July 12, 2020 | Mike Ware

Podcast | Spotify

Everyone goes through wilderness seasons in their lives, but MOSES was a wilderness expert! From 40 years alone in one wilderness to 40 years of leading Israel through another, his story shows us the power of the journey through the wilderness; it shapes us, develops us and forms us into the people God has called us to be. A look at the life of MOSES reveals that the wilderness isn’t something we just endure; it’s something we can embrace!

Whining in the Wilderness

Exodus 14:11-12 (NLT) “Then they turned against Moses and complained, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave? 12 Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone while we were still in Egypt? Our Egyptian slavery was far better than dying out here in the wilderness!”

Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV) “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

Conquering Your Whining

1. Confess that you are a whiner!

Proverbs 28:13 (TLB) “A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.”

2. Quit blaming others

Exodus 14:11-12 (NLT) “Why did you bring us out here into the wilderness to die. Why did you make us leave? 12 Didn’t we tell you to leave us alone while we were still in Egypt?”

Proverbs 19:3 (TEV) “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid mistakes and then blame the Lord.”

3. Find something to be thankful for…just one thing!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2:14-14 (NIV) “Do everything without complaining and arguing that we may be the sons of God, blameless and harmless in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation in which we shine as lights of the world.”

Philippians 4:11 (NIV) “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances”.

4. Look for God’s hand in circumstances!

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NLT) “For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!” 18 “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

5. Watch your words.

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”