Is Complaining a Spiritual Gift?

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The other day I teasingly called my Pastor a slacker. It's not true.  He's one of the hardest working men I know,  His response? "It's what I do best," which set me off.

Me: "I know just what you mean, Pastor. I am totally gifted at complaining. It's what I do best and I don't understand why I shouldn't be allowed to use this gift on a regular basis!" It was all in jest, but the thread of truth is that, by nature, I am a complainer. I've gotten so good at it that I often don't realize I'm doing it.

Yesterday my husband and I went to a huge antique store to browse. During the hour or so that we wandered through the booths I heard myself saying, "I'm a little dizzy. My stomach is a bit queasy. These prices are too high. Too bad we don't have enough money to stop and eat after we get out of here. I'm hungry. These stairs hurt my knees."

Now, all these things were true to a minor extent, but none of them were really stressing me. I wasn't really sick enough, sore enough or poor enough to complain. It just came out without effort or thought on my part. It's a habit. A bad habit. I know this and I need to change my thought processes and my words.

God must think so, too, because in reading my morning devotions from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, this is what it said...

You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand. I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me. There is one thing, howeveer, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. (ouch) You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following. I understand better than anyone else the stresses and the strains that have afflicted you. You can ventilate safely with Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.
 

Complaining to others is another matter altogether. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage. Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out. As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts into your mind and My song in your heart.

(Jeremiah 31:25; Philippians 2:14-15)

 

Ahem...uh, yeah, that hit me right between the eyes.

 

How about you?

Are you a complainer?

Why do you think we complain?

What do we get out of it?

Are you going to make any changes after reading this?

 

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
 

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Seen and The Unseen



Don't ignore the world around you, but subordinate your concept of this world to the unseen reality of a God who sees and knows and is in control of both worlds - the seen and the unseen.

Seek His guidance and wisdom for relating to this world so that you will see with His eyes, hear with His ears, love with His heart and minister with His hands. 

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

 

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Wait Quietly in My Presence

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." Psalm 37:7

 

"Wait quietly in My Presence while My thoughts form silently in the depths of your being."

(taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

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I read these words this morning and they really struck a chord in my heart. How often do I get quiet enough, still long enough to discern the voice of the Lord? To let his thoughts be formed in the depths of my being? Not often enough, I can tell you! So, I took some time this morning to just sit quietly in His Presence. Did I receive any earth-shattering messages from God? No, but I did experience a deep sense of peace that has stayed with me throughout this day. I will definitely be developing this new habit from now on! How about you? Do you sit quietly with God on a regular basis? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. If not, will you be giving this a try?

 

Blessings,

Jan  

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If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks! (Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

This World is Unraveling

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via photo pin cc

"You inhabit a fallen, disjoined world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too." ~Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I seldom listen to the evening news anymore. Why? Because when I do, within a few minutes I hear about murders, break-ins, abuse, abductions, bank robberies, disease and which celebrity/politician stole/lied/cheated on his wife.  Talk about a world that is constantly unraveling around the edges!

I know that in this vast world there has to be some good things happening. Someone helped someone, a child was adopted, a disease was cured, the hungry were fed, someone found a job...good things happen, but they are seldom seen in the media. Why?

When I read the sentences above from my Jesus Calling devotional this morning, it just confirmed how critical it is to cultivate (work on, plow, nurture, improve, prepare) a vibrant (energized, enthusiastic, fresh) relationship with Jesus. It's important to note that a vibrant relationship with Jesus doesn't just happen. You must cultivate it - that takes time, dedication and consistancy. It takes faith and trust. It takes getting His word into you and getting into agreement with His word. It takes obedience and submission. But for those willing to put in the time, the benefits of a rich relationship with Jesus are never-ending...joy, peace, love, comfort, guidance, wisdom,hope, fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment....and the perfect antidote to the crazy, mixed-up, unraveling world.

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

We can't stop the world from unraveling, but we can make sure that we're not coming unraveled with it.

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Dual Realities?

As some of you know (because I’ve posted it on Facebook), I am loving a new devotional book I got about a month ago – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and here is why.

 

This morning I read this...

Living in God's Presence means living in two realms simultaneously; the visible world and unseen, eternal reality. God has equipped us to stay conscious of Him while walking along dusty, earthbound paths.

Doesn’t that just make you stop and think about the reality that we are in this world, but not of it? That what we cannot see is far more real than what we can see?

Prayer is a vital part of this equation. We whisper a prayer here and may think that not much is happening, but in the spiritual realm prayer is the catalyst that initiates miracles!

All heaven springs into action and all hell cowers at the power unleashed by prayer. Let’s hit our knees and shake things up a little!

Pick one thing that you really want to see God do in your life or the life of someone you love. Spend this week in concentrated prayer for that one thing and let's see what happens. Feel free to post here what you're praying for and we'll pray with you about it.
 

And do yourself a favor - pick up a copy of Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence 

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If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks! (Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

My days are numbered...

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"Our time is limited. You (God) have given us only so many months to live and have set limits we cannot go beyond." Job 14:5 (NCV)

Yep, my days - your days - are numbered. We are only given so many days, months, years to live. How many? We have no idea. God knows, but we don't know. Sound morbid to you?


Our mortality is not something we like to think about, but ignoring the fact that our time is limited doesn't make it any less true. Recognizing that our time is limited, allows us to prioritize our lives better. It causes to think about what's really important. 

God's word puts it this way...

"So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:15-17

When we're asked to add another thing to our schedule, to our children's schedules, we should stop and ask ourselves...

In light of the knowledge that our days are limited, is it wise to add this particular thing to our schedule? Not, is it right or wrong, but is it wise?

Add things to your schedule by putting the things that are a top priority for you on the calendar first.

How will you know which things are most important?

Pray...ask God to give you wisdom.

"But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you." James 1:5

 Prayer...

Dear Father,

"Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise." Psalm 90:12

Amen

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

He Loves Me!

This week, I celebrated my 60th birthday. Woohoooo - and - are you kidding me?

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It's hard to believe I'm 60 years old, but you know what's harder for me to believe? That up until a few weeks ago I didn't really "know" that God loves me.

That's a strange statement coming from someone who's been a Christian for over 35 years. It's not that I didn't believe God loved me...I did. And the reason I believed it is because the Bible says so, because He sent His only Son to die for my sins, because that's what the Pastor says. 

I knew it, but I didn't know it.

I'm talking about that deep down, knowing in your spirit - where you are so sure of something that you can finally relax and enjoy it, because you know it and you know that it's never going to change?

Am I making any sense, here?

Because of my background, I've always been very introspective. Examining myself to see if I think I measure up to what I think I should be as a Christian. Striving - always striving to be better - not so I could earn salvation (I know that's a free gift of God), but so that I might be pleasing to God - so that He would be "proud" of me. I know that's a throw-back to trying to please my earthly Dad, but I couldn't shake it...until now.

What brought me to the realization that God really loves me after 35+ years of following Him closely, reading my Bible, attending church, working in the church, telling others about Him?

A little devotional book called, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

Seriously, I've read many, many devotional books, but this one is different. This one is written as if Jesus is speaking to me personally - as if I am sitting with Him each morning while He gives me a special message from His heart.

It has brought me closer to God and has finally helped me to know, that I know, that I know, that He really loves me - just the way I am.

And it only took 60 years for me to figure that out. Sheesh - talk about a slow learner!


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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)