A bomb has been dropped; let’s take a look at the casualties.

             As painful as it is to see ourselves sometimes, it is essential in order to make the necessary adjustments to  move to higher ground.

         When you prepare for a wedding, you are not dressed for work or play, you respectfully prepare yourself for the occasion, especially the Bride  and Groom. You are cleaned up and looking your very best for the occasion Matt:22: 11-14 KJV.  Jesus is preparing His Bride for His return Eph 5:27! Wow! This is just now a revelation in what He is doing here! At the same time, He is preparing us for what is coming on the earth, He is taking us much, much higher, making us much, much stronger and much more resilient. He is giving us greater wisdom so that we not only survive what is coming, but we, and our children, flourish in what is coming. So don’t lose heart. His love is reaching out and revealing something  that will help keep you and me in the swelling of the Jordan Jer 12:5!  

  God takes no pleasure in a soldier that shrinks back Heb 10:38-39. 2 Tim  2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Let’s suck it up then(idiomatic-To put up with something; to deal with something, such as pain or misfortune, without complaining.) and look at the effects of our complaints and accusations against ourselves and others. We can become our own worst enemy, causing injury and casualties we are not aware of.  Our Heavenly Father wants to open our eyes to see the full picture: give us a full revelation of what we are doing and how it affects us and others around us.

“How can You possibly compare a small complaint or accusation to throwing rocks. It certainly is not as big a deal as all this fuss, God. I don’t mean to do any harm. I just want to set some things straight.” Throwing rocks at others, ourselves and for that matter, throwing rocks at God is very painful for those hit by the wallop—or even lethal! Take a look.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves….1 John 1:8

1. Marriage: Throwing rocks by threatening, intimidating, bullying, manipulating, and controlling  one another causes confusion, immeasurable pain and  frustration, planting seeds for adultery and divorce; it creates sorrow, sadness, discouragement, and physical and mental separation; it destroys vision and family development it propagates hopelessness; crushes self confidence; instills fear, depression, a sense of failure and defeat, destruction, and even death; most importantly, it damages your seed for future generations….establishing or maintaining a generational curse (or iniquity).

2. Workplace:  Throwing rocks in the workplace, by either side, quickly becomes infectious, spreading malcontent; creates an unpleasant atmosphere; stirs fear, reduces work ethic or motivation to support or increase the advancement of a company.  This works for both sides…a two edged sword; be careful not to bite the hand that feeds you!  So much more here I could say!

3. Church: This is my favorite subject in all the world. I will make this brief. Again, a two edged sword—that is, whether it comes from leadership or it comes from the members. Grieving the Holy Spirit—a big one. Where the Holy Spirit is grieved, advancement will fade. Discouragement, disappointment, bitterness, resentment, loss of faith, loss of vision, loss of purpose.

4. Neighbors: Gossip and accusations separates, creates tension, awkwardness, isolates. This list goes on…

5. Extended Family/friends: Throwing rocks at family and friends, separates, confuses, generates sadness, sorrow, pain, regret. This is a huge subject….

6. Government: Throwing rocks at the current government. Unless you are called by God to be an activist to fight wrong and promote righteousness…throwing rocks is simply life draining, energy robber, loss of focus. HUGE distraction, robbing your destiny, creating a detour in your direction. Psa 34:14 READ THE WHOLE PSALM

7. Yourself: Throwing rocks at yourself results in disappointment and loss of hope for a fulfilling future, depression, oppression, discouragement, loss of desire to move forward, no vision, an invitation to the enemy to come and finish you off. Opening a door for defeat.

8. God: Throwing rocks at God. Wow! Thin ice, disrespect, dishonor, trying and testing His patience. Slandering His provision. Forgetting the fear of God. Not trusting Him and Who He is. Attempted manipulation, ungrateful, unthankful, unforgiving. Leaving God hurt, angered, provoked to act.

No, no, no…throwing rocks at God…not a good idea! It is hurtful to God to hear His people complaining and accusing Him that what they have is not good enough, or that they are not getting from God what they expect from a loving God James 4:2. Ungratefulness is throwing rocks at God. It is a lack of holy fear of God and who He is. It is a lack of trust. It is an indication that one’s personal relationship is not developed or matured.

Whether we complain about God, others or ourselves, we are doing some rock throwing, causing pain and confusion in other’s lives and robbing ourselves of blessings we are yet unaware even exist. God is waiting to bless us abundantly above and beyond what we hope or dream. He is not the tooth fairy, He is our Heavenly Father, worthy of respect and honor; not only liking what He has to say, but doing what He has to say Matt 12:50; Matt 7:21. 

The subject of Satan John 10:10; John 8:44. Do not accuse anyone falsely Exod 23:1. Satan is the accuser of the brethren Rev 12:10.  He accused God in the Garden of Eden Gen 3:1. Satan complained, accusing God that He had given favor to Job and that was the only reason Job was a righteous man: Take it all away and God would see a different Job Job 1:7-11.  Satan thus accused God of getting people to be righteous by giving them good stuff. If He didn’t give people all the good stuff, they wouldn’t love Him or behave in a way that pleased Him. (Though He slay me yet will I trust Him Job 13:15. Though there is no stock in the barn or the crops have fail…. Hab 3:16. Know Who’s side you are on!

The above is a good point. Do you only love God because everything is going your way and He has hedged you about and poured out abundant blessings? Who will you be in the swelling of the Jordan? And the swelling of Jordan is coming….

Complaining, gossip, and slander all start in the mind, creating emotions, resulting in outward demonstration of the discontent formulated in a secret place. Even the two boys in the introduction, Throwing Rocks Part I, followed out what was brewing in their minds. A complaint about these new kids; an accusation, maybe? (hatching cockatrices eggs Isa 59!)

Lots of good reading available out there, you might try Joyce Meyer’s book Battlefield of the Mind. Maybe a good companion teaching to this message.

END OF PART III FALL OUT—taking a look at the damages…

PART IV SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST—DROPPING OUR ROCKS

Jeremiah 12:5       

If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan (war) ?  KJV

             Exodus 17 and Numbers 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20 & 21

If you recall, God’s chosen people lost their patience in the wilderness with Moses and God, constantly complaining and accusing them as they traveled from Egypt to Canaan. God wasn’t doing this right and Moses wasn’t doing that right. A rabble had banned together, stirring up more complaints—complaints against God’s provision. Where were the leeks, melons, and garlic they enjoyed in Egypt—at no cost? Now, no water! They might as well have stayed in Egypt than die in the wilderness. What did God expect of them, anyway?  Even Miriam, Moses sister, slung accusations against Moses authority, claiming equality with him.

And the complaining goes on, right up to arriving at the door of God’s promise of freedom, possessing their own land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Well, not so fast, God. They had just spent 40 years wandering around in the wilderness without proper food or water and now they had to go into this, so called, “promised land” and fight off giants? Surely, God could have done better than this for His chosen…. 

They had not trusted God, or His messengers, Moses and Aaron. Their lack of trust and continuous complaining and accusing finally provoked God, and it ended for them in the wilderness, costing them their inheritance of a good land with a good life.  They died in the wilderness, without ever receiving their promise. Moses died with them for his disobedience when striking the rock when God instructed him to speak to the rock the second time around. Disobedience cost Moses his promise after 40 years of obedience, while the people lost their promise from years of accusing and complaining.

There were consequences…fire, snakes and plague…and for Miriam’s accusation against Moses—leprosy. When Moses cried out for God’s mercy for Miriam, God relented and healed the leprosy after seven days. Both Miriam and Aaron died in the wilderness (Num 20:1, 20:24).

Maybe you have learned not to accuse or blame God, but you have singled out persons, or groups, and go about telling all they are doing wrong, or did, wrong, and how you are suffering because of what they are doing, or did, or how others are suffering because of what they are doing or did. Maybe you even take a glance over your shoulder every once in a while, hoping to see that God has judged them for all the evil they did to you, or others you see suffering because of them.  Or maybe you’re the one laying on the side of the road, bleeding, after suffering an excruciating loss and everyone passes you by without even glancing.

Let’s cut to the here-and-now and get specific: We’ll call this section Lancing The Boil…. We will use God’s word to do the cutting Hebrews 4:12. Out will ooze the stench of infection and the poison.             (Prov 3:11-12 Spoken to me many times over the years!) 

1. Marriage/abandonment/abuse/divorce: Malachi 2:14-17 God hates divorce. Remember, there is no marriage in heaven—no sex—we are as the angels (Matt 22:28-30), we are here to prepare for Jesus as His Bride (Rev 19:7-8). Look at the end of the article for a more complete (not exhaustive) list of scriptures.

My personal take on the subject of marriage after 50 years experience, as well as a trained lay-counselor for over twenty years: Marriage is one of our strongest and most effective character builders. If

you have quit on your marriage because it feels too difficult for you to learn the lessons or it feels like there is something better for you somewhere else—you have missed out on a tremendous opportunity for growth in your character and understanding of your relationships here on earth and with Jesus Christ, our soon coming Bridegroom. I could easily write an entire book on this subject alone.

My encouragement to you is to stick with it and consider how your situation will bring growth and development to your character, a sense of fulfillment and success to your life, as you decide to do it God’s way. Marriage is His plan for us—and between us and Jesus—so He has a pretty good idea how it all works out in the end. The end of a thing is better than the beginning—A word God spoke to me very early on, which I sincerely pondered a number of times over the years regarding my marriage (Eccl 7:8). I am so grateful I listened….

2. Workplace: Peter 2:18-19 Some rock throwing might be done under the guise of “authority”. One might think they are just setting a paid employee straight, wanting to improve production. Whether we are the boss or the servant, always do it God’s way, whether it changes others or not, it will change us. Proverbs 15:1 Talking back, gossiping, spreading rumors, trashing the boss or employees are no, nos. If you are strongly discontent with an employee, let them go and sincerely wish them well. If your work is unbearable, go somewhere you fit in. If there is complexity in either of these choices, do it God’s way. You will never regret it. 1 Peter 3:8-14 Are you getting the picture that complaining is a two-edged sword.

3. Church: Matt 12:24-31– Zech 3:1-2, I will chose pastors over you Jer 3:15,  Obey those who have rule over you Heb 13:17 ; Matt 16:18 I will build My Church….

The following comments come from years of experience, attending a variety of churches when God has sent me a distance on various writing assignments. Here is what I have seen and heard over the past 46 years. God loves His Church. Jesus died for His Church. Jesus (the Bridegroom) is coming for His Church (the Bride). But He says in Revelation He has a few things against some of His family. Let Revelation speak for itself (Rev 3:1-22).

There are primarily 3 issues that are consistent wherever He sends me: gossip and slander, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit’s work and resistance against a servant of God and their  vision and assignment from God.  (There are many wonderful things going on in Jesus Church, but here, we are dealing with a specific issue that God is asking us to pay serious attention to. If you read my book Voices Crying in the Wilderness, A call to prophesy, you will see the amazing revelation God gave to me regarding His love for His Church, and my love for His Church also. I have never attended a church I didn’t like…it would be like telling Jesus He didn’t know what He was doing.) 

4. Family/friends  A friend must show himself friendly Prov 18:24; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law Luke 12:53 Familiarity breeds contempt. Definition: Idiom—extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it. Coined by Geoffrey Chaucer  1300s. Stay loyal, stay faithful, stay respectful, keep confidences to yourself….

5. Neighbors: Matt 22:35-40, Mark 12:31 love your neighbor as yourself, who is my neighbor? Luke 10:25-37, Exod 20:16-17, Prov 3:28

6 Government: Rom 13:1, Matt 22:15-21-render to Ceasar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which belongs to God. Governments are put in place by God Rom 13:1. God raises up kings and puts down kings Dan 2:21-22. This subject is so volatile at this point and so expansive, I will only say…if you are calling out to Jesus to come…to return for His Church…for His Bride…understand that when He returns all will not be well on the earth. Be prepared. (Rev 22:17; all of Chapter 22!)

7. Yourself: You shall have what you speak Job 3:25; You are fearfully and wonderfully made Psa 139:14. I knew you in your mother’s womb Jer 1:5;  I knew you before the foundation of the world Eph 1:4-5 You did not choose Me, but I chose you John 15:16. *I loved you first 1 John 4:19-21

Speaking evil of yourself is deadly: I’m…too tall, too short, not smart, too fat, too skinny, unloved, not respected, lonely and so on. These thoughts will program and control your mind, emotions and life’s direction. Matt 12:36-37 This applies to all the above….

             Don’t lose heart, now. You can do this. Don’t click the x yet. Read on. Remember your promised land. Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Don’t procrastinate, go in and possess your promise. God will help you slay your giants. Don’t look back, whether you are the accused or the accuser; whether you are the complainer or the one complained against. Let go and leave it all behind. Keep your focus on Jesus, He is always moving forward, and shut down the complaint department. Be quick to get off the merry-go-round of complaining, accusing (Rev 12:9-11) and trying to figure it all out, and give the victim mentality the boot!.  Get up quickly, move ahead and leave the junk behind.

End of Part II OUCH!

Part III FALL OUT—Taking a look at the damages…

1.  Marriage: Genesis 2:24, Eph 5:22-29, Matt 19:4-6, Col 3:18, 1Peter 3:7, Hebrews 13:4, Eccl 4:10, 1Cor 7:2-5, Prov 6:27, 29, Hebrews 13:4, 1Cor 6:9-10, Exodus 20:14, Proverbs 6:26, Proverbs 23:27-35, 1Cor 6:18, Matt 5:32.

(Part IV we will use His Word again to cleanse and heal the wounds, so keep looking forward! There is hope and healing in sight!)

THROWING ROCKS Part I

             My family moved many times over the years as my father’s work frequently took him a distance from our home for many months at a time. My mother’s way of supporting my father’s work was to move us all closer to where his next project took him so that he would have a home to come to after 12- and 16-hour days of strenuous labor. At that time, my father was a logger on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.

This move took us to a small island off the west coast. Accommodation was limited on the island when we first arrived. The only housing available for a family of five was a converted chicken coup. Maybe that’s what triggered the somewhat hostile reaction to us three kid’s intrusion into the small community and the one room school.

We walked to and from school each day. Perhaps a mile or so. There were two brothers that also walked the distance with us. Well, I can’t say they walked with us, as they walked behind us and threw rocks at us, taunting us and laughing at us. I didn’t understand this rock throwing business. We had never done such a thing to others, nor was it done where we came from. Every day these two brothers followed us, throwing rocks as they had the day before. One day a gentleman came along in his ox cart. He pulled up beside us and beckoned us into his cart, glancing a good scowl at the rock throwers as we clattered on down the road to the little schoolhouse. The rock throwing and name calling came to a halt soon after our ride with the gentleman. Perhaps he had something to say about it to the brothers or their folks. We did move from the converted chicken coup shortly after to a very nice, large home near the ocean.

The point is. Throwing rocks at others hurts. It intimidates and causes confusion in other’s lives. God showed me something about rock throwing today. Do you know that complaining is a form of rock throwing?

God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to see some things differently. He is calling us higher to a holiness we have not yet known or understood. Hopefully, this message brings lifechanging revelation to our spirits and brings greater revelation of the nature of our amazing God. Amen.

The story of the two brothers randomly came to my mind as I waited for God to provide me with the complete revelation of what He was increasingly, unfolding in my understanding. He was putting His powerful finger on a subject He wanted us to pay serious attention to.

I could not devise this message on my own, it was so complex to me. Where do I ever start with this, Lord?  Then in a moment, for no apparent reason, the story of the two brothers came to my remembrance. Suddenly, the whole mishmash of notes and insights I had assembled over the months made sense.

Holy Spirit has called me to talk to us all about complaining. It is not at all what one might think. It is not at all what I thought….

***Watch for Part II to IV before the end of Feb/23.  Comments and questions welcome.