Why complaining affects your decisions

Jan. 21, 2019

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Did you know that grumbling and complaining will cause you to make terrible decisions? James talks about it. “Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look! The Judge is standing at the door! For examples … look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord!” (James 5:9-10).

In other words, the Bible says, God’s presence is here. He knows what is going on more than we do; He is in control over everything. If we want to know the devastating effects of grumbling, look at the prophets or look at the history of Israel. 

The people of Israel had grumbling, arguing and complaining down to a science. They left Egypt and the first thing they did was grumble, complain and talk bad about others. Because of that, God rejected them from entering the Promised Land.

Grumbling and complaining does something to our spirit. It causes our spirit to not be open to the things of God, so we don’t recognize His movement around us. God warns us to steer clear of those excess words and be careful in our attitude and speech.

He isn’t asking us to be ignorant about problems or do nothing about them. But when we face challenging circumstances, we have a choice. We can grumble, argue and complain or we can with patience ask God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. 

How then do we reduce our dependence on complaining?

Be convinced of its destructive power

“… Don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example [and] they were written for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:10-11).

God said do not grumble as some did and were destroyed by the destroyer. An entrance is made for the destroyer who takes what is already going bad and makes it worse. It is our complaining that opens a door to a spiritually dark dimension added to what we are already wrestling with.

Live intentionally

How do we reduce our dependency on complaining? We have to live intentionally. Great lives do not happen automatically; they take place intentionally.

That is why we are going to hear certain commands in the Bible. God does not give suggestions or options. He gives commands because He knows great lives are only built intentionally.

Stay accountable

“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves …” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Have a problem with constant complaining? Find accountability, and with the Spirit’s help retrain your responses. 

It’s in this retraining that you’ll start to see how your lack of negative words has positively influenced your decisions and even your perspective. 

Photo source: istock 

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