Grumble and You Crumble

by Donna L. Watkins

Charles Spurgeon said, "I believe free will is the delight of sinners, but that God's will is the glory of saints. There is nothing I desire more to get rid of than my own will, and to be absorbed into the will and purpose of my Lord. To do according to the will of Him who is most good, most true, most wise, most mighty, seem to me to be heaven. Let others choose the dignity of independence, I crave the glory of being wholly dead in Christ and only alive in Him!"

© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - Kilgore-Lewis House Gardens - Circa 1838 - Greenville, SC

How awesome a mindset of heart! The whole world throbs with temptations to steal us away from relationship with God and with free will we get to choose whether to be washed along those currents to an end of misery, or to choose obedience for a life of blessing.

Not that obedience means we don't ever have problems. The devil never gives up on tormenting and tempting us, and God will allow it for our growth so that we can become like Christ and enter into relationship that is so consuming that the circumstances of life bear no weight or detraction from our joy.

God had freedom and promises in mind for Israel when He brought them out of Egypt to deliver them into a land flowing with milk and honey, but the Israelites couldn't keep their focus on God's love for them which creates trust in His provision. They had their eyes on Moses and at every trial they balked and complained, grumbled and mumbled until God had enough of it.

Moses interceded so He would not destroy them, but God said they would not enter into the Promised Land. As we know they chose death in the wilderness over trust and faith in their God.

Peter Horrobin says, "When we complain about our circumstances we are forgetting that God may be wanting to develop godliness and maturity in us. Instead of trusting in what God's doing in the circumstances and in Him leading us through them, we miss out all around."

If Satan can make you believe God doesn't love you because you've got bad circumstances right now, then you will fear, because the only option other than faith is fear. When we grumble against God, we are actually offering worship to the devil because he is the only one getting glory if we do not respond as Job did.

As you know from the book of Job, in one day, Job lost everything but his life and wife ... and from what is stated about his wife's grumbling, it may have been a blessing if he lost her also. The devil certainly tried to use that wife to get Job to choose the wrong direction.

In Job 2 she says, "Curse God and die: you have nothing to hope for from God and therefore nothing to live for." God had told Satan when he appeared before God for permission to test Job that he could not take Job's life, so obviously the devil wanted Job to take it himself.

Satan could not stand the righteousness of Job and he certainly was not pleased when at the end of the day of the devil's destruction, with all of his children dead, Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped (Job 1:21).

Can you imagine that? I cannot. But there is hope offered in this story of Job that in the midst of such great loss there is grace to know that God is the only chance we have of making it through.

Back to free will vs. God's will. It's not an easy choice to stand in faith and trust that God is in every detail of our lives. Everywhere we look and listen we are being told to have it our way and that we deserve more. Deserve more of what? More misery? It seems that's all that having more brings us. We are so empty of dreams, hope, love, joy, peace and grace to withstand the most amazing trials ... because the world has misplaced values of what our most important possessions are. We leave relationships behind, not only with God, but with family and friends, to acquire more stuff that does not satisfy and more gadgets that will isolate us.

Oh! that we as a nation would turn away from all the stuff and hit the ground like Job, repent and return to God's will for our lives. There is a river that flows from God, but instead of dwelling near it we often follow small tributaries that may have God's visitation upon them from time to time ... but we should let go of the minor things to focus on the major things that God is calling us to. We were designed for a purpose and far too often most Christians settle for so much less because it seems good, even thought it's not God's best.

© 2010 Donna L. Watkins - "Being Still Spot" in Kilgore-Lewis House Gardens - Circa 1838 - Greenville, SC

Lean in, seek His face, give your heart over to Him and walk in obedience of His commandments. Obedience brings blessings without end. Exchange your good for His best. Ask Him and keep asking until you hear. If you can't hear, fast and pray. We give more attention to an entertainment event than we do when we want to hear from the Lord.

God tells us to 'be still and know that He is God' so you can't run the fast lane and expect to catch a text message along the way. God calls us apart from the world so we can hear His voice. Schedule a time now, my friend.

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The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website: © 2010 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.