Now that you have a Biblical perspective of the Christian life and the trials that attend all of God’s people, you will need to guard your mind whenever trials arise and you’re tempted to complain. Brethren, IF YOU WANT TO QUIT COMPLAINING YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WATCH WHAT THOUGHTS YOU ALLOW TO ENTER YOUR MIND AND LODGE THERE. OUR WORDS ARE A REFLECTION OF OUR THOUGHTS. WHAT WE THINK WILL EVENTUALLY SHOW UP IN WHAT WE SAY. For example, if all we think about are the bitter things in life, we’ll become bitter persons and we’ll complain about the things that make us bitter. If we give our minds to doubting God’s Word, we’ll become doubtful persons and we’ll end up complaining about the negative circumstances that make us doubt. If our minds are filled with critical thoughts, we’ll become critical and our lips will ooze with criticism. Do you see what I’m saying? OUR WORDS COME FROM OUR HEART. AND WHAT’S IN OUR HEART IS A REFLECTION OF THE THOUGHTS THAT ARE IN OUR MIND.
Proverbs 23:7a tells us, For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. WE ARE WHAT WE THINK. OUR THOUGHTS AND WHAT WE MEDITATE ON ARE A FORMATIVE INFLUENCE THAT SHAPE OUR CHARACTER. THEY PRESCRIBE OUR CONDUCT. AND THEY DETERMINE WHAT OUR RESPONSE WILL BE TO ANY GIVEN SITUATION OR TRIAL. WE ARE WHAT WE GIVE OUR MIND TO AND WE DO WHAT WE DO—WE SAY WHAT WE SAY—BECAUSE OF OUR THOUGHTS.
If we want to keep our heart and tongue holy unto the Lord we must guard our mind and control what thoughts we allow to nestle there. To speak positively we’ve got to keep our minds focused on the positive promises of God. To speak lovingly to, and about, one another we’ve got to meditate on lovely thoughts about one another. To speak respectfully of those in authority we’ve got to have a respectful attitude towards God-ordained authority and submission. To speak edifying words we’ve got to dwell on thoughts that edify both ourselves and the people we’re thinking about.
So how do you keep yourself from complaining? GET YOUR ATTITUDES RIGHT AND KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS POSITIVE. The next time you’re tempted to complain about the guy who doesn’t know too much about fixing cars, be thankful for the expertise he has in fixing computers. The next time you’re tempted to complain about not having a juicy steak for supper, think about all the people in the world who don’t have any food to eat and be thankful that you’ve got stuff in the cupboards and fridge that you can feast on. The next time you’re tempted to complain about a message that steps on your toes, be thankful that the preacher loves you enough to warn you about the unseen dangers you’re in. The next time you’re tempted to criticize others, look at their good or strong points and commend them for that. Brethren, KEEP POSITIVE, THINK POSITIVE, AND YOU’LL SPEAK POSITIVE!
Coming Up On My Next Blog Post Part 8. Keeping a lid on our lip involves not only keeping a lid on our mind, but also a lid on our emotions. That’s a tough one. But we can do it with God’s help. Drop by next week and let God continue to get the complainer out of you.
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