Few things will put us in a spiritual wilderness to wonder faster, than a critical spirit. A critical spirit zaps all the joy out of our spiritual walk and leaves us with a dry and dessert feeling, as we find ourselves wondering around trying to figure out exactly what happened to our peace and spiritual joy. Like a slow toxic poison, it digs down deep within us and spreads through our heart and into our minds until we become cynical and downright, an “ugly person”. The consequences of our critical attitudes begin to show up and often times, others notice them in us before we do. God warns us about being critical, because He loves us and wants to protect us from the awful consequences that He knows will take place in our lives if we do not take His advice. For He knows far better than we do, that we will fall in to the “emotional roller coaster effect”, that being critical always brings into our lives. If, it is our desire as a child of God, to walk with Him, then we must be more mindful of what we say to and about others, by taking the higher ground and keeping our mouths closed and our hearts under the submission and Lordship of Jesus Christ. How we treat others, or see things from God’s perspective and not our own. Maybe we would do better to vent in prayer, than to vent to others with our sad discourses of how we may feel in a situation. I have never really seen a situation get better, over someone venting in the flesh. But I have however, seen the devastation it has reeked in the lives of people who continue, to never learn to adhere to the warnings found in the scripture, to remain silent and let the Lord do the vindicating on everyone’s behalf. God is at work in our life. He is elbow deep in trying to help us. We should be ever thankful for that, and our gratitude to Him for it, is to surrender to His chisel in what He wants to accomplish in us. Complaining is not just a habit that we work on kicking, but a perspective and frame of mind that we strive to change. Our feeling as though we are living in a wilderness comes from the fact that we turn from all that we’ve received and focus on what we still want or need. You don’t stop complaining by taping your mouth, but by replacing those complaints with words of gratitude to God. Focus on those things that draw you to God and not what turns you away from Him. Are you finding it hard to be thankful for your job right now? If so, call up someone who is looking for a job. Are you being critical of people that are on your last nerve? The Scripture tells us to pray for them and be kind to them, are you doing that, or lashing out hateful venom over your situation to them or maybe others concerning them? Being grateful and kind are not simple courtesies that we offer to God and others. It’s way more than that! It’s outright obedience to the Word of God. Ingratitude will take you nowhere. Having an attitude of gratitude reflects to God and others that your heart is crucified to pride and selfishness. Being grateful is seeing yourself as a benefactor of someone else’s grace and your humility is the healthy soil that nourishes that grace and keeps your light reflecting Him, who you call, “Heavenly Father”. Philippians 2:14-15 14. Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world...
Loving on you today,
Bren
