No Complaints Challenge

Dear diary,

Boy, this entry really changed my view of things. This week I decided to try a 'no-complain' challenge. The rules were very straight-forward: whenever you feel like complaining, don't. The idea is to be mindful of what we think and say in order to stop complaining. I was inspired by this challenge by Prophetess Tiphani Montgomery, who discussed replacing worry with worship on a live stream. When she touched on complaining, I decided to give it a try. With that being said, I wanted to share my experience with you all and also challenge you to try this out for yourselves.

Surprise! You've Got Complaints

Prior to this challenge, I didn't think I complained as much. In fact, the bad areas of my life that I was aware of convinced me that I had been 'working' on them. But when I started this challenge, I realized that even though I may not have been complaining as much out loud, there was a lot of chatter going on on the inside. I was surprised by how much I had been complaining in my heart and mind. I had been walking in this false reality.

It's important in this walk with God to always evaluate ourselves righteously. The closer we get to God ,the more refined we become. In our refinement, we are constantly being molded, and things like complaining will be exposed in the process. Honesty is super important here. We serve a God of truth, and it is crucial that we are honest with ourselves in order to determine where we are and to be able to detect complaints in our lives.

"Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us."

Romans 12:3

Imaginary Issues

Instead of imaginary friends, I had been entertaining imaginary issues. A lot of the 'problems' that I was dealing with were not issues at all. And if they were, we have revelation that the one true living God will make it work for our good. Sometimes the expectations of the world can place us in a position of need when, in reality, we lack nothing in Christ.

This isn't a new phenomenon. In fact, Moses had to deal with that when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt. Many times they would complain to Moses (indirectly, they were actually complaining to God), and this would lead to delay and discipline. In some cases, the complaining was started by foreigners among them (read Numbers 11). But if we read their journey through the wilderness, we see that they never lacked resources, even when they were in what seemed like an impossible situation.

What does this tell us? We serve a resourceful God who loves us and cares for us. We know in our truth that we lack nothing in Christ, but sometimes the people and expectations around us can make us feel like we need to complain when we really don't. Don't let your complaints delay your destiny.

"We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come."

1 Corinthians 10:9-11

A Spoon Full of Gratitude

This challenge made me realize that I was suffering from a severe case of complaining and needed to be treated ASAP. It's a good thing we serve the Great Physician, who is always ready to heal us. If a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, then a mouthful of thanksgiving makes the complaints go away. If you've tried this challenge and have realized that you have been infected too, first repent to God for your unnecessary complaining to him. Then thank him for whatever you have been complaining about.

It's ok to pray to God about a situation, but when we start to infect our faith with complaints, that is where the trouble comes in. Thankfulness clears our vision to truly see what is really going on. It removes the focus of our problems and gives it to God, the way it should always be.

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.!"

Philippians 4:6-7

This challenge was a journey that brought light to the dark places in my heart. But God loves us so much that he moves us to improve in him. The God Girl Diary is a place that fosters growth. I want all of us to remove complaining from our hearts and minds and to walk in a posture of gratitude. This is definitely something that I am going to keep working on, and I pray that you will too!

Lord, thank you that you give us so much to be grateful for. I pray that your Holy Spirit continues to convict us and mold us in your image. I give you all the glory and honor. Amen.

- xoxo God's Girl