Yet again another awesome post written by my insightful wife. Read this if you want to identify areas of stress and define priorities in your life.
Winners And Whiners
"not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times. not one of them will ever see the land I promised..."
Disobeyed Him. Twice!(Ex. 16:20, 16:27-29)
Worshipped something else other than Him. (Ex. 32:7-10)
and... They complained... FIVE TIMES!(Ex. 15:24, 16:3, 17:2-3, Nm. 11:1-2, 11:4)
This is what whiners do:
They worship themselves, something or someone other than God. They don’t think twice when facing a crucial decision, they find it easy to come up with excuses to disobey God. They don’t fully believe that he is able and that nothing is impossible to him. And, this is perhaps the most basic and loudest of them all... they whine and complain... ALL THE TIME!
Winners on the other hand are handmade, they are precious rare items found in small alley shops. They refuse to settle for the ordinary, they see opportunities instead of obstacles. Joshua and Caleb are great examples of winners. They trusted God to the core. They brought the minority report refusing to go with the majority. They saw opportunities instead of obstacles. They found reasons to move forward and take ground instead of coming up with excuses to shrink back.
Winners will not only see God’s miraculous power in action, but they will also ‘possess the land’. They may not lead a comfortable life but they will certainly lead a totally fulfilling one. They fully obey and trust God walking in total freedom as a result. And when they die they leave a legacy.
Are you a winner or a whiner?
- Numbers 14:22-23
They didn’t believe. Twice!(Ex. 14:11-12, Nm. 14:1-4)
I have noticed that the world is divided into two kinds of people; the winners and the whiners. Whiners can be found on wholesale, the shelves are full of them. They come in bulk. Whiners are always ready to complain and give excuses why they “can’t”. Two million whiners did not see the promise that God gave them because of their whining. They touched God’s heart with their cry, they heard his promise, they saw his miraculous works, they tasted his goodness and smelled the fragrance of freedom. Still they complained.
God was not exaggerating when he said that ten times they tested him:
Disobeyed Him. Twice!(Ex. 16:20, 16:27-29)
Worshipped something else other than Him. (Ex. 32:7-10)
and... They complained... FIVE TIMES!(Ex. 15:24, 16:3, 17:2-3, Nm. 11:1-2, 11:4)
This is what whiners do:
They worship themselves, something or someone other than God. They don’t think twice when facing a crucial decision, they find it easy to come up with excuses to disobey God. They don’t fully believe that he is able and that nothing is impossible to him. And, this is perhaps the most basic and loudest of them all... they whine and complain... ALL THE TIME!
Winners on the other hand are handmade, they are precious rare items found in small alley shops. They refuse to settle for the ordinary, they see opportunities instead of obstacles. Joshua and Caleb are great examples of winners. They trusted God to the core. They brought the minority report refusing to go with the majority. They saw opportunities instead of obstacles. They found reasons to move forward and take ground instead of coming up with excuses to shrink back.
Winners will not only see God’s miraculous power in action, but they will also ‘possess the land’. They may not lead a comfortable life but they will certainly lead a totally fulfilling one. They fully obey and trust God walking in total freedom as a result. And when they die they leave a legacy.
Are you a winner or a whiner?
Lessons from Habakkuk
1. Watch (and Listen!) Habakkuk 2:1To Watch means to observe attentively. Habakkuk positioned himself to watch and look to see What God wanted to say to him.
GOD SHOULD BE TELLING YOU SOMETHING RIGHT NOW! If you read His word, you should be hearing him saying things such as:
- Seek my kingdom first
- Serve one another
- Don’t judge other people
- Pray without ceasing
- Love me above everything else and others as yourself
Do you allow God’s word to speak into your life? When you read his word, do you look for life application keys to help you navigate through life?
Habakkuk is disappointed that God does not seem to be answering his prayers; but God’s response indicates that, unknown to him, he has already begun answering them. What most of us need to realize is that God has already heard our concern (Habakkuk.1:5).
Are you ready to listen to what God is telling you RIGHT NOW through his word?
2. Write It Down - Habakkuk 2:2
Habakkuk didn’t stand there THINKING, he took a pro-active approach and invited God into his questioning process! It’s OK for a faithful believer to question God! (Habakkuk. 1:2).
Quick note on thinking: a lot of people THINK too much! Most people though, don’t think about the right things otherwise the world would be a much better place!
BEFORE YOU EXPRESS WHAT YOU THINK:
1. Is it actually worth saying it?
2. Program your mind according to Philippians 4:8. NOT movies, Facebook, Kerrang! etc.
Before you let your brain out in the form of words, write it down ...maybe you will see that what you thought was great, is not that good!
Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation..." Habakkuk 2:2
If you write it down, chances are it will get done. God values writing, the Bible is a very good example. The main theme here is; “Communication and action” OR “Information and Application”
IF IT CAN BE WRITTEN IT CAN BE DONE!
Habakkuk stopped to listen and consider God's word. He then recognized God’s long-term plans and purposes and that he is always doing right even when we don’t understand why he works in the way he does. He then wrote everything down.
Even if you try and remember, things tend to get overlaid with other things. Writing brings clarity. It helps reflection.
3. Wait Patiently - Habakkuk 2:3
These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day. (Habakkuk 2:3 LB)
Waiting is either the toughest thing to do if you are a driven person and can’t get your butt down for too long OR the easiest if you are a little laid back, you can then wait forever and miss life changing opportunities!
Timing is everything. Patience, perseverance, endurance are all qualities valued by God. God is never in a hurry! Just because you have a vision or goal or an urgent prayer doesn’t mean that God will do everything right on the spot. He might, but chances are you will have to wait for his timing. The fall of Babylon that Habakkuk was looking for did not happen for another 60 years.
Waiting does not mean inactivity or passivity. You keep walking and that will take you to the next step;
4. Work by Faith - Habakkuk 2:4b
The righteous will live by his faith. FAITH! NOT by what he sees, NOT by how he feels. Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God seemed to do nothing about the wickedness in society until he moved from doubt to faith.
Without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God (Hebrews 11:6).Faith is not passive but active. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The author defines faith and then carries on to demonstrate faith throughout the chapter because faith is substance! Faith implies demonstration!
You don’t need faith to survive. Our faith is not in our faith, our faith is in the faithfulness of our God. Your faith might even fail you. Sometimes you will not be able to see God, discern or understand him! However the righteous will live by his faith.