Numbers 11:18-23 "18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected (despised KJV) the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
When we are not grateful for what we have and we groan and complain about the things God has blessed us with, we are despising the Lord. Merriam Webster defines despise as: 1: to look down on with contempt or aversion
How could we ever look down on the Lord with contempt or regard him as negligible? The Israelites did it in the wilderness and I am sure we have done it to. We despise the Lord when we do not take him at his Word and believe Him! Bill Winston used this example, lets say someone has a tumor and they go in for surgery to have the tumor removed. You are admitted into the hospital, put to sleep and when you come to the surgery is over, you are bandaged and hooked up to an IV. The doctor tells you the tumor has been removed and you believe the doctor at his word. You didn't see the surgery, you didn't see the tumor be removed, you don't even know how it happened. Yet, you believe the doctor at his word and you went and told people about the success of your surgery and what the doctor did. Now what about God?
The bible says in
3 John 1:2 "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (KJV)
Now that is the Word of God. You are healed and you are prospering in good health as your soul prospers.
If you are walking around claiming sicknesses and diseases, you are despising God.
Jesus died that we may have life and have it more abundantly to the full in every area of our lives. He also blesses us according to our faith. So what you have right now has been given to you according to your faith and also because of the words you have spoken. Now we were all given the same measure of faith it is up to us to develop it and increase it in our lives.
Before you start to complain about the things God has blessed you with (your children, your job, your home, the food in your fridge (even if its just ramen noodles or peanut butter and jelly), your car, clothes, shoes etc. Try thanking and praising God. What I gather from Numbers 11 is that complaining and groaning to God's ears means that we despise Him! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NIV)
The will of God is for us to give thanks in ALL circumstances.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Epiphany Essentials
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