aware that it is an affront to Him when I am constantly complaining.
Things I thought about today that I find myself complaining over:
-sometimes stuff at church
-my house being a wreck
-something Rod did or didn't do
-finances
-extended family issues
-where would God have me in ministry
-gas prices
-grocery prices
-sometimes I find myself complaining about how hard it is being a stay at home mom.
-my health

The bottom line is...I complain instead of pray and it show my lack of contentment in the Lord. Not only that it drains me to complain...it just sucks my will to live. I have been reading about the Israelites in Numbers 11 and Psalm 106. I have written on this so many times but they forgot the things God had done for them and grumbled and complained until they aroused the anger of the Lord. He sent wasting diseases on them and also gave them their requests and sent leanness into their souls. It is only going to be a work of the Spirit that we get this complaining attitude to bow at the feet of Jesus and be thankful. Let's remember the Awesome things the Lord has done and think bigger of the God of the Universe. He is so Holy, so Faithful, so able to meet our needs. I am so convicted of how fast pace life gets and how we as a society take little time to think on the greatness of God because it is uncomfortable. We don't like to hear that we need to change for our good and His glory. I look back at some of the writings of Spurgeon and Tozer and I am blown away at their thoughts of God and how vast and awesome they were. I want to stop the fast pace and think and share like they did.

Psalm 141
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Let it be our prayer that God would change our hearts and that we would live in step with the spirit and only say what is helpful for building others up. Let the fruit of our lips be righteousness and blessing. I can't tell you how many times I have had to cry out like Isaiah in Isa. ch 6 Woe is me I am ruined...I am a man of unclean lips...and I live among a people of unclean lips. It is a work in progress but the Lord wants to change our hearts so we can bear much fruit...fruit that lasts.

Luke 6
44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

ps....I have been tested a lot today on this very material. Don't you love how the word digs down deep and exposes our thoughts and intentions. Oh that His grace would abound more and more. I need it.