Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. I Corinthians 10:1-12 (KJV)

These verses speak of the attitude problem of the Israelites in the wilderness and the results of their wrong actions. One thing it mentions is murmuring, or to put it plainly, complaining. Twice in this passage, we are told that we are to look on them as an example of what not to do. These Scriptures serve as an admonition, or a warning, to us.

If we look at the various places where the children of Israel are mentioned, we see over and over they complained and they suffered a heavy consequence as a result. Exodus 16:2 says that the children of Israel murmured. Numbers 14:37 said they were destroyed for an evil report. Exodus 12:23 mentions that they complained and were destroyed by the destroyer, the devil.

From this, we can see that complaining opens the door to the enemy. God warns us not to complain in order to not give any place, or opportunity, to the destroyer. Complaining never brings the change we want, but instead brings the very things we do not want. It leaves us in a worse state than when we began. Complaining leaves us unchanged and immature- it stops our growth and progress.

On the other hand, thanking God brings positive change to us. It brings God’s presence, which changes us for the better. We can praise and be changed or we can complain and stay unchanged. Complaining steals our praise, making us complainers instead of praisers.

Complaining is simply a result of not being thankful for who God is and what He has done for us. It shows we are dissatisfied with God, don’t trust God, and are ungrateful to Him. After all, what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths, so if our hearts are unthankful, our mouths will release complaints rather than praise. When we are thankful, it shuts down complaining, stops the actions of the devil, and releases God to fulfill His promise to take us into the promised land.

As a rule, complainers are impatient. They want their way and they want it now. However, praisers wait on God and remain thankful for every good thing they get while they wait. Let’s follow the example of Jesus, Who showed gratitude to His Father and He got results. For example, He thanked His heavenly Father before He raised Lazarus. And He thanked the Lord before multiplying the two fish and five loves. He expressed thanksgiving before He saw anything happen, which is what we need to do.

Complaining stops the miraculous. It demonstrates unbelief. But, thankful people see God work good for them. God has showed us straightforward examples in His Word so we can avoid the pitfalls of the Israelites. He warns us not to complain. He encourages us to be thankful and full of faith to see the promises come to pass. The choice is clear: complain and remain, or praise and be raised.