Grumbling and Complaining in Ministry

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:06.080 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours. S and me, 2 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:11.669 Lord, I am yours, I am yours. I'm welcome to the 3 00:00:11.750 --> 00:00:17.629 Gospel Center pre life podcast, a podcast designed to equip, encourage and challenge 4 00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:21.660 you in pro life ministry and always were the focus on the Gospel. Stay 5 00:00:21.739 --> 00:00:32.820 tuned, I felt show Passish, touch your heart, use me love. 6 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:39.810 Welcome back to the Gospel centered pro life podcast. Appreciate you guys listening and, 7 00:00:39.929 --> 00:00:43.409 as always, would appreciate if you guys would share this podcast episode and 8 00:00:43.850 --> 00:00:48.810 if you would give us a review. Leave US review on Itunes or however 9 00:00:49.009 --> 00:00:54.240 else you get podcast. We would love to combat some of the negative reviews 10 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:57.240 that we've had from pro abortion people, although we see that as a badge 11 00:00:57.280 --> 00:01:03.000 of honor we praise God for every time we are persecuted or marginalized for the 12 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:07.750 name of Jesus, and we try our best to have a good attitude and 13 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:12.469 not to grumble and complain about what people say against us. Jesus said it 14 00:01:12.709 --> 00:01:17.030 that people would if they hated me, Jesus said, then they're going to 15 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:23.420 hate you, and so us being hated and maligned by people is just kind 16 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:29.299 of a natural outflow of our identification with Jesus, and we're going to talk 17 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:33.370 about that today. Actually, we did a podcast, hopefully you guys listen 18 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:38.209 to last week that came out about joy and US having joy on the sidewalk 19 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:42.329 and knowing the Lord is what brings joy to us and we can have joy 20 00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:46.170 on our faces and enjoy in our lives and joy in our hearts. That 21 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:49.719 is conveyed to the women going in that don't have joy. They could help 22 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.319 us to really just be compelling for them to come over and talk with us 23 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:59.879 and we need to have joy. We're going to kind of contrast this episode 24 00:01:59.959 --> 00:02:05.349 with that episode in a little a little bit or in some ways, because 25 00:02:05.390 --> 00:02:09.830 we're going to talk about the title the article that you wrote here's the dangers 26 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:15.219 and antidote to grumbling in sidewalk ministry. And I think as a lot of 27 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:20.780 just like our joy topic, a lot of our topics, you can you 28 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:23.020 can apply this to any any ministry. The ministry that we're involved in and 29 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:28.539 we're talking about in this podcast is the sidewalk ministry at abortion centers. But 30 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:35.250 I think there's dangers and biblical antidotes to grumbling and complaining in any area of 31 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:39.009 ministry or any area. We're like, quite honestly, yeah, you know, 32 00:02:39.169 --> 00:02:45.039 not just ministry. Yeah, so we're going to talk about the dangers 33 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:51.599 of grumbling and the antidote to grumbling in light of sidewalk ministry. But again 34 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:58.590 we can apply this to many areas of life and warnings and rebukes throughout the 35 00:02:58.629 --> 00:03:07.710 scriptures about grumbling or I mean cash, so, so many that we won't 36 00:03:07.710 --> 00:03:09.389 be able to touch on all the scriptures where God rebukes. Even, of 37 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:14.219 course, the children is are about grumbling. But even the New Testament, 38 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:21.020 the Bible warns us about grumbling and about complaining. And so let's jump into 39 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:25.099 a Vikulous talk about grumbling and the dangers of grumbling and the antidote. Yeah, 40 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:29.490 the Bible gives us. Yeah. Well, I think a great place 41 00:03:29.610 --> 00:03:36.530 to start as the the verse Philippians to fourteen do all things without grumbling or 42 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:42.599 disputing, and that's a really important verse. It says do all things without 43 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:49.120 grumbling or disputing. And we're in a difficult ministry. We've talked about that 44 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:57.189 a lot. It is a Ministry of rejection. Lot of unjust actions are 45 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:04.030 taken against us, a lot of cruelty, even from the pro abortion crowd 46 00:04:04.550 --> 00:04:11.699 and I think it is easy for us to justify our complaining. Yeah, 47 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:15.939 and I know until I wrote this article, that was kind of where I 48 00:04:15.339 --> 00:04:21.540 was. I hear it from everyone. I am guilty of it, very 49 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:26.889 guilty of it, not just on the sidewalk, to be frank, but 50 00:04:28.129 --> 00:04:34.569 but particularly on the sidewalk. And as I was working on this article I 51 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:42.000 realized more and more, Wow, not only is this not godly behavior, 52 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:51.480 but it is damaging behavior and, in contrast to our podcast last time, 53 00:04:53.750 --> 00:05:00.750 it detracts from the joy that we feel out there and therefore is a danger 54 00:05:00.269 --> 00:05:04.949 in taking us away from the sidewalk. And I think indeed we have lost 55 00:05:04.949 --> 00:05:14.779 sidewalk counselors because they become so discouraged for by the pro abortion group. Yeah, 56 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:19.180 so this this was born. This podcast, this article came out of 57 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:27.970 again, real life experiences on the sidewalk with fellow counselors and I was just 58 00:05:28.170 --> 00:05:34.689 becoming very aware that a lot of our time was spent complaining about the pro 59 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:42.120 abortion crowd. Everything that was said was true. They it, they really 60 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:46.959 are rough and and it really is uncalled for. It. It is childish 61 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:55.550 and sometimes very cruel, but it I realize more of our time was spent 62 00:05:55.750 --> 00:06:04.019 discussing that, sometimes than praising God or praying. While while we were out 63 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:10.100 there and I thought this is this is probably worth discussing, because I can't 64 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:16.860 imagine our teams are different from anyone else, that anyone out on the sidewalk 65 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:23.449 in such a difficult ministry is, I think, likely to fall fall prey 66 00:06:23.529 --> 00:06:29.569 about to this. Yeah, yeah, in some cities, and I know 67 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:33.879 here in southern California, we don't yet have a lot of pro abortion presence. 68 00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:38.879 So there's not yet a lot of opposition. I say yet because I 69 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.879 think it's probably coming up. told the folks here that it's a badge of 70 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.680 honor if pro abortion people show up because you know that you're being effective. 71 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.750 Now pro abortion people haven't yet showed up out here. Maybe a few random 72 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:51.870 people here and there. So I don't mean to say that they're not effective. 73 00:06:51.870 --> 00:06:56.829 There's certainly the teams here being very effective, but it's told them expect 74 00:06:56.949 --> 00:07:00.269 this. These pro abortion people are going to come along. But I will 75 00:07:00.310 --> 00:07:04.420 say that they're not the only reason for grumbling. There could be other things. 76 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:10.100 Laws that are passed that are hindering what you're doing, or at least 77 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:13.300 seeking to hinder what you're doing. That's happening here in California. Laws that 78 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:17.209 are passed to really intimidate and make people feel like can we even be out 79 00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:23.889 on the sidewalk? Also interactions with police officers. That can be a point 80 00:07:23.930 --> 00:07:29.970 for grumbling and just being just having a negative attitude. The lack of involvement 81 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.120 of the church. It's like where's the church at? And this is this 82 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:35.319 is a real problem here, and so I just want to kind of kind 83 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:43.240 of lump all these these points of contention or points of discouragement in together, 84 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.350 because they can all serve to get us in an attitude of grumbling. In 85 00:07:46.470 --> 00:07:51.149 something I think that I've shared on this podcast before that I kind of use 86 00:07:51.189 --> 00:07:55.269 as a term around our house, and this will tie into this. This 87 00:07:55.430 --> 00:08:01.220 this whole grumbling subject, grumbling and complaining, is your attitude determines your altitude. 88 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:05.540 Yeah, right, yeah, if you want to fly above the situations, 89 00:08:05.579 --> 00:08:07.660 you want to soar above the situations, then have a good attitude, 90 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:11.620 but if you want to be under it and you want to be under oppression 91 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:18.610 and depression and discourage, then just have a bad attitude. And really the 92 00:08:18.810 --> 00:08:24.810 gateway to just a bad attitude is grumbling right and complain. Yeah, yeah, 93 00:08:24.089 --> 00:08:30.800 and it can quickly devolve into gossip. I think it sometimes starts off 94 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:35.000 as grumbling and you feel justified and then they're starts to creep in, making 95 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:46.429 fun of whatever you're grumbling about or name calling whatever you're grumbling about or telling 96 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:50.710 stories about whomever you're grumbling about, and that that's clearly, clearly gossip. 97 00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:58.220 I do want to say that what I don't want to convey two people is 98 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:05.259 that there is not a legitimate place for sharing one another's burdens and and you 99 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:09.690 know, I'll go back to the example of the pro abortion crowd. There 100 00:09:09.769 --> 00:09:16.289 are they've sometimes brought us to tears and there there are times when we just 101 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:24.639 really do need to unload on an understanding friend or fellow counselor who's been through 102 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:31.399 it, yeah, in order to kind of brush that off and and move 103 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:35.879 on. So I think there is a legitimate place for that, but that's 104 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:41.549 not what really what we're talking about. It can be what we're talking about, 105 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:48.950 but I think, I think when we start just complaining about things that 106 00:09:50.350 --> 00:09:54.539 honestly, we should expect these people are not saved, they don't know God. 107 00:09:54.500 --> 00:10:00.539 We honestly should not be surprised that they're not acting in an honorable, 108 00:10:00.580 --> 00:10:05.940 God fearing manner. Right. This is just what we would expect. And 109 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:11.370 and so when I was thinking about when is it okay to grumble, and 110 00:10:11.450 --> 00:10:16.210 I grumble is probably not the correct word in that case, but when, 111 00:10:16.289 --> 00:10:22.720 I think it's important to ask ourselves before we start grumbling, will my complaining 112 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:31.360 or bringing up up this issue do anything to evoke change in a positive, 113 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:37.230 God honoring way? Yeah, and just complaining about them being who they are 114 00:10:39.309 --> 00:10:43.990 in terms of talking about the pro abortion people. I don't see how that's 115 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:48.269 going to in any way honor God or bring about change. And in fact, 116 00:10:48.309 --> 00:10:54.419 what I do see is it it takes our focus off of our mission 117 00:10:54.460 --> 00:10:58.299 and it kind of brings everybody down. Everybody suppressed because this isn't going to 118 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:05.370 end. How, Oh, what is me? Yeah, so, so 119 00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:09.529 I would say grumbling is destructive. It's destructive and we were just talking about 120 00:11:09.529 --> 00:11:13.450 before the podcast. I think it's one of the most famous examples of grumbling 121 00:11:15.450 --> 00:11:24.200 is poor Moses as he's leading the Israelites across the Promised Land and they pretty 122 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.679 much right away start grumbling and complaining they're being led to freedom, out of 123 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:37.429 slavery. And I guess what what we would expect is gratitude and joy and 124 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:41.110 praise, but that's not really what happened at all. Know now, I 125 00:11:41.230 --> 00:11:45.909 was actually reading that in my time with the Lord this morning. In Exodus 126 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:52.179 and they are of course, God delivers them with miraculous signs. And does 127 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:58.379 all these things in Egypt really prove that the false gods of Egypt, or 128 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:01.129 just that false God's brings the children to Israel, out, brings them to 129 00:12:01.169 --> 00:12:05.370 the Red Sea, and then of course the army of Pharaoh is coming, 130 00:12:05.370 --> 00:12:09.250 because Pharaoh's heart's been hardened again and he's going to come and bring the children 131 00:12:09.289 --> 00:12:15.090 of Israel back into Egypt. And you know, one point they're grumbling and 132 00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:20.000 they're complaining and they say it's kind of funny the way that it's worded in 133 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:24.679 the scripture. Are there no graves in Egypt? You know, do you 134 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.279 bring us out here because there were no graves, there was no grave plots, 135 00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:30.230 less and need you. That's why you brought us out here to die. 136 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:33.629 And you know, in a sense it's like, and this is where 137 00:12:33.629 --> 00:12:37.029 we have to check our hearts, when we're complaining about a sick situation, 138 00:12:37.070 --> 00:12:41.669 when we're complaining about a circumstance that we're in, are we complaining against the 139 00:12:41.830 --> 00:12:48.100 Lord? Are we accusing him of not not being wise and not caring about 140 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:50.659 us? and think about the children of Israel, right. I mean, 141 00:12:50.779 --> 00:12:54.980 of course God cared about them. He heard their cry in Egypt and he 142 00:12:54.100 --> 00:13:01.049 delivered them through these miraculous means. And yet so their accusation is not just 143 00:13:01.289 --> 00:13:05.129 it's not against just Moses, but it's against the Lord himself and the Lord's 144 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:09.769 deliverance. And you know, I think this can apply to sidewalk ministry, 145 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:13.559 though I don't think that many of you that are listening, that are doing 146 00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:16.879 sidewalk ministry, have that same mentality as the children of Israel. Did you 147 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:20.000 have an attitude of gratitude toward the Lord and all of that? Yet we 148 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.159 can slip into that mentality. It's like we can almost have mentality of God. 149 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.000 Did you call me to this ministry just so people can call me names 150 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:31.909 and Malay find me? Did you call me this ministry just so women can 151 00:13:31.029 --> 00:13:35.590 cuss it me as they're going in instead of responding to me positively? And 152 00:13:35.789 --> 00:13:39.909 that really kind of goes back to the podcast we did some months ago about 153 00:13:39.909 --> 00:13:43.580 the motivation for ministry and I encourage you guys, if you haven't, please 154 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:48.539 listen to that, because that can really, I can really squash a lot 155 00:13:48.580 --> 00:13:52.820 of this stuff if you have a wrong motivation for ministry. Of Your motivation 156 00:13:52.980 --> 00:13:56.570 from ministry is that you're going to be out there and be the savior of 157 00:13:56.649 --> 00:14:00.809 all these babies and these MOMS and all this stuff. You're going to be 158 00:14:00.889 --> 00:14:03.090 sadly disappointed when they're cussing at you. Now God will use you to say 159 00:14:03.169 --> 00:14:07.409 babies. We do believe that. I can just trust that. The Lord's 160 00:14:07.450 --> 00:14:09.960 going to use you for sure, but that can't be our primary motivation. 161 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:13.320 A primary motivation has to be a love for God. Is What we're doing. 162 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:18.039 We're doing it in obedience to him. The victory is in obedience and 163 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:22.159 when our motivation is right, then it will guard our heart against grumbling. 164 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.789 But I'll tell you, there's always the potential that we're going to grumble in 165 00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:28.669 complain and I think, as you said, Vicki, there can be a 166 00:14:28.789 --> 00:14:33.909 fine line between us sharing our bird and sharing our concern sharing. I mean 167 00:14:35.509 --> 00:14:39.980 I'm thinking about the police officers. We've got a knucklehead police officer in Charlotte. 168 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:43.620 That has caused us a lot of problems and seems like he goes out 169 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.419 of his way to cause US issues. Do we need to talk about that 170 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:48.659 as a group? Yeah, we do. We need to talk about that. 171 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:52.289 We need to talk about you know, we we've had some fun sometimes 172 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:58.289 and and just you know, he kind of looks like a cartoon character a 173 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:01.610 little bit. So if people kind of use that analogy, close to the 174 00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:05.450 line there, though, of are we having I think we're coming close to 175 00:15:05.570 --> 00:15:09.679 the line. Yeah, or are we? Are we making fun of an 176 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:15.000 is that God honoring? So yeah, that was one of the things actually 177 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.440 that that a fellow counselor brought up to me, because you very what I 178 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:26.269 thought was good natured was actually mocking someone and and he pointed out that that's 179 00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:28.950 kind of gossip that. Yeah, I love you and respect you, but 180 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:33.750 have you considered that? So, anyway, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. 181 00:15:33.990 --> 00:15:37.259 Interrupt you there. I mean I think that and again I think that 182 00:15:37.539 --> 00:15:43.179 fact there goes back to a podcast we did about the body of Christ working 183 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:48.100 together and about burying one another's burdens in the fact that we need each other. 184 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:52.049 We need each other to help when we cross over that line, somebody 185 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:56.169 that's going to call us out and say hey, we getting into the realm 186 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:58.730 of grumbling and complaining and we're getting into the realm of gossip. Yeah, 187 00:16:00.090 --> 00:16:03.330 and to help us will this thing back, because at the end of the 188 00:16:03.370 --> 00:16:06.039 day, what we want to do is honor Jesus. Right, we want 189 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:10.519 to honor Jesus and what we're doing. Of course we we've got to share 190 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:12.279 our burdens. We've got a share, and sometimes we can do it in 191 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:15.000 a funny way, we can do it in a way that you know we 192 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:21.590 don't have any malicious intent behind it, because we've got to relate each other 193 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:25.190 and I think part of the Camaraderie and part of the connection that we have 194 00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:29.309 with each other's they're sort of like these in inside jokes that we can tell 195 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:33.059 about sidewalk ministry and all that stuff. But it can step over a line 196 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:36.779 and it can get into where we're just in a negative attitude, we're in 197 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:41.580 a grumbling and complaining attitude, and so we need to check our hearts before 198 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:45.539 the Lord and check each other right so that we don't get into this attitude 199 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:52.210 of grumbling and we're ultimately accusing God by grumbling against him, because at the 200 00:16:52.250 --> 00:16:55.409 end of the day, we believe that he called us to this ministry and 201 00:16:55.649 --> 00:16:59.250 the things that are happening in this ministry, though they're not within his perfect 202 00:16:59.289 --> 00:17:03.039 will, he certainly knew those things are going to happen and those things can 203 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.359 serve. Actually, the opposition that we receive from pro abortion people, police 204 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:12.039 or whatever it might be, can be things that God uses to help us 205 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:17.029 grow to be more like Jesus. Again, let's look at the example of 206 00:17:17.109 --> 00:17:21.269 Jesus. Was He maligned? Was He marginalized? Was He spoken against? 207 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:25.470 The people lie about him? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. 208 00:17:26.470 --> 00:17:29.630 How did he respond? And he certainly did call things what they were. 209 00:17:30.900 --> 00:17:33.980 He called the Pharisees a brood of snakes. You'd know that he did it 210 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:37.819 not out of malicious intent, but out of speaking the truth and warning the 211 00:17:37.900 --> 00:17:42.660 people about these snakes, these brood of snakes, and also to confront these 212 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:48.809 Pharisees with their sin and the rebellion against God. So yeah, again there 213 00:17:48.849 --> 00:17:51.890 can be this, this fine line. We do need to guard our hearts, 214 00:17:51.930 --> 00:17:56.289 we do need to make sure that what we're saying, we're like before 215 00:17:56.329 --> 00:17:59.720 the Lord. This this honors the Lord and this doesn't get me into a 216 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.359 mindset of one of the brothers here locally says, of stinking thinking. We 217 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:07.720 don't want to get in that mindset of just stinking thinking right, constantly saturating 218 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:11.480 our minds and our hearts with grumbling, with complaining, with negative stuff, 219 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:18.029 with these people do this, this person did that. We've got to come 220 00:18:18.109 --> 00:18:21.670 back around to the fact in our minds and our hearts that Jesus Christ is 221 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:23.789 our Lord, like we talked about in the joy podcast. We belong to 222 00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:29.900 him. He's our Lord. We need to have joy, not just not 223 00:18:30.180 --> 00:18:34.019 grumbling and complaining. Yeah, yeah, thinking about Jesus that you brought up, 224 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:37.660 that he he calls things like they are and sometimes he can even be 225 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:42.849 harsh in his choice of words. But I can't recall a single time that 226 00:18:42.970 --> 00:18:48.809 I would characterize him as grumbling, not a single time. I don't recall 227 00:18:48.930 --> 00:18:52.930 any statement like woe is me, you know, look at look at all 228 00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:57.880 that I'm enduring. He just does. He just endures it, and and 229 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:04.559 usually with silence. He usually doesn't speak about what he's suffering at all. 230 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:10.710 The only thing even close to that might be when he says, father, 231 00:19:10.789 --> 00:19:15.990 if it is your will, take this Cup from me, but that's that's 232 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:22.150 really more just a plea of anguish, as supposed to you know, a 233 00:19:22.309 --> 00:19:30.019 complaint, but in in terms of some of the legitimate grievances, like when 234 00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:33.740 you brought up the police. And while I do think there's a fine line 235 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:37.660 when we start to kind of poke fun at then we got to be careful, 236 00:19:37.609 --> 00:19:44.009 yeah, that we're not, you know, edging towards disrespect and and 237 00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:49.569 flat out gossip. But when when we get together and talk about the police 238 00:19:49.849 --> 00:19:55.920 and the things that we feel were unfair, we're actually trying to bring about 239 00:19:55.920 --> 00:20:00.599 a change. It's not just to discuss poor, pitiful loss. It really 240 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.200 is this is not legal, is it? Can someone look up and find 241 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.880 out if this Lee is legal? And oftentimes that you do in that, 242 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:11.829 Daniel, or our what can we do to alleviate this issue, and talking 243 00:20:11.950 --> 00:20:17.789 to lawyers and finding out what our rights are and how we confide it. 244 00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:22.980 And I think that that is very different from grumbling. That's trying to take 245 00:20:22.059 --> 00:20:29.619 action to right or wrong, and true grumbling, I don't think is. 246 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:34.259 I think it's just feeling sorry for yourself and complaining about something that, honestly, 247 00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:38.170 you probably have no control over. But some of the things we do 248 00:20:38.329 --> 00:20:45.130 have control over that are not grumbling in terms of against sidewalk ministry. If 249 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:52.079 we see abusive or aggressive behavior by the pro abortion crowd or by patients or 250 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:57.839 clients or workers, we definitely need to address that and we should tell each 251 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:02.880 other, we should film it, we and we should seek counsel regarding that, 252 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:07.109 because that can be dangerous and again, it's something that we can take 253 00:21:07.230 --> 00:21:14.549 action against. If we see concerns of sex trafficking or domestic abuse in the 254 00:21:14.710 --> 00:21:18.940 clients coming into the abortion center, you know we need to talk with each 255 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:23.099 other about that and maybe call the police and and discussed with each other what 256 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:29.140 do we do in this situation? Some sometimes there's situations we don't know what 257 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:33.130 to do and we have to talk to each other to try and figure it 258 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:41.289 out. So that's different and that is not at all what what we're talking 259 00:21:41.329 --> 00:21:49.480 about. I also have found that the more I grumble, besides getting discouraged, 260 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:56.160 the more negatively I feel about that person I'm grumbling against. It feeds 261 00:21:56.400 --> 00:22:03.910 into a negative, destructive, hateful attitude towards others and again that that that's 262 00:22:03.950 --> 00:22:11.549 not good. Yeah, so, but the next section that I have in 263 00:22:11.670 --> 00:22:15.700 our article, which you kind of already talked about, is what's the solution, 264 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:21.220 and I want to tell you a story that that actually happened this week 265 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:25.859 out on the sidewalk, which maybe that there were two things that really sparked 266 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:30.529 this are article. This was one of the things. There was a very 267 00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:36.250 difficult group of pro abortion people. I think there was something like fifteen of 268 00:22:36.329 --> 00:22:40.970 them. They always have number our team, and they were inches of our 269 00:22:41.170 --> 00:22:47.720 face, screaming at us, taunting us, threatening us. They were blowing 270 00:22:47.799 --> 00:22:52.480 whistles in our ears, all kinds of other musical instruments right in our ears, 271 00:22:53.039 --> 00:23:00.910 which was painful, and we were all feeling just weary at the end 272 00:23:00.950 --> 00:23:06.109 of the of three hours of that. We were worn out and we we 273 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:10.710 struggled to it. I think every one of us was thinking, did anyone 274 00:23:10.950 --> 00:23:17.740 hear anything of value that we called out, because the noise and the persecution 275 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:22.619 was so strong that day. And one of them, that was the worst 276 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:29.569 one of them, was just video taping everything we were doing and getting in 277 00:23:29.650 --> 00:23:33.930 our face and again mocking us. And it was time for us all to 278 00:23:33.009 --> 00:23:37.369 go home. The time had ended and I said, I said should we 279 00:23:37.529 --> 00:23:42.200 pray? And we knew yes, indeed we should pray and I volunteered to 280 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:48.440 be the one to pray. And as soon as this worst of the offenders 281 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:52.039 of the pro abortion crowd heard that we were going to pray, said, 282 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:53.559 Oh, can I pray with you? Can I pray with you, very 283 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:59.589 mocking. So I did wrestle for a moment thinking should I have said sure, 284 00:23:59.829 --> 00:24:06.190 but I didn't. I just ignored her and I started praying and and 285 00:24:06.390 --> 00:24:11.980 because I think I needed God and I knew my team needed God so desperately 286 00:24:11.019 --> 00:24:17.460 at that moment I was really, really into that prayer. I was so 287 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:22.019 focused on God. Sometimes it isn't always like that, but it was that 288 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:27.289 time and just really tapping in to the holy spirit and really feeling that I 289 00:24:27.490 --> 00:24:34.329 was in direct communion with with God as I'm praying and she was saying things 290 00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:41.400 and trying to distract and I just was totally into my prayer, which, 291 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:45.000 by the way, is out loud for the group before we disperse. And 292 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:48.279 then she started singing and I knew she was singing, but I was not 293 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:56.269 conscious, at least conscious at all of the words of what she was singing. 294 00:24:56.349 --> 00:25:00.630 And continued the prayer and somewhere through the middle of the prayer. She 295 00:25:00.910 --> 00:25:04.190 I knew she had left, at least I no longer registered that she was 296 00:25:04.309 --> 00:25:08.900 there in the prayer ended and and we all dispersed, went home and it 297 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:15.740 was later reading the team leads report of the day and she mentioned that prayer 298 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:22.970 and mentioned that during that prayer this pro abortion person was singing hail Satan, 299 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:29.089 and at that everybody else was aware of it. Now I had no idea. 300 00:25:29.130 --> 00:25:33.769 I had no idea. All I felt was peace and joy and comfort 301 00:25:33.049 --> 00:25:41.160 in this prayer and to me that spoke very specifically about our greatest anetote to 302 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:49.549 to grumbling is to keep our our heart and mind so focused on God that 303 00:25:49.990 --> 00:25:56.710 nothing else enters and it is as though you're looking right through all those people 304 00:25:56.950 --> 00:26:02.309 trying to discourage you, that you no longer see your hear them because you're 305 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:06.940 so focused on what God has called you to do and on his presence and 306 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:12.180 his holy spirit guiding and enabling you to do that. Yeah, I mean 307 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:17.819 it comes back to where our focus is. It comes back to what our 308 00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:22.369 motivation is. We're not out there too we're not out there just to say 309 00:26:22.450 --> 00:26:26.250 babies, we're not out there just to be heard. We're out there to 310 00:26:26.369 --> 00:26:30.730 obey God and if it comes to where our voices are being drowned out by 311 00:26:30.809 --> 00:26:36.079 pro abortion people or whatever, you know, opposition comes against us, we're 312 00:26:36.119 --> 00:26:40.839 not out there for them. We're not out there to feel good about ourselves 313 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:45.400 or out there to glorify Jesus. Yeah, and we've got to keep our 314 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:52.509 focus on him. I know whenever thoughts and bad attitudes come kind of across 315 00:26:52.549 --> 00:26:55.670 our radar, of course one of the ways that can bat that is to 316 00:26:55.750 --> 00:26:59.349 pray. Yeah, when you're out there on the sidewalk and there's there's this 317 00:26:59.549 --> 00:27:03.299 ability and I think this this subject grumbling ties into the subject of discouragement and 318 00:27:03.420 --> 00:27:07.460 dealing with discouragement, which we did do a podcast about long time ago, 319 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:14.700 is bringing our petition to the Lord. That's one of the keys to overcoming 320 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:18.809 discouragement, overcoming not getting into because discouragement can lead into grumbling. That's kind 321 00:27:18.809 --> 00:27:22.930 of the progression of things. You get discourage, you start grumbling, you 322 00:27:22.970 --> 00:27:26.809 start complaining, then you start accusing God and then you start even question in 323 00:27:26.849 --> 00:27:32.039 your calling and all that stuff. Before he gets to there. We need 324 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.640 to do, if you look at the psalms, we need to do what 325 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:37.559 David did in the psalms where he's bringing his can, his petition, and 326 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:41.440 it seems like in some of the psalms like he's complaining to the Lord, 327 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:45.789 like, God, where are you in this situation? Like we can be 328 00:27:45.950 --> 00:27:51.430 honest before the Lord, but we need to come back around like David does 329 00:27:51.950 --> 00:27:55.990 to your God, you're the Lord over it all. I belong to you. 330 00:27:56.029 --> 00:28:00.819 You're not beholding to me and you know, I think checking our attitude 331 00:28:00.900 --> 00:28:03.980 between us and the Lord is it very important then, of course, the 332 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:07.380 dynamic of other folks helping us to check our attitude. Yeah, so that 333 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:11.099 we're not getting this whole round of just being a grant. Yeah. Yeah, 334 00:28:12.170 --> 00:28:22.289 act sixteen is a great example of not grumbling but doing replacing that with 335 00:28:23.170 --> 00:28:26.400 turning our thoughts. Are Folk us in our heart on the Lord, and 336 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:33.359 I actually I think I copied you probably all know that it's such a great 337 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:37.119 story in the book of acts, but I'll read or do you want to 338 00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:42.470 read that? In in acts like sixteen, it's the full story, is 339 00:28:44.990 --> 00:28:48.789 well, it goes through the whole chapter of acts, but the crux of 340 00:28:48.869 --> 00:28:53.349 it is in verses twenty two, two to thirty. Yeah, yeah, 341 00:28:53.470 --> 00:28:57.619 so to kind of condens it just a little bit and you guys probably again 342 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:03.940 we'll know the story where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison because Paul cast 343 00:29:03.019 --> 00:29:06.579 a demon out of this girl who was possessed by a demon. Right. 344 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:10.970 And they're there in prison now, and we've talked about this passage, I 345 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:12.890 think, before as well, or at least we've talked about acts chapter four, 346 00:29:12.970 --> 00:29:17.769 when Peter and John were thrown into prison for preaching the name of Jesus. 347 00:29:17.809 --> 00:29:21.769 This is a similar scenario where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for 348 00:29:21.890 --> 00:29:26.880 casting out the demon proclaiming the name of Jesus. Anyway, they're there in 349 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:30.319 a not so nice scenario. Who Mean? We think about jail, we 350 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:33.160 think about prison in this day and age. You didn't have TV's, you 351 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:37.519 didn't have a library. There you're in a nasty, filthy place, probably 352 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:41.710 rats and all this, which they didn't belong to. They did they they 353 00:29:41.750 --> 00:29:45.470 didn't deserve to be in it. Would they were false charged, false accusations 354 00:29:45.509 --> 00:29:48.470 and they thrown in prison. They had every right to grumble, if someone 355 00:29:48.549 --> 00:29:51.549 has a right to grumble, right, yeah, right, yeah, they 356 00:29:51.670 --> 00:29:53.980 certainly would have. But order they begin to do they began to worship, 357 00:29:55.660 --> 00:30:00.819 they began to sing. Yeah, singing praise to the Lord in the midst 358 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:03.940 of that filthy, rotten place that they didn't deserve to be in. And 359 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:07.769 the Bible says that the place that they were was shaking. The prison house 360 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:12.650 was shaken and immediately all the doors were open and everyone's chains were unfastened. 361 00:30:12.650 --> 00:30:15.930 So they were released. They were praising God, they were singing hymns of 362 00:30:17.009 --> 00:30:21.049 praise, the Bible says, to God, and the prisoners were hearing this 363 00:30:21.130 --> 00:30:23.359 stuff. So that's a testimony. When we praise the Lord in the midst 364 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:26.720 of persecution, in the midst of opposition, and we can worship and we 365 00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:30.640 can praise the Lord, it's a witness to those around us, for sure, 366 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:37.390 and in this situation it calls an earthquake from the Lord that shook the 367 00:30:37.430 --> 00:30:41.589 foundations of the prison and release their chains, not just their chains, but 368 00:30:41.670 --> 00:30:44.150 other people's chains. And there's listen. This will preach, let me tell 369 00:30:44.150 --> 00:30:48.109 you, because you praising God in the midst of opposition rather than grumbling and 370 00:30:48.309 --> 00:30:52.980 complaining, can also bring freedom to other people. Right it can help other 371 00:30:53.019 --> 00:30:57.220 people get free, and this is applicable to on the sidewalk. Whenever you 372 00:30:57.420 --> 00:31:02.660 decide in the midst of opposition, to be thankful, to have gratitude toward 373 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:06.930 God, to going back to that acts chapter for or I think it's it's 374 00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:11.890 later on in acts chapter six, I believe, when Peter and the apostles, 375 00:31:11.930 --> 00:31:14.609 I think it was Peter and John Again, were beaten for the name 376 00:31:14.650 --> 00:31:18.490 of Jesus and they left rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer for 377 00:31:18.569 --> 00:31:22.240 his namesake. So if we can take that kind of attitude, man, 378 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:27.240 that is contagious and in this situation, the analogy would be the not only 379 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:32.799 were their chains released, but the chains of everyone else. Yeah, that 380 00:31:32.950 --> 00:31:36.509 was there people who weren't worshiping and praising God, but people who are overhearing 381 00:31:36.549 --> 00:31:38.710 this thing. So you this can bring freedom to other people in the sidewalk 382 00:31:38.829 --> 00:31:42.190 is you're worshiping and praising God in the midst of persecution, your other sidewalk 383 00:31:42.269 --> 00:31:47.579 counselors, people who are probably filling the same temptation to grumble into be like 384 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:52.220 why are we even here? Whatever can actually that fire can actually spread to 385 00:31:52.259 --> 00:31:56.900 them. It can also spread. As you were speaking, I realized what 386 00:31:56.019 --> 00:32:02.009 an incredible example and picture that is. When we do that, when we 387 00:32:02.210 --> 00:32:07.769 turn the persecution and prays to the MOMS themselves, because what we are asking 388 00:32:07.890 --> 00:32:10.930 of them oftentimes, I'll directly say this, don't put your eyes on your 389 00:32:10.970 --> 00:32:15.759 struggles, don't put your eyes on your circumstances. Put Your eyes on Jesus. 390 00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:19.839 Don't give into the to your fears and your struggles in your troubles, 391 00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:24.680 but keep bringing your eyes back to the Lord. And that is what that's 392 00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:28.839 what we're asking them to do, and they see that, if they see 393 00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:34.109 us doing that in the midst of the persecution that we are receiving, not 394 00:32:34.309 --> 00:32:38.390 on the side bucket. That is a powerful statement, a powerful word. 395 00:32:38.509 --> 00:32:44.339 Picture will not word, picture, powerful visual of what we're telling them. 396 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:50.180 And if, instead, what they see is as grumbling, fighting, returning 397 00:32:50.660 --> 00:32:55.819 the Machrian and the insults, with further in salt, smocking or whatever from 398 00:32:57.019 --> 00:33:04.890 us, all we've shown them is just go and do whatever you want and 399 00:33:05.049 --> 00:33:08.130 ignore what God has has called you to do, because that's basically what we're 400 00:33:08.210 --> 00:33:13.519 doing. We are not called to credible or to persecute. Those who persecute 401 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:16.799 us. Know we're called a magnified Jesus, and that's what they were doing 402 00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:22.000 ultimately, and you guys know the story this, this jailer who was going 403 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:25.160 to take his own life because if a prisoner got loose, his life was 404 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:29.910 going to be taken anyway. Right, he's responsible for them staying in prison. 405 00:33:30.750 --> 00:33:34.430 Ultimately, Paul says don't harm yourself, leads him to the Lord, 406 00:33:34.470 --> 00:33:39.150 baptizes him and his whole family. So this attitude, in the midst of 407 00:33:39.269 --> 00:33:45.180 persecution and opposition, of praise and Thanksgiving to the Lord, rather than grumbling, 408 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:46.859 rather than saying all, we're in this filthy prison, we don't deserve 409 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:50.700 to be here. God, weren't you protecting us? Weren't you watching out 410 00:33:50.700 --> 00:33:53.460 for us? Like what's going on here? Lord? Instead of that attitude, 411 00:33:53.460 --> 00:33:58.569 they praise God, prison doors are open, people are set free. 412 00:33:58.690 --> 00:34:02.930 This guy comes into the Lord and sole family. So this is like really 413 00:34:02.970 --> 00:34:08.369 a strong motivation for us to have an attitude of worship and praise to the 414 00:34:08.449 --> 00:34:14.239 Lord, and an attitude of worship and praise can combat an attitude of grumbling 415 00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:19.960 and complaining. So we have to make this, this this conscious, volitional 416 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:28.030 decision, because when we are experiencing wish back and we are experiencing persecution or 417 00:34:28.070 --> 00:34:30.150 whatever it might be, there is always going to be that temptation to grumble, 418 00:34:30.230 --> 00:34:35.230 complain, to make it about us. We have to make that conscious 419 00:34:35.230 --> 00:34:38.820 decision to say, Nope, I'm going to I'm going to shun those feelings 420 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:44.139 and I'm going to embrace an attitude of worship and praise. And sometimes we 421 00:34:44.260 --> 00:34:46.460 have to do it even if we don't feel it right. And sometimes it 422 00:34:46.659 --> 00:34:51.619 means you getting out your smartphone, even out there on the sidewalk, and 423 00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:54.650 pulling up a song on Youtube of worship and just begin to worship Jesus, 424 00:34:55.130 --> 00:34:59.929 just begin to pray. Sometimes it maybe it's let's gather the whole group together, 425 00:34:59.929 --> 00:35:01.170 the whole sidewalk team in together, and let's just pray. Let's just 426 00:35:01.210 --> 00:35:06.210 have a time of prayer before the Lord. Let's give the situation to God. 427 00:35:06.329 --> 00:35:10.719 We have to make conscious decisions to to not grumble but to magnify Jesus, 428 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:15.519 to worship him and to thank him. And we can even do what 429 00:35:15.719 --> 00:35:17.880 they did here, thank him, praise him, even the midst of prison, 430 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:22.670 or like the apostles there in the early part of acts, where they 431 00:35:22.789 --> 00:35:25.869 praise him that they were accounted worthy to suffer for his namesake. Yeah, 432 00:35:27.030 --> 00:35:30.269 yeah, and so and and we can use each other to help bring about 433 00:35:30.630 --> 00:35:35.739 that transformation and how we're thinking about trials and persecution. And so I've got 434 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:37.460 to tell you another story. And the second thing. I told you there 435 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:40.940 were two things that sparked this article. The one was when it happened to 436 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:47.579 me and out on that sidewalk. The second was I was meeting for a 437 00:35:47.699 --> 00:35:54.730 podcast with Daniel and he said how is your day and I I I think, 438 00:35:54.969 --> 00:36:00.050 grumbled and said it was really rough and and told them you would not 439 00:36:00.170 --> 00:36:07.199 have believed the pro abortion group today and I was describing what we had endured 440 00:36:07.920 --> 00:36:15.840 and and his response to me, your response was I'm glad you got to 441 00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:21.110 have that experience. And I remember, I still remember those works and I'm 442 00:36:21.190 --> 00:36:23.909 like it just took totally took the wind out of my sales. I'm like 443 00:36:24.630 --> 00:36:34.780 what Boa and I realized immediately you were right and I said, I think 444 00:36:34.780 --> 00:36:37.099 I said it with a little bit of tongue in cheek, but I said 445 00:36:38.139 --> 00:36:46.210 you're right. I counted a privilege that today I was able to suffer for 446 00:36:46.809 --> 00:36:52.449 Jesus. But what became just in honestly tongue and cheek at the moment, 447 00:36:53.210 --> 00:37:00.210 became my reality. I realize it changed me. That changed me I just 448 00:37:00.409 --> 00:37:04.320 thought it was so unexpected. I thought you're using such a nice guy, 449 00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:07.960 Daniel. I thought you, I thought you would start telling me, you 450 00:37:08.079 --> 00:37:14.400 know. Oh, poor Vicky, I'm so sorry. That must have been 451 00:37:14.480 --> 00:37:17.909 really rough. But but your response was the perfect response, because what it 452 00:37:17.989 --> 00:37:24.630 did was snapped me out of an attitude of grumbling and complaining into an attitude 453 00:37:24.750 --> 00:37:30.820 of you know, it is. Got Surprised by that persecution. Does God 454 00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:35.099 not know about that? Did he think I was worth you know, did 455 00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:37.300 he want me to suffer? You know? No, God has a purpose 456 00:37:37.420 --> 00:37:43.380 and a plan. And when we remember that, that includes I mean we 457 00:37:43.460 --> 00:37:46.969 are in a fallen world, but he could remove us at any moment from 458 00:37:47.010 --> 00:37:52.849 that persecution. He could remove the persecutors at any moment. Yeah, but 459 00:37:52.010 --> 00:37:58.289 he doesn't. And if he doesn't, there is something greater going on. 460 00:37:59.320 --> 00:38:04.239 And and I do think a lot of it probably has to do with are 461 00:38:04.360 --> 00:38:09.039 we going to trust him no matter what? And and the no matter what, 462 00:38:09.760 --> 00:38:15.030 if you're in sidewalk ministry, that is going to include opposition. And 463 00:38:15.230 --> 00:38:20.030 just no matter what, be prepared to praise and follow and keep your focus 464 00:38:20.150 --> 00:38:24.510 on God. And I will say another thing is grumbling is a huge time 465 00:38:24.630 --> 00:38:29.219 drain on all of us. I was training someone yesterday and I don't think 466 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:34.579 she was truly grumbling. I think she was just overwhelmed, overwhelmed by what 467 00:38:34.739 --> 00:38:37.699 she was seeing. She had never seen the opposition like that. But so 468 00:38:38.380 --> 00:38:44.329 much of the time was spent saying, yeah, that's who they are, 469 00:38:44.969 --> 00:38:49.409 that's what they are. Can we get back to who we are and what 470 00:38:49.530 --> 00:38:53.369 we're called to be doing? Yeah, yeah, I think we have to 471 00:38:53.409 --> 00:39:00.599 remember that God doesn't have a vested interest in keeping US comfortable. Right. 472 00:39:01.159 --> 00:39:07.119 God has a vested interest in making us more like his son Jesus, and 473 00:39:07.400 --> 00:39:13.389 he will use things like persecution and he will use opposition and he will use 474 00:39:13.550 --> 00:39:17.389 false accusations and all those things, because all those things were experienced by Jesus. 475 00:39:19.349 --> 00:39:21.989 God will use those things to grow us to be more like Jesus. 476 00:39:22.750 --> 00:39:28.980 The question is, will we? Will we respond appropriately? And going back 477 00:39:29.099 --> 00:39:31.059 to the example, and if you want to look at examples of what grumbling 478 00:39:31.139 --> 00:39:37.059 and complaining will do and how it will shipwreck your walk with God and your 479 00:39:37.139 --> 00:39:40.170 entrance into the Promised Land and to the rest of God, look no further 480 00:39:40.329 --> 00:39:44.449 than the book of Exodus. As the children of Israel or brought through the 481 00:39:44.489 --> 00:39:46.530 Wilderness and they're brought, and even at the very beginning to the Red Sea. 482 00:39:46.849 --> 00:39:52.090 I mean they're grumbling actually even before that, whenever Moses initially he is 483 00:39:52.130 --> 00:39:58.280 coming to deliver them and Pharaoh puts the task on them to make bricks without 484 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:00.719 Straw. You're going to get your own Straw. And you know that they 485 00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:05.880 were grumbling. And they're at the Red Sea right and got it already. 486 00:40:05.880 --> 00:40:08.949 showed them his power, and yet they're grumbling against God there all the all 487 00:40:08.989 --> 00:40:13.269 through the Wilderness. So you know when they grumbling complain because they don't have 488 00:40:13.349 --> 00:40:17.070 meet God, gives him quail up to their eyeballs and they grumbled complain about 489 00:40:17.070 --> 00:40:21.500 that. It's every every area and everything that God does, they grumble and 490 00:40:21.539 --> 00:40:24.780 they complain. But you will see that there were at least two men, 491 00:40:27.500 --> 00:40:30.380 Jonathan, or, I'm sorry, Joshua and Caleb, who didn't grumbling complain 492 00:40:30.460 --> 00:40:35.260 against God, and they entered into the promised land. They made a conscious 493 00:40:35.260 --> 00:40:37.769 decision to look at what God had done, the good things the Lord had 494 00:40:37.849 --> 00:40:42.449 done for them, and that fueled the fire in their hearts to believe that 495 00:40:42.610 --> 00:40:45.730 this God is good. We're not going to grumble complain. The stuff that 496 00:40:45.809 --> 00:40:50.960 happens to us. It's not God's fault. And even if it was God's 497 00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:53.320 fault, he's still good. He puts breath in our lungs and we're going 498 00:40:53.320 --> 00:40:58.440 to worship and we're going to praise him. And those men entered the Promised 499 00:40:58.440 --> 00:41:00.800 Land Right. Those who did not, those who grumble, those who died 500 00:41:00.840 --> 00:41:05.030 in the wilderness, where those who grumbled and complained. And this is a 501 00:41:05.110 --> 00:41:09.590 conscious decision and there may be for you guys that are listening, a time 502 00:41:09.750 --> 00:41:15.590 that you just need to, after this podcast, repent before God and just 503 00:41:15.710 --> 00:41:17.510 tell God you're sorry. And it may not have anything to do a cybwalk 504 00:41:17.579 --> 00:41:21.380 ministry. It might have to do with your family. You might have been 505 00:41:21.420 --> 00:41:25.420 grumbling and complained against God because your kids are doing this or that your husband's 506 00:41:25.500 --> 00:41:30.460 doing this or that your wife is doing this or that your financial situation is 507 00:41:30.539 --> 00:41:32.889 like this or like that, and you've just had an attitude of grumbling and 508 00:41:34.010 --> 00:41:37.050 complaining and ultimately, if you're honest, you're grumbling, you're complaining, is 509 00:41:37.130 --> 00:41:40.730 not just against your circumstances, against your family member, but it's against God 510 00:41:42.610 --> 00:41:46.400 and you need to repent and just say God, I'm sorry. If of 511 00:41:46.519 --> 00:41:52.400 accusing you, I'm sorry, of a bad attitude. In God answers. 512 00:41:52.440 --> 00:41:55.159 When we repent, listen, God comes in, he brings forgiveness, he 513 00:41:55.280 --> 00:42:01.309 washes, he cleanses and he can give you a good attitude. He can 514 00:42:01.510 --> 00:42:07.190 give you a different perspective where you can see that maybe the Lord was using 515 00:42:07.269 --> 00:42:10.550 that stuff to make you more like Jesus and you didn't respond appropriately. Soho 516 00:42:10.550 --> 00:42:15.780 ask God for grace to respond appropriately in the future and he'll give you grace 517 00:42:15.900 --> 00:42:17.619 to do it. Man, it really has to do with our attitude. 518 00:42:17.659 --> 00:42:22.099 It really has to do with our response to the Lord and when we respond 519 00:42:22.179 --> 00:42:25.099 we're not always. No one is going to respond a hundred percent appropriately every 520 00:42:25.179 --> 00:42:29.820 time. When we don't, we just repent and ask God for grace to 521 00:42:29.900 --> 00:42:31.329 do right in the future, and who give us grace to do it. 522 00:42:31.530 --> 00:42:37.250 Yeah, so hope this was an encouragement to you guys and a challenge to 523 00:42:37.289 --> 00:42:40.809 you guys. We don't want to discourage you, want to encourage you, 524 00:42:42.010 --> 00:42:44.920 just like my response to Vicky. I'm glad you got to experience that. 525 00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:52.960 I know Vicky could handle that and maybe people that are brand news. If 526 00:42:53.000 --> 00:42:57.920 your leaders, if you're a leader, maybe that's not always the appropriate response. 527 00:42:58.039 --> 00:43:00.909 You probably want to if you do respond that way when they're sharing their 528 00:43:01.030 --> 00:43:05.469 grumbling and complaining, that you might want to spell it out a little more 529 00:43:05.550 --> 00:43:08.510 and identify with her with their pain a little more. We certainly want to 530 00:43:08.510 --> 00:43:14.340 do that with each other. Point them towards Jesus always right. That's what 531 00:43:14.460 --> 00:43:16.900 we need to do. But I knew again. I knew, Vicky, 532 00:43:17.019 --> 00:43:21.739 you can handle it and you need to be spurred on encourage in that way. 533 00:43:21.900 --> 00:43:25.619 It's sparked any podcast, in my opinion. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 534 00:43:25.619 --> 00:43:29.809 and at least drew you closer to the Lord and drew drew me closer 535 00:43:29.849 --> 00:43:34.210 to the Lord. Just reading through this and covering the subject is really encouraging, 536 00:43:35.369 --> 00:43:37.889 and so, anyway, with that, I think we'll wrap this thing 537 00:43:37.969 --> 00:43:42.960 up. We appreciate you, guys, listening and please reach out to me, 538 00:43:43.159 --> 00:43:45.440 Daniel Love Life Dot Org. Reach out to Vicky, Vicky at Love 539 00:43:45.519 --> 00:43:51.039 Life Dot Org. It maybe you've got some struggles and things we would certainly 540 00:43:51.199 --> 00:43:53.760 love to pray for you and pray with you about those things. Maybe you've 541 00:43:53.760 --> 00:43:59.150 got questions that we can answer. Will do our best answer whatever questions that 542 00:43:59.269 --> 00:44:05.030 come our way about sidewalk ministry and so with that we'll talk to you guys 543 00:44:05.030 --> 00:44:13.099 later. God bless God, bless you all. Give me our love for 544 00:44:13.340 --> 00:44:24.530 love. Give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me 545 00:44:24.730 --> 00:44:32.449 my love. Nothing's too precious, and some that you