Do you ever complain about how your life is going? Are many of the words you use every day not positive? Could you categorize them as complaining?
In this episode, I show you an example from the Old Testament (Numbers 14:2-24) where the children of Israel complained, and then I remind you God likes it better when you are thankful.
Here's the video on the Jesus Mighty Men YouTube Channel
It is always easier to complain but is it better for you in the long run? I believe the ten spies in Numbers chapter 13 and 14 could have saved everyone time and heartache if they had known this lesson before they opened their mouths.
Read Philippians 4:6,7, and I believe you will find the "secret" to help you when you feel like complaining
If you would like a transcript of the podcast I attached it to this post so you can skim through it if you would like. (This transcript is included to help machine generated and not perfect but will help you get the message.)
Welcome to episode 254, in the beginning, was the Word and The Word was with God. And the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Spending time in the word of God is the best way to spend time with God. Welcome to the No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast, where we will encourage, inspire and empower you to live your best life in Christ. Here's Greg, Welcome to episode 254, grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord. Jesus Christ. Well, I'm continuing with the teaching does God mind if we complain? In the previous episode, I talked about how Moses and Aaron fell on their face before God, after the people complained.
And this was in Numbers 14:2 through, I don't even know I'm going to read it again because I have superior reading skills and all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness, why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, let us select a leader and return to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their face before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And it's going to talk about Joshua and Caleb that are, they've tried to quiet the people down.
And once these people have made up their minds, this is mob mentality and there are on it. And so in a 11, 14:11, then the Lord said to Moses, how long will these people reject me? And how long will they not believe me with all the signs that are performed among them? And I'm going to stop there because the guy's asking a pretty good question right there. And he's saying, I've been doing all of these miracles. I took them from poverty. I took them from slavery to wealth. I brought them from slaves to a nation and I am their God. And I go with them during the day. And I stay with them during the night.
It was incredible what God did for the children of Israel. And they still complained anyway. And I want you to see that these 12 spies that they sent out in Numbers, I think it's 13, 14, but Moses sent them out. And they were leaders among the people of Israel. These were from each tribe, there were 12 tribes and they sent out a leader. So the best of the best went out among the people and came back and 10 of the 12 come back with a bad report. And then it just gets worse. Cause then they stirred up the whole congregation to yell and scream and complain about how God led them out here to the wilderness to just die.
And then they said it would be better if they'd have died in Egypt or if they'd have died in the wilderness, but to die by the sword and have the wife and kids come and die. And I mean, you, you can read it on your own, but that to me is just incredible. And it's so telling and Moses then goes on and, and God, if you continue in the whole chapter 14, it talks about where Moses and God were communicating. And God's saying, look, I just want to take them all out. I'm just going to take them all out. And then Moses starts today and God now, you know, Egypt, the people are going to find out that you didn't, that you couldn't handle this. That's not gonna look good.
And so Moses is trying to save these people. And, and finally, Moses reminds God, how long-suffering, how patient, and that's one of the fruits of the spirit. And when I'm teaching about this, I've got to remind you that God, when we read the Bible and we see the characteristics of God, we have got to remember that God is love. And if we don't remember that, well, we'll get short-sighted and we'll start being like, the people here were started going well, that, that wasn't very good, but, but we're going to go in next, in the next episode, I'm going to talk about Job. And some of the lessons that I find that fascinating about job and Joe had every opportunity to complain.
I mean, it's incredible what happened to Job. I don't want to take that lesson into this lesson, but I just want you to think about in your life when you've got things that don't go quite right. And I just want to remind you that God said to be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, make your request known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And I know I've got that memorized, ish. I kind of got that in my mind and I'll put up, of course, I'm going to put it up on the screen, but I want you to just think about if you're in a thankful state, it just changes your whole disposition.
And I just want to encourage you that when Moses saw this Moses and Aaron, they fell down, that's called that you can see that humbleness or humility in kind of common sense too. If you think about it where it's like, oh no, these people don't have any idea what they're doing. And I've said this, and I know it's probably not really that kind, but you can't fix stupid. And when you see these people, God performed 10 miracles or 10 signs before he left, they left Egypt and they left. Remember we talked about it last episode that they left with gold and silver and they found favor. And God said, look, before you leave, he said that at the beginning of all this, when he talked to Moses that I'm going to dare find favor in the Egyptians.
I mean, he's God sees the end from the beginning. So he knew what was going to happen and said, look, I'm, they're going to find favor and they're going to get gold and silver when they leave. And so that is just incredible. And these people went from slaves, went from having to do everything that the Egyptians told them to do, getting beat, living horrible lives, not having any control whatsoever, but it just goes to show you that if you start getting into a habit, even if it's a bad habit, it's hard to get out of that. And it's hard once it gets ingrained. And that's a whole nother rabbit that I'm not going to chase on this episode, but once something gets ingrained in you, it becomes hard to pull it out.
And I would call that. And the Bible, I think, caused that a stronghold. And that's where you need the word of God. And again, this is your soapbox moment. I don't know what number it is this year, but it is, you have got to get in the word of God and allow the word of God to get into you. And when you do that, you will start growing in the word and you will start growing in grace and truth as Jesus did. And we're going to talk in the next episodes about how God doesn't do anything. Like just like that. He just does not do things. Not all the time. Sometimes it's immediate. But most of the time when he's trying to teach a lesson, it's going to be the kingdom of God. And it is why Jesus said it's easier for a camel to go through an eye of the needle than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
And look, I'm going to tell you one more time and I didn't write one word of the Bible and I was not there when Jesus said that, but he is not talking about some gate in Israel where the camels had to kneel down, I heard people talk about, well, then the camels knelt down and they had to go in there with the doors or whatever. No, He's saying that it's impossible for a rich person to enter into God's way of doing things on His own. And then He says, but with God, you know, cause then the disciples said, well Jesus, how would anybody do this? And he said, with man, it's impossible with God. It's not impossible. And, and again, I'm paraphrasing because I'm just going by the story.
And I don't want to look down and start reading my Bible, but I just want you to understand that God is not happy when we complain. God loves it when we're thankful. And I want to encourage you. You remember you got to pick a side. If you go to John 10:10, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. You've got to pick a side. Are you going to be abundant life? Are you going to be on the side of the guy that steals and kills and destroys? Are you going to pick God or are you going to pick money? There are all kinds of decisions. Are you going to be sin and death? Or are you going to be a slave to righteousness?
We have to decide. There are multiple decisions that we have to make every day. And this is just one of them. Moses and Aaron fell on their face. And I want to pick up the story and it's in 17. We're where Moses said, and now I pray. Let the power of my Lord be great. Just as you have spoken saying, the Lord is long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he, by no means clear the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Pardon the iniquity of this people. I pray according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt, even until now, then the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word, but truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord because all these men who have seen my glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness and have put me to the test now these 10 times and have not heated my voice, they certainly shall not see the land, which I swore to the fathers, nor shall any of those who reject me see it.
But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and is followed me fully. I will bring into the land where he went in, his descendant shell inherited. This is where they have to start wandering for 40 years until all of the people that were 20 years and older that was complaining on this day and said, oh, God is, you know, he's going to have us destroyed. They all fell in except Caleb and Joshua. They're the only two that made it into the promised land that spied out this land and we're over 20 years. And that is incredible. And that's what I want to get on this point here, this episode, I want you to see how powerful gratitude and trusting the word of God is and how devastating complaining and not trusting the word of God is.
And I think that we have just come into this world now, and everybody is just, it just seems like they're so fearful and anxious and nervous. And we got all this war going on in Ukraine with Russia, and it's just, it's not helping. It's just not helping the fear factor. The only thing that you can do is based on how my life is going. That it's the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. And I just want to encourage you to just get into this word and be grateful for what you have. And tell God how wonderful He is and tell, and be sincere and humble yourself. And I just want to encourage you not to complain.
I do it, and I'm not here to tell you that I don't ever complain. When I get behind a car and I'm getting better. I promise you, I'm getting better. I'm driving. And I'm reminding myself, you know, love is patient love is kind, and I've memorized that. And I thank God that he made me memorize first Corinthians 13. I think it's four through seven. What love is, and I'm not going to, I'm not going to say of it right now. I say that over and over. When I start feeling myself, gripping that steering wheel, and I know I've got a problem, but I'm working through it and I'm not here to tell you, oh, I've got all this figured out. I'm just like you I'm, but I am getting in this word and I'm allowing this word to get inside of me.
And then I'm making adjustments in my life. And it's not about perfection. We've talked about this multiple times. It's about correction. And if we just correct course, if we just repent is changing your mind. If we just change our mind on how we react and just say, look, I'm just not going to come. If I find myself complaining, I'm going to remind myself of numbers 14, and I'm going to go back and I'm going to read that and I'm going to go. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to complain. I'm going to fall on my face before God and ask him to forgive me and say, look, help me to be more like you. Well, that's enough for this episode. Let's pray real quick. God, I thank you so much for your word.
I thank you for the old Testament Lord that shows us how people reacted, how you acted, and how we can learn from these. Sometimes these failures and sometimes these successes. But God, I thank you so much for allowing me to be here on earth at this time. And I thank you. Holy Spirit, that you'd never leave me nor forsake me. And I pray right now in Jesus' name for this listener that you would just encourage them to be thankful and grateful. And if they find themselves complaining, Lord help them and we thank You. We love you ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, thanks for being a part of this. And I look forward to visiting with you in the next episode.
Thanks for listening to the No Doubt, No Fear Only Believe podcast at www.NoDoubtOnlyBelieve.com.