Complaining & Grumbling (A Characteristic of Unbelief)

Joy listening to the Cross Kingdom Sermon of the Week, we help you enjoy

this message from Justin Carpenter. Okay, anyway, so, um, I

actually want to talk about unbelief, but not probably in the way that you

typically think of unbelief when we think when we when we think about unbelief,

we typically think about, you know, the disciples and they couldn't cast the

demon out, or you know, you pray for somebody and there's healing doesn't

happen, and it's either you know, the unbelief of the people where Jesus

couldn't do any signs and wonders but only do some healings. We tend to

think of unbelief in those terms. We tend to think of unbelief and just

straight out rebellion, which that's one of the types of unbelief. But I

was reading this week earlier this week in my reading time, and something stuck

out to me. And typically I don't know what I'm gonna teach on early

in the week. Typically it's like the day before Friday. I'm still pondering.

Sometimes it's been Sunday morning and I get up at seven am and I

get in front of my tablet, and I'm like, all right, Lord,

I really need to know what I need to teach on because I'm gonna

be teaching a couple hours. You ever notice he's never as concerned about certain

things as you are. Yeah, but I actually want to talk about complaining

and grumbling. That had to be kaylin Mills. Is he up there?

That sounded like kaylin Na, you're up here again? I thought we had

two weeks without you first. That's the one. He ends five sixteen to

to rejoice, always pray without ceasing, Give thanks and some of your circumstances.

Oh wait a minute, hold on what? Okay, give thanks in

all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So if you're wondering what God's will is for your life today, rejoice,

always pray without ceasing. If you're behind the wheel, keep your eyes

open. Give thanks in all circumstances, because this is God's will for you

in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies,

but test everything. Hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of

evil. Interestingly, the Bible mentions the word gratitude one hundred and fifty seven

times, it does not appear as frequently as fear not, which is three

hundred and sixty five times that it appears more than thanks or Thanksgiving has mentioned

seventy two times. So you think being thankful and having gratitude is important.

Maybe, And we always I've always spiritualized my complaining. I've always called it

intercessory whining. Philippians two fourteen says, do all things without grumbling or disputing.

Who's grumbled this week? Oh we're all dead. Yeah, for the

rest of you. We're gonna pray the lion spirit off you later. No,

but it's it's super easy for us to fall into a place of negativity,

and especially if you watch too much news, and I don't care what

news network it is, if you begin to make room and focus on negative

things, then you're going to find yourself becoming negative and have a negative perspective,

and all of a sudden, that negativity is going to begin to come

out with complaining. In fact, the enemy wants you so negative and complaining

so much that you totally lose sight of what you actually have. He wants

you so focused on what you think you need and don't have that you actually

lose sight of what you do have, and then you lose sight of having

thanksgiving in your heart, and then now you're no longer actually stewarding what you've

been given. So now you've disqualified yourself from promotion. Because what you stewart

grows. That's a principle, it's a key of the kingdom. And so

when we fall into a place of negativity and complaining we don't like the lot

we've been given, we don't like where we're at, we don't like the

church we go to because the preacher preaches too long, I mean down the

street. But it really, seriously, y'all, it really grabbed my heart

because we live in a culture where everything is instant gratification, and our ability

to persevere has diminished significantly in our culture. The men of World War Two

compared to many men today, it's not even a comparison as far as perseverance

and doing what it takes to make things different. First, Peter four nine

says, show hospitality to one another without grumbling. That means we're actually supposed

to be excited to show hospitality to each other. And remember, a few

weeks back, I talked about how hospitality is not a suggestion, it's actually

a commandment, and it's actually a prerequisite of an elder of a leader.

And then think about how many leaders we have in the body of Christ.

The moment they're done teaching or preaching or prophesying, they blaze a trail and

they want nothing to do with the Body of Christ. It's a disqualification.

According to scripture, I didn't say it. Take it up with the word

so numbers eleven one. And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord

about their misfortunes. And when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled,

and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consume some outlying parts

of the camp. Now thank every say thank you Jesus. We weren't in

that camp. I had my grill going last night, and uh, you

know, if you don't scrape the bottom of it out that all that grease

kind of builds up and then it always seems to catch on fire, right

when you're in the middle of trying to do steaks. Well, I uh,

I didn't need near after I was done grilling, because it's took all

the hairs off my arm, and big what did I say near. Y'all

know what I meant near near? It's everywhere, Yeah, except on my

right arm. All right, this is going great, people, We'll just

uh the Yeah, the fire God's like my grill God. But what's it's

like there? And if you're near to it? Okay? Movie counts.

Sorry. Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept

that night, and all the people of Israel grumbled against Josh and Justin I

mean Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them that would that we'd

died in the land of Egypt, or would that we'd died in this wilderness?

Why is the Lord bringing us up into this land to fall by the

sword? Our wives and our little ones will become prey. Would it not

be better for us to go back to Egypt? See, y'all, I

don't care who you are, But when you're walking with the Lord and you're

determined to fulfill your destiny in him, you're gonna have to deal with Egypt.

There's a spirit of Egypt, and it's a spirit of slavery, And

it's a slavery to an old mindset of slavery to sin, a slavery to

to comfort. It's a slavery to those soulish pacifiers. Francis Chan preachs this

amazing sermon. He had a little bottle with milk in it, and it

was called you Suck, And it was an amazing teaching. No, I

mean it really was good. I mean, obviously there's a play on words,

and I may have offended a couple, but you have to forgive me.

So and Joshua, the son of Nune, and Caleb the son of

Jeffna, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their

clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, the land

which we passed through to spy it out as an exceedingly good land. If

the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into the land and give

it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do

not rebel against the Lord when we tell the Lord we wish we were back

there. And that's season versus what we're dealing with right now. It's unbelief

at the route. We there's something in our heart in this moment that we

don't believe that God's going to fulfill what he said he would fulfill because we've

allowed our circumstances in front of us to tell us what to believe about him

rather than his word. And as long as we stay focused on the outward,

that natural Egypt is going to have a hold of your mind. The

old wine skin will have a hold of your mind. The old days.

I wish it was like the old days. Well, I got news for

you. People one hundred and fifty years ago. If they were living today,

they would smack you in the face if you said I wish it was

like the old days. I mean, I don't know about y'all. I

kind of like, you know, plumbing, air conditioning. I don't know

what year toilet paper was invented. But that's that's good. I'm moving forward.

So they're they're they're complaining, they're grumbling, they're they're losing sight of

where the Lord promised to take them. It's just like when Jesus was in

the boat with the disciples and he sound asleep, and he told them before

they left, he said, let's go to the other side. He already

told them what was going to happen. So he sound asleep. The storm's

brewing. They're freaking out, they're convinced they're all going to die. And

they're experienced fishermen, so I'm sure this wasn't the first storm that they've been

through, but it was gnarly enough for them to freak out. And he

rebukes the storm, which what's that tell you? Tells you that that storm

came from the enemy and not from his father, because if he rebuked the

storm, he just disobeyed his father. And then he tells him why do

you doubt? And then I like it when he transports transports all the disciples

in the boat to the other side, instantly says, suddenly they're the other

side. But he was not pretending to be asleep, He was not pretending

to not care. He knew they were going to make it to the other

side. And when we settle in to his promises, we settle into abiding

in him, We settle into truly trusting him. He is the ark.

And then it doesn't matter where the storms of life bring to you. It

doesn't matter what things you thought should have worked out. You know, it's

a chapter. You know that, whether you see it in this moment or

not, he's in the right there in the middle of it. He's working

everything together for the good. I think it was Bill. That's Johnson that

said he's so good at working all things together for the good. He gets

blamed for the enemy's hand a lot of times because as believers were like,

oh, what was God's will? And like you got cancer or something.

Well, wait a minute, you're learning through that you've God's using it.

But he wasn't the origin of it. He says, only do not rebel

against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for

they are bred for us. Now keep in mind, I love this.

They are bred for us. Do you understand there were giants in the land,

these suckers. According to scripture, some of the Amorites were as tall

as cedar trees. Do you know how tall a cedar tree is? Roughly

thirty feet sometimes, so Goliath was small. Goliath wasn't the biggest giant in

the land. And they're like, they're bred for us. How would you

like to literally be fighting in Nephelum right now? So if you couldn't,

if you couldn't hear him, He goes, well, we have rs now.

But the point is, let's put things in perspective in our battle of

getting to the promised land of our life. They're looking at literal giants that

are occupying their inheritance, and there are still spiritual giants occupying your land,

but they're not there to destroy you. God actually uses the enemy's attacks against

you to promote you when you're obedient to him. Then all the congregations said

said to stone them with stones. We don't care about your testimony. Joshua

and Caleb, be quiet. We want to stone you, and not in

the way you think of being stoned today. But the glory of the Lord

appeared at the tent of Meeting. I'll be here all day. But the

glory of the Lord appeared at the ten of Meetings to all the people of

Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, how long would this people despise

me? How long will they not believe in me in spite of all the

signs that I've done among them. Now, for those of you that are

just waiting for some amazing encounter with Jesus, that's gonna just rid you of

all unbelief, and you're never gonna have a problem ever. Again. I'm

pretty sure they saw some stuff. I'm pretty sure they saw when they went

through dry Land and they saw the ten plagues. I'm pretty sure they saw

God move. I'm pretty sure that the elders of Israel that eight with the

God of Israel. They saw the God of Israel on the mountain. Anybody

think that's a pretty significant encounter. What happened to those elders a little bit

later, they were helping build a golden calf right on the cuffs of seeing

the God of Israel. We can have a zillion encounters and not be transformed.

We can taste of his glory and still rebel. So the Lord was

like, I'll strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make

of you a nation greater and mightier than they. Then the Lord said,

I've pardoned according to your word. But truly as I live, and as

all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of

the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt

and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten

times and have not obeyed my voice shall see the land that I swore to

give to their fathers. So he goes on to tell them, no,

you saw my signs you saw my wonders. You tested me these ten times,

and we're actually we're going to look at those ten times they tested him,

and you're actually going to see a common theme. And it doesn't necessarily

look the way you think it would look as far as testing him. And

it goes on to say, towards the end of that, and the Lord

spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, how long shall this wicked congregation

grumble against me? I've heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which

they grumble against me. Say to them, as I live, declares the

Lord what you have said, am I hearing? I will do to you?

Your dead body shall fall in the wilderness. And all of your number

listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against

me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that it would

make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jeffna, and Joshua the son

of Nune, and this, And then he goes on to say, obviously,

it says they'll bear iniquity forty years, so a year for every day,

forty days a year, for each day, you shall bear your iniquity

forty years, and you shall know my displeasure. There's hope here. I

know it sounds intense, but First Corinthians ten nine to twelve says this,

we must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were

destroyed by the serpents, nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed

by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but

they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages

has come. Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take keyed lest

he falls. That's Paul, That's new Covenant. It was written down for

our instruction. And it just made me think a little bit different concerning the

fear of the Lord, when I think it's fine for me to complain and

grumble. The first time they tested him, it says when Israel was trapped

between Pararell's army and the Red Sea immediately after leaving Egypt, the Israelites found

themselves trapped between Pararell's army behind them and the Red Sea in front of them.

They cried out to the Lord and complained to Moses. And this is

what they said when Farrell drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their

eye and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them. And they feared greatly,

and the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to

Moses, is it because there's no graves in Egypt that you've taken us away

to die in the wilderness. What have you done to us and bringing us

out of Egypt? Is it not this what we said to you in Egypt.

Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians, For it would

have been better for us to serve Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.

Y'all. This is like hours days after they literally saw the signs and wonders

of God in Egypt that forced Pharaoh to let them go. They see all

these signs and wonders. It was dark in Egypt, it was light in

Goshen. The plague was there, but it was not in Goshen. They

were divinely protected the entire time. And they saw all these signs and wonders.

And yet they turn right around and they complain instantly and said, ah,

let us go back. You would think after seeing all of those signs

and wonders that they would have been like their toast. All right, Lord,

what do you want to do? But all of them were scared to

death. Encounters do not equal transformation. Knowledge of Him does not equal transformation

in him. Of course, he intervened part of the Red Sea. The

second time was when the waters of the Israelites find it. Mara is undrinkable

three days after crossing the Red Sea, so he lets him walk on dry

land. Their walk walking through, they see these here's a wall of water.

Here, a wall of water here. We don't know how high.

There's probably fish jumping out. They could probably see the fish in the sidewalls

like an aquarium as they're walking through. Three days later they get to the

waters that are undrinkable. After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites went into

the wilderness of Sure for three days without finding water. Eventually they came to

Morrow, where there was water, but it was undrinkable because it was bitter.

The Israelites complained against Moses again. This is Exodus fifteen twenty two to

twenty five. Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and

they went into the wilderness of Sure. They were They went three days into

the wilderness, found no water, and when they came to morrow, they

could not drink the water of Mara because it was bitter. Therefore it was

named Mara. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, what shall we

drink? And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him,

and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There

the Lord made for them a statue and a rule, and there he tested

them. The third time, the Israelites grew hungry in the wilderness of sin

on the fifteenth day of the second month. They're there there, This is

Exitus sixteen one to five. They're hungry. The whole congregation. The people

of Israel grumbled again against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. You know,

they estimate somewhere around eight hundred thousand people Moses was bringing out. The numbers

go up and down, depending on who's doing the numbering, but all right,

on a heavy day Easter, we had two hundred and eighty eight people.

I can't imagine trying to bring three hundred people out someplace. Think about

hundreds of thousands of people Moses of bringing. And then all of a sudden,

the spirit of complaining breaks out and everybody's hundreds of thousands of people are

ticked off at you. How would you like to do that, y'all?

I love you and I'm thankful we're not hundreds of thousands personally? Would that

we died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt. Here

we go again, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to

the full, for we have brought for you brought us out in the wilderness

to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then the Lord said to Moses,

behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you and the people

shall go out and gather a day's portion every day that I may test them

whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day,

when they prepare what they bring in, it needs to be twice as much

to gather that day. Well, guess what. Exodus sixteen twelve to fourteen.

I've heard the grumbling of the people of Israel say to them at twilight,

you shall eat meat because I got tired of the angel bread. They're

like, well, there's no meat. We had meat kneegypped. It was

like, oh, my word. And to paint a picture of grumbling.

It's like, oh, most as he brought us out of here and there's

no meat here. It literally is to grumble the definition of it and murmur.

You know, if somebody did that right now, we'd go into deliverance

mode. Probably says Um, I've heard the grumbling, and the people of

Israel say to them. At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the

morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you should know that I'm the

Lord your God. In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp,

and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew

had had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine

flake flakelike thing, finest frost on the ground. Number four is in the

wilderness of sins. Some left the mana till morning. When God started sending

the Israelites manna to eat every day, Moses warned them against trying to save

some of their daily portion. So what's going on here again? There's a

total lack of trust that God's gonna do what he said he's gonna do,

that he's going to take care of his children, and so they start hoarding

because of a fear of lack in a poverty spirit. Nevertheless, some of

them did in the mana bred worms and stink. That was Exodus sixteen nineteen

to twenty. Moses said to them, let no one leave any of it

over till morning, but they did and did not listen to Moses. So

it grew worms and smelled bad. Number five, again they're in the wilderness.

Some of them went out to gather manna on the Sabbath. Moses instructed

the people gathered twice as much manna as usual on the sixth day so they

could rest on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, some of them went out to gather

manna on Sabbath, but of course found none, And so six days you'll

gather it. But on the seventh day, which is Sabbath, there will

be none. And he goes, how long will you refuse to keep my

commandments and my law. See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath.

Therefore on the sixth day gives you bread for two days. Again. This

whole time they are questioning God's faithfulness, and they're complaining because of their unbelief

that God's actually going to take care of them. And so they kept going

around the mountain over and over and over and over they kept wandering in the

wilderness. And maybe, just maybe some of you have been wandering around your

spiritual mountain because God is trying to get your attention to get you out of

a place of negativity and complaining, step into thankfulness and begin to actually be

thankful in stuart what he's already given you, so that he can actually set

you up for promotion and actually entrust you with more. But if you're ungrateful

for what you have, and you're negative with what you have right now,

why is he going to give you more when you can't stand what you have?

Are better? Yet? You pull a David. And when Nathan came

to David after his adultery, God said, look, I gave you this.

I gave you this, and I gave you this, and I gave

you this, And had that not been enough, all you had to do

was ask, and I would have given you more. That shows the heart

of the Father. It says no good thing will he withhold from those who

walk uprightly. It's the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, But

he refused to give us a gift that he has to turn around and judge

us for so when your promise something and you're waiting on that promise, you're

waiting on that blessing, and it's tarrying. It's tarrying because he's bringing maturation

inside of you so that you can actually handle and stewart what he's about to

give you, so he doesn't have to judge you right after he gives it

to you. Six when there was no water at Rafidim, after leaving the

wilderness of Sin. After leaving the wilderness of Sin, the Israelites came to

Rapidim, where they complained because there was no water to drink. Their complaints

were serious enough for Moses to think they were going to stone him. Oh

yeah, the good old days with no running water. That's where I want

to be. The bathrooms aren't working. Justin I'm going to stone you all.

The congregation of the people of Israel moved from the wilderness of Zen by

stages according to the commandment of the Lord. So they go, go,

go, And then the people are quarreling with Moses and said, give us

water to drink. And Moses said to them, why do you quarrel with

me? Why do you test the Lord? But the people thirsted there for

water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, why did you bring

us up out of Egypt to kill us again? Kids? We're going back

there again again the sixth time now, and our livestock with thirst. Moses

cried to the Lord, what shall I do with this people? They're almost

ready to stone me. And the Lord said to Moses, pass on before

the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and taking

your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold.

I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you

shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the

people will drink. Keep in mind, Jesus said, I am the rock.

Out of me, he says, we'll flow living water. They prophetically

strike this rock, water comes out. I don't know if it changed their

heart, but it helped their thirst, as Moses did so on the side

of the elders of Israel. All right, we're almost there, y'all.

Here's number seven, when Israel made a golden calf and worshiped it at the

base about Sinai. When the Israelites at camp are camped at the base of

Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain. Moses was gone so long forty

days, that the people thought he was never going to return. With Aaron's

help, they made a golden calf and worshiped it. I love Aaron's response,

Remember his response, I don't know. I just we threw this gold

in there and bam, I'll pop this thing. I have no idea how

this happened. Never mind, Aron was a goldsmith, right keeping mind,

Aron was also a prophet. So the prophet was guilty of idol worship,

forged the golden calf, and then he blames the people who When the people

saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves

together to Aaron and said to him up make us gods who shall go before

us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of

the land of Egypt, we don't know where he's what's become of them?

So Aaron said to them, take off the rings of the gold that earned

your ears, of your wives, and your sons and your daughters, and

bring them to me. So all the people took off the rings of gold

that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the

gold from their hand and fashioned it with the graving tool and made a golden

calf. Moses, I don't know what happened. We just threw all this

gold in the fire and it was magic. All of a sudden, this

dude pops out, and they said, these are your gods, o Israel,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Y'all, if

you think God was a mean, ruthless, bloodthirsty god in the Old Covenant,

how many times did they just absolutely have a spirit of stupid and he

was slow to anger. He was slow to anger. You have to understand

when God's wrath comes in scripture, when it comes it's not as judgments,

as judgments are as correction. But when God's wrath comes, it's because of

hundreds of years, sometimes thousands of years of iniquity. It says that the

four hundred years they were in Egypt because the iniquity of the Amalekites. I

believe Amalakites were not yet full, so there was a measuring of the iniquity

of that nation. They were throwing their children into the fires of Mullich,

sacrificing their children for a better life. Sound familiar. Oh, I'm not

ready for a child. I want to prosper. So we're just going to

terminate this fetus. Mulloch still alive and well today. And they said,

these are our gods of Israel, who brought us up out of the land

of Egypt. When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it,

and Aaron made a proclamation and said, tomorrow shall be a feast to the

Lord. And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and

brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and

rose up to play hours days. They would forget so quickly, But how

fast do we forget breakthrough? How fast do we forget to be thankful for

things we prayed for for years they happen, and then we just got comfortable

with living in the fulfillment of that promise, and all of a sudden,

another trial comes and we forget everything the Lord's done for us, We forget

our history and God, and all of a sudden, all we can do

is complain because things are not working out the way we think we should they

should. We begin to complain because we didn't get a promotion, or we

didn't get this or didn't get that, not understanding that maybe doors that were

shut was actually because of his love for you. Because he knows this step

to this step, to this step would have led to this, and it

was less than what he wanted for you. And because he is everywhere at

once, and he's in the beginning and the end, he already knows what's

going to happen before you choose it. And out of his love and compassion,

sometimes he doesn't answer things that you think you need because he wants to

give you something better. Number eight. Three days after Israel left sini at

Tibia. Three days after Israel departed from Mount Sinai, they complained again.

Surprise. The Bible doesn't tell us what they complained about on this occasion,

but the complaints were so infuriating to God that he burned some of the people

to death with fire. Wow, that's rough, not a barbecue. I

want to be at. Numbers ten thirty three. So they set out from

the Mountain of the Lord three days journey, and the ark of the Covenant

of the Lord went before them three days journey to seek out a resting place

for them. Y'all, remember this whole time. By the way, don't

forget this. The whole time they're in the wilderness, there's a cloud,

a glory cloud by day that leads them, and then there's a pillar of

fire by night that leads them. And that cloud stopped, or that fire

stopped. That was the presence of the Lord. When it stopped, they

set up camp, and they didn't go anywhere until the presence moved. So

instead of us trying to make decisions based on the comforts of our soul,

why don't we make decisions based on his presence where it's going, and when

it stops, we're content with where he's at. So numbers eleven one to

three. The people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes.

When the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled. The fire the Lord

burned among them and consumed some of the outlying parts of the camp. Then

the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and

the fire died down. So the name of that place was called Tabara because

the fire of the Lord burned among them. What was the prophet's job there?

The prophet's job was to stand in the gap and be a figure like

Jesus, and say, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're

doing. But if you judge them based on your natural eyesight, it looks

like they know exactly what they're doing. Just like when Israel was saying,

let his blood be upon our head, let his blood be upon our children,

Israel, they were calling down curses on their generational bloodlines when Jesus was

being crucified, and his response was, Father, forgive them. They don't

know what they're doing. And the natural they looked like they knew exactly what

they were doing, don't they, Because they were they were intentionally saying,

let his blood beyond us, let his blood be on our children. But

Scripture says had they known who he really was, they never would have crucified

the Lord of Glory. So when some jackknife comes against you and is making

your life difficult, be reminded not to know them by the flesh, that

we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, that we are not entangled in just

flesh. Their spiritual influences there, and then say, Father, forgive them.

They actually don't know what they're doing. Because if you judge with your

naturalize you're going to ultimately receive rejection. M to go, we lose Oh,

there we go a couple of weeks ago, we lose power. Then

all of a sudden boom and okay whoo. So they complained, yeah you

can hear me now, can you hear me? Now? Now the ramble

that was among them had a strong craving, and the people of Israel also

wept again and said, oh that we hadn't meat to eat. We remember

the fish we ate in Egypt that costs nothing, the cucumbers, the melons,

the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Moses heard the people

weeping through their clans, everyone at the door of his tent, and the

anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. What do you

I mean think about Moses and his heart in that moment, You think he

was starting to get a bitter root expectation that didn't matter what he did,

what the Lord did. They were just getting, Oh, we should go

back to Egypt and die. Oh if we were just back in slavery,

we would be fed. Let me tell you all something about the welfare of

the government. Everyone needs help at different times. It was originally the church's

job to help them, not the government, but have you become dependent upon

the government that is your God, and you will go into a place of

slavery and you will never come out of it because all of a sudden,

you're the victim. It's their job to take care of you. And then

you're going to complain against God because you don't have the things that you want

and you're totally violating the whole system of the kingdom. Now, what I

didn't say is if you've ever had welfare, you're wrong. We all everyone

hits low spots in different places. But there's a better way. I want

to encourage you. If you're in that place, trust the Lord, because

it's the Lord that gives you the power to make wealth. Believe it or

not, Well, okay, I'll leave that alone. Moving on finally,

number ten, when the twelve spies returned from spying the land, which we

read a little bit about this. When Israel's twelve spies returned from spying the

land spying out the land of Canaan, all of them except Joshua and Caleb

told the people that Canaan was a land of giants could not be conquered.

The Israelites then complained again against Moses and Errand and wanted another leader to return

to Egypt. If you're just looking for Jesus to satisfy the lust of your

soul, then no matter how much he does, it will never be good

enough. If you don't understand the difference between your spirit and your soul,

and your soul is ruling you, then you're never going to live a spirit

filled life. Because all those that are sons are led by the spirit.

It is spirit to spirit communication. Your natural mind cannot understand the ways of

God nor discern them because it's spiritual. And when we spend more time ministering

to the souls of believers, when difficult times come, they crumble because you

have not spent time strengthening your spirit. Jesus was in the wilderness, and

I'm sorry. Jesus was in the garden. He tells the disciples watch and

pray that you do not enter into temptation. He goes away for one hour.

Praise comes back. Boys. Could you not hang in there for one

hour like Jesus said, It wasn't a big deal for them to pray for

sixty minutes. Now, I want you to think about something individually. Think

about something if the Lord Jesus didn't think it should be a big deal in

those circumstances in that moment to pray for an hour because of the requirement what

was about to happen? And he goes, you couldn't. You couldn't pray

one hour? He thought that was like boys, like, come on,

that's not a big deal. He goes away again for and praise. He

comes back hour or two again heavy. They knew what was going on,

and they and they just wanted to sleep and check out from it all.

And then he goes back a third time, praise for an hour. He

comes back, He's like, wake up, it's time. What we missed

in that principle is that had they prayed, if they'd watched and prayed for

those three hours, that actually would have strengthened them to not enter into temptation.

Peter would not have denied him three times. It's strengthened their spirits.

Prayer strengthens your spirit, and then it allows you to get into a place

where even things that normally was a temptation to you, you're like, yeah,

no, I just I don't see any pleasure in that because your spirit's

ruling and your soul is in submission, and your spirit strengthens because of His

word and prayer communion with him. And then all of a sudden you're fulfilling

psalms to light yourself and the Lord. And he'll give you the desires of

your heart, because all of a sudden, his desires became your desires through

the divine exchange. And now he is justified to answer your prayers because those

prayers are actually according to his will, and anything you ask according to his

will is already done. I can't believe I'm gonna finish early today. I

did y'all's happy dance for you. I'm hearing grumbling from all of God punished

the people whom God called evil for their complaints by letting them wander in the

wilderness for forty years. None of those men who had seen His glory and

signs in Egypt. So be careful what you asked for to whom much has

given, much is required. Their consequences were severe, but so were their

encounters. The closer you get to him, the shorter the least you're going

to be on Why Because the closer you get to him, the more you

represent him, and the more you represent him, the more those people that

look at you believe exactly what you're doing is what he wants done. James

five seven to nine. Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming

of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the

earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the latter reigns.

You also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord

is at hand. Do not grumble against one another. That means we can't

even grumble, like, we can't grumble to the Lord. We can't grumble

about each other. Like what are we going to grumble about? We have

nothing to If I grumble about you, I'm sending If I grumble against him,

I may not make it in the promised land of my life. Oh

man, this is so unfair. Do you what that's grumbling? Right?

What have you been unthankful for this morning? What have you what? As

you reveal your life over the last couple of weeks, maybe the last twenty

four hours, did you complain about something? Were you upset about the way

things are turning out? Y'all? If you don't like the harvest that you're

producing, change the seed And if you just came out of a decade of

sewing seeds to the flesh and you're reaping a harvest of corruption, give yourself

a break, because it's going to take a little time to shift that spiritual

momentum. As you actually begin to sow seeds of righteousness, which produces life,

eventually those seeds will overtake with that harvest over the corruption, and now

you're actually living a life of abundance because you're specifically, intentionally daily pursuing righteousness.

It really is that simple God will not be mocked. Whatever a man

sows, that also will he reap. If you reap what if you sow

seeds of life, you're gonna what reap what life? Righteousness leads to righteousness,

Evil leads to evil, corruption leads to corruption. I am absolutely convinced

as believers we have been eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and

evil and have not figured out that it's not the tree of life. And

we're confused because we think good as God. It was never God's desire for

you to know good. It was his desire for you to know him.

You know, Scripture says runs your heart and not your garments. The religious

tore their clothes with Jesus. The religious they were offended with him. The

Pharisees, the scribes, the Sadducees, they were offended with him, and

they did their religious acts, and they tore their clothes, and they thought

they were right with God, and they were literally jealous of God in the

flesh. Y'all we were. We were literally on the cuffs of seeing.

Literally the most amazing days are ahead of us. But I want to tell

you it says that it comes with persecutions. Jesus said, you'll get the

kingdom with persecutions. And if you're not transformed in here, then when persecution

comes, you're going to fall away because you're gonna wish. Let oh,

if we could only go back to twenty nineteen, if we could only go

back to you pre COVID twenty eighteen. Oh, if it was just like

then, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a place of bitter

resentment and expectation, and we lose sight of the reality that the knowledge of

the glory of the Lord is covering the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Because the enemy wants you focused on gross darkness and where you see darkness

growing. He wants you to focus on that and become demoralized and focused on

all the country is going to hell in a handbasket. Oh there's no change.

Oh it's just getting worse. Oh there's no point in trying to do

anything. And you end up disarming yourselves and not seeing anything because all of

a sudden you're focused on what's negative, rather than being led by the Holy

Spirit, rather than remembering and Daniel eleven. It says, but those who

know their God will do great exploits. We are entering into the days that

those that know God are gonna shine like the stars in heaven. They're gonna

they're gonna shine, They're gonna stand out, and those that don't know God

are going to be very obvious. If I get the prayer teams to come,

have you responded yes on the email? I would love for you to

come forward now. Maybe all you do right now is complain about your marriage,

am I metalink y'all, let's be honest here. We have to stop

lying to ourselves because we're really experts about it. There's an invitation right now

to allow the Holy Spirit to show you where complaining has hindered your maturation,

where complaining has hindered him from being able to give you things because you're not

stewarding them, because you're supposed to give thanks in all things. In all

things, give thanks for this is God's will in Christ, Jesus. What

do you think would happen if you gave thanks? What do you think would

happen if you begin to feel depressed and down and self pity and you begin

to move in an opposite spirit, and you begin to focus on every blessing

that you've been given in that moment instead of focusing on what you think you

should have, and begin to give thanks in that moment for what you do

have, and you stay in that place of thanksgiving until all of a sudden

all you see is what the blessings of the Lord are in your life,

and what you thought you need and wanted and had to have, they they

pale in comparison and disappear, because now your heart is captivated by the goodness

and the beauty of the Lord. That is taking every thought captive to the

obedience of Christ, that is walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the lust

of the flesh. Your greatest life now is in Jesus and to the degree

you lose your life, you find it. So kiss the splinters and take

up your cross daily so you can find out just exactly what you were made

for. And I don't know about you, but I want to be a

believer that walks into a room, and because of the presence of the Lord

on my life, that room shifts. People's lives are changed because He is

in me and on me, and I get in proximity of touch of them,

and the goodness of God touches them and transforms their life. The goodness

of God causes repentance simply because I walk into the room. Because Jesus is

in me, we become more aware of Him inside of us, that He's

greater than all the other stuff outside coming against us, and we stay focused

on that. So, Father, forgive us for being ungrateful, for not

being content, for not focusing on what we have, and you for not

being captivated by your beauty. Lord, forgive us for the narcissism. Lord,

would you touch us this morning, Would you touch our hearts this morning

and bring transformation? Holy Spirit, Would you come and power that the sun

would be lifted up Jesus, that you would be lifted up, and we

would be drawn to you. Lord, deliver us of Egypt, Deliver us

of the complaining and the backbiting and grumbling and grumbling against each other, and

being deceived and believing that the people in front of us are the source of

our pain. And if they would just change, everything would be fine.

Lord, forgive us for that. Lord, lect your kingdom at advance,

and may it advanced in us first. So Father, I asked that you

would have your way. Thank you for listening. For more messages and other

resources, please subscribe to this podcast. We'll go to our website at www

dot Cross Kingdom dot org