Murmuring and Complaining
Murmuring definition – indistinct sound produced by a person
or group of people, speaking quietly or at a distance, a subdued or private
expression of discontent or dissatisfaction.
It can escalate to loud complaining.
Complaining definition – the expression of dissatisfaction
or annoyance about something. It can
escalate to loud complaining producing anger.
Phil. 2:14-15 Do all things without complaining
and disputing, 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,
To complain means to grumble and whine. It leads to arguing. Make no mistake, complaining
and murmuring is sin and it has been an issue with us all the way back to Adam
and Eve in Genesis 3:12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And again, with Cain in Genesis
4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do
not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Later in the Bible we see the children of Israel complaining
in Numbers 14:1-3 So all the congregation lifted their voices and cried, and
the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained
against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we
had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to
fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it
not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
In the text the Israelites murmured against Moses and displeased God.
Sadly, most if not all Christians are murmurers and
complainers. In the home, on the job, with family, with friends, against self,
against the government, and in the church.
They grumble, murmur, and complain. They can see little that is good. To
them, everything can be bad—their life can be miserable and they want to make
it that way for everyone else by complaining.
Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without complaining and
disputing, 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,
To murmur or complain means to grumble or whine.
Topics of complaining:
Politics and politicians Governments-at
all levels Spouses Children Parents Family
Self Jobs/employers/co-workers Economy Envy
and Jealousy Large corporations Migrants
Inflation The
Church The Planet Yourself Doctors/hospitals/health care Traffic
Your sickness and disease Weather Inflation The homeless Corporate
Greed at all levels
I saved the number one complaining topic for last. This topic is called a “record of wrongs.” It is a list of wrongs committed against
you that can go back decades and you continually bring it up constantly like it
happened yesterday. It becomes one with
you and you take on a personality of complaining, bitterness, hatred, and
unforgiveness. It can dominate your daily life and it can keep you in
captivity. “For if you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not
forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14-15. There great
consequences if you do not forgive others and even yourself.
Murmuring and complaining towards self are negative
proclamations that do great damage to our temples, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or
do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a
price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. Through your proclamations come blessings
and curses, James 3:9-10 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings (especially self), who have been made in
God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth
proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Sadly, murmuring is one of the most prevalent sins among most
people. What is one of the roots or causes of murmuring? Anger!
What causes anger? It can come
from a multitude of things, but one can consider, feeling unloved, not feeling
worthy, hurts/offenses, and not liking what they see in the mirror to name a
few.
Being discontent and selfish, one murmurs and brings discord
to others. Proverbs tells us that one of the seven things God hates is "one
who sows discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:19).
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Note: One must beware of the critical spirit working
together with murmuring and complaining.
It is a trait of the Jezebel spirit. The Jezebel spirt is not gender specific, but
in ministry and the world I see it mostly manifesting in women. It is a very controlling spirit that is
becoming more and more prevalent in the world.
I have a teaching on the Jezebel spirit and I will send to those who
would like a copy.
