Complaining is like chocolate in your shirt pocket melting in the dryer. When the heat is on, when things get hard and difficult and we start to complain, to share our grievances and our dissatisfaction with others, it gets all over everybody. It stains anyone and everyone around us. It does damage to the family of God. Impacts other people's lives. It can even impact people who don't know Jesus and influence them away from God.

How have you seen complaining impact an entire group?

If God says, “This is what I want for your life: for you to give thanks in all circumstances, to do everything without complaining and arguing” and we don’t do that, we instead decide to complain, express dissatisfaction, grumble, groan, run down, lament, bellyache, grouse — then what is that? It’s disobedience. It’s a sin. And if that’s disobedience, if it’s a sin, then we need to repent of the days that we have been ungrateful, where we have complained and whined and have been constantly critical because it runs contrary to the Kingdom. And because it effects the body of Christ, the church. It impacts our witness for Jesus Christ. And it can even keep God's people from doing God's will.

What does it mean to crave something?

Things to remember about COMPLAINING...

1) Complaining is CONTAGIOUS

Things to remember about COMPLAINING...

1) Complaining is CONTAGIOUS

Things to remember about COMPLAINING...

1) Complaining is CONTAGIOUS

2) Complaining always CREATES more COMPLAINTS

Crawford Loritts has said one of the problems with the evangelical church today is that we make secondary issues the primary issue.

What secondary issues have you been tempted to make primary rather than making disciples?

One commentator equated complaining with blasphemy. Because what is it except saying to God, “I don’t believe You are taking care of us. I don’t believe you have us, that you are in control. And I don’t believe that You’re going to do what You said You would do.” So when you strip down complaining that’s what it is: it is a refusal to trust God. It’s a refusal to acknowledge His goodness and grace and kingship of our life, of our church, of our world. And so God takes this personally.

Where do you struggle to trust God?

For all that You've done

I will thank You

For all that You're going to do

For all that You've promised

And all that You are

Is all that has carried me through

Jesus I thank You

And I thank You thank You Lord

(And I thank You thank You Lord)

Thank You thank You Lord

(Thank You thank You)

Thank You for loving and setting me free

Thank You for giving Your life just for me

How I thank You Jesus I thank You

Gratefully thank You thank You

© 1991 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc. 1