If we want to create change in our lives, we have to approach God with thanksgiving. Let’s choose to live with hearts full of gratitude! ? Subscribe to receive weekly messages of hope, encouragement, and inspiration from Joel! http://bit.ly/JoelYTSub Follow #JoelOsteen on social Twitter: http://Bit.ly/JoelOTW Instagram: http://BIt.ly/JoelIG Facebook: http://Bit.ly/JoelOFB Thank you for your generosity! To give, visit https://joelosteen.com/give

>> VICTORIA OSTEEN: THANK

YOU, LORD.

I WANT TO REMIND US ALL TODAY

TO NOT BE COMPLAINERS AND

FAULT-FINDERS.

OH MAN, REALLY?

WE DON’T NEED TO BE

COMPLAINERS AND

FAULT-FINDERS.

SEE, IT’S EASY TO SEE WHAT’S

WRONG IN A SITUATION.

IT’S EASY TO SEE WHAT COULD

BE DONE BETTER.

YOU KNOW, NATURALLY WE TEND

TO LOOK AT THE NEGATIVE, JUST

OUR NATURAL MINDS TEND TO

ALWAYS GRAVITATE TO THE

NEGATIVE, AND IT CAUSES US TO

FIND FAULT.

BUT WE DON’T WANT TO BE

COMPLAINERS AND FAULT-FINDERS

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT

DOESN’T PLEASE GOD.

YOU KNOW, WE’RE ALL GUILTY OF

THIS.

I’LL BE THE FIRST ONE TO

RAISE MY HAND, OKAY?

BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT FEELS

GOOD TO COMPLAIN.

YOU GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST,

YOU’RE JUST VENTING.

IT FEELS GOOD.

WHY DO WE COMPLAIN?

THAT’S ONE REASON.

IT FEELS KINDA GOOD SOMETIME,

OKAY?

LET’S JUST GET REAL ABOUT IT.

WE’VE ALL THOUGHT, “ALL

RIGHT, JUST GET IT OFF MY

CHEST AND THEN I’LL BE

OKAY.”

OR WE THINK, OR I THINK,

“SOMETIMES IF I COMPLAIN, I

CAN CHANGE THE SITUATION.”

I’LL GO TO JOEL AND I’LL TELL

HIM WHY THIS ISN’T RIGHT, AND

WHY WE SHOULDN’T DO IT THIS

WAY.

BECAUSE I THINK I’M GOING TO

CHANGE THE SITUATION, RIGHT?

BUT YOU DON’T CHANGE A

SITUATION BY COMPLAINING, BY

FINDING FAULT.

YOU USUALLY MAKE THE

SITUATION WORSE.

LIKE I SAID, WE CAN ALL THINK

THESE THOUGHTS OF HOW WE

COULD DO IT BETTER.

BUT WE’VE GOT TO LEARN THAT

WE DON’T HAVE TO GIVE LIFE TO

THESE THOUGHTS.

YOU SEE, WHEN WE GIVE LIFE TO

THESE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, WE

CREATE A MORE NEGATIVE

ENVIRONMENT.

WE NOT ONLY POLLUTE OURSELF

WITH THIS NEGATIVE

ENVIRONMENT, BUT WE POLLUTE

OTHER PEOPLE.

WE CAUSE THEM TO BEGIN TO

THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS.

IT’S AS IF IT CAN SPREAD IF

WE’RE NOT CAREFUL.

NO ONE WANTS TO BE AROUND A

COMPLAINER.

NO ONE WANTS TO BE AROUND A

FAULT-FINDER.

WE DON’T EITHER, SO LET’S

WATCH WHAT WE’RE SAYING.

EVEN THOUGH IT MAY FEEL GOOD

FOR A TIME, HAVE WE EVER

STOPPED, STEPPED BACK, AND

THOUGHT, “BUT IS IT DOING US

ANY GOOD?

IS IT REALLY DOING US ANY

GOOD?”

YOU SEE, I WAS READING THIS

STUDY, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS

VERY INTERESTING, AND THESE

RESEARCHERS WERE TALKING

ABOUT THE BRAIN AND THE

EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN WHEN WE

COMPLAIN, AND IT SAYS THAT

WHEN WE COMPLAIN, WE

LITERALLY REWIRE OUR BRAIN TO

COMPLAIN.

YOU SEE, OUR BRAIN WANTS TO

TAKE THE PATH OF LEAST

RESISTANCE.

IT WANTS TO TAKE THE EASY WAY

OUT.

SO, IT WANTS TO REPEAT A

PATTERN.

SO, WHEN YOU COMPLAIN, YOU

LEARN TO COMPLAIN MORE.

YOU’RE WIRING IN THIS

NEGATIVE PATTERN, AND SO,

REALLY WHAT THE RESEARCHERS

WERE SAYING IS WE’RE TRAINING

OUR OWN BRAINS TO COMPLAIN.

I DON’T WANT TO BE A

COMPLAINER.

I WANT TO BE A PERSON THAT

HAS FAITH AND HOPE.

YES, WE’RE ALL GOING TO HAVE

THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLAIN

BECAUSE THERE’S NO PERFECT

PERSON, THERE’S NO PERFECT

SPOUSE, THERE’S NO PERFECT

JOB.

LIFE IS IMPERFECT.

SO, WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET

RID OF THE FACT THAT THERE IS

OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPLAIN.

BUT I WANT TO SUGGEST TO US

TODAY TO BE SMARTER THAN A

COMPLAINER, AND TO FIGURE OUT

A WAY TO BE THE SOLUTION TO

THE PROBLEM, TO NOT JUST

COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROBLEM,

TO FIND A WAY TO ACT PROPERLY

WHEN YOU FEEL NEGATIVE, AND

THE FIRST WAY IS NOT TO TRAIN

YOUR BRAIN TO COMPLAIN.

NOW, THE SCRIPTURE IS FULL OF

STORIES, AND THE SCRIPTURE

SAYS THAT THESE STORIES ARE

PLACED HERE SO THAT WE CAN

LEARN, SO THAT WE CAN LEARN

VALUABLE LESSONS FOR OUR OWN

LIFE.

SO, I WANT TO QUICKLY TAKE US

BACK TO THE ISRAELITES.

WHEN GOD BROUGHT THEM OUT OF

EGYPT, HE LED THEM OUT BY A

MAN NAMED MOSES.

WE KNOW THIS STORY.

THEY WERE LED OUT OF

CAPTIVITY BY A LEADER NAMED

MOSES, AND HE DID IT BY GOD’S

COMMAND.

HE WAS ABLE TO DO IT BECAUSE

GOD SAID, “I AM TAKING MY

PEOPLE TO A LAND THAT IS RICH

WITH MILK AND HONEY.”

HE CALLED IT THE PROMISED

LAND.

NOW, THEY HAD BEEN QUICKLY

CAPTIVE UNDER THE BARBARIC

HAND OF PHARAOH.

THEY HAD BEEN MISTREATED, AND

GOD SAYS, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

I’M TAKING MY PEOPLE OUT.”

NOW, IF YOU’VE BEEN

MISTREATED, SOMETIMES YOU

COME OUT VERY–WITH A VICTIM

MENTALITY.

BUT GOD WANTED TO REVERSE

THIS VICTIM MENTALITY, SO YOU

KNOW WHAT HE HAD THE

EGYPTIANS DO, PHARAOH AND

THOSE PEOPLE?

HE HAD THEM POUR THE WEALTH

ON THE ISRAELITES.

SO, WHEN THEY LEFT EGYPT,

THEY DIDN’T LEAVE WITH

NOTHING.

THEY LEFT WITH GOLD, AND

SILVER, AND CATTLE.

THEY LEFT WELL-EQUIPPED.

THEY LEFT WITH THE MIND-SET

OF, “OH WOW, THIS IS GOD,

BECAUSE ONLY GOD COULD DO

THAT.”

THEY GOT TO THE RED SEA AND

GOD PARTED THE RED SEA.

THEY WALKED THROUGH ON DRY

LAND.

THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO THE

PROMISED LAND.

BUT AS THEY GOT ON THEIR WAY,

GUESS WHAT?

THEY STARTED SEEING SOME

THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE

BETTER.

THEY BEGAN TO LOOK AT MOSES

AND THINK, “MOSES, REALLY?

I CAN DO THIS BETTER.”

THEY BEGAN TO LOOK AT AARON

AND QUESTION THEIR

LEADERSHIP.

THEY BEGAN TO COMPLAIN, AND

MUMBLE, AND GRUMBLE.

YOU SEE, THEY BEGAN TO

COMPLAIN ABOUT THEIR FOOD,

AND THEIR WATER, AND THEIR

ENEMIES.

BUT YOU KNOW, IT’S REALLY

INTERESTING.

IN DEUTERONOMY 1:2, THIS IS

WHAT IT SAYS.

IT SAYS WHEN GOD WAS TAKING

THEM TO THE PROMISED LAND, HE

HAD ALREADY ORDAINED TO GET

THEM THERE.

IT WAS AN 11-DAY JOURNEY.

YOU SEE, THEY LEFT WITH MORE

THAN ENOUGH TO GET THERE IN

11 DAYS.

BUT IT TOOK THEM 40 YEARS, 40

YEARS.

WAS IT MOSES THAT STOPPED

THEM?

WAS IT THEIR ENEMIES THAT

STOPPED THEM?

WAS IT THE FACT THAT THEY

DIDN’T HAVE THE RIGHT FOOD

THAT STOPPED THEM?

NO, WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS

THEIR ENEMIES, THE THINGS

THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT,

THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE

BLAMING AND POINTING THE

FINGER AT, IT WASN’T THEIR

ENEMY AT ALL.

THEIR NUMBER ONE ENEMY WAS

THEIR OWN MURMURING AND

COMPLAINING.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT

YOUR OWN MURMURING AND

COMPLAINING COULD LIMIT YOUR

THINKING, COULD LITERALLY

STOP YOU FROM GOING TO THE

NEXT LEVEL?

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT HOW

UNHEALTHY IT REALLY IS?

SEE, I THINK IF THE

ISRAELITES COULD HAVE READ

THE RESEARCH THAT I READ,

THEY WOULD HAVE SAID, “OH MY

GOSH, I’M TRAINING MY OWN

BRAIN TO COMPLAIN,” AND THAT

COMPLAINING IS ENEMY NUMBER

ONE, ENEMY NUMBER ONE.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TODAY,

IF WE CAN TRAIN OUR BRAIN TO

COMPLAIN, WE CAN TRAIN OUR

BRAIN TO SEE GOD AND HOW HE

CAN WORK IN A SITUATION.

WE CAN LITERALLY TRAIN OUR

BRAIN TO BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN

DO SOMETHING.

YOU KNOW, GOD IS TAKING US

ALL SOMEWHERE, AND CAN I TELL

YOU RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE

EVERYTHING YOU NEED RIGHT NOW

TO GET TO WHERE GOD’S TAKING

YOU?

IF GOD IS LEADING YOU,

NOTHING CAN STOP YOU.

YOU SEE, THAT’S WHERE THE

ISRAELITES MISSED IT.

THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE

THINGS, THE CIRCUMSTANCES

AROUND THEM.

THEY FORGOT TO LOOK TO THEIR

GOD.

IT’S EASY TO BLAME, IT’S EASY

TO SEE OUT OF THESE EYES, BUT

WE’VE GOT TO BEGIN TO SEE OUT

OF OUR SUPERNATURAL EYES THE

THINGS UNSEEN, THE HAND OF

GOD BEHIND THE SCENES THAT’S

FIGHTING OUR BATTLES FOR US,

AND KEEP OUR MOUTH CLOSED

UNTIL WE GET THERE.

YOU SEE, THEY COMPLAINED

ABOUT MANNA.

MANNA WAS THE BREAD THAT CAME

DOWN FROM HEAVEN THAT GOD

PROVIDED FOR THEM EVERY

SINGLE DAY.

NOW, GRANTED, THEY HAD THIS

MANNA EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND

THEY TIRED OF THE MANNA.

HAVE YOU EVER GOT TIRED OF

SOMETHING?

EVERY DAY, I GO TO WORK.

EVERY DAY, I CLEAN THIS

HOUSE.

EVERY DAY, I PICK UP MY

HUSBAND’S SOCKS.

YOU SEE, THEY TIRED OF THIS

MANNA, SO THEY BEGAN TO

GRUMBLE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT

THIS MANNA, AND IT’S SO

INTERESTING THAT THAT JUST

TOOK FIRE IN THE WHOLE CAMP,

SO THEY ALL STARTED GRUMBLING

AND COMPLAINING, AND WHEN YOU

GRUMBLE AND COMPLAIN, YOU

KNOW WHAT HAPPENS?

ATTITUDES COME UP OUT OF YOU

THAT ARE NOT PLEASING TO GOD.

IN FACT, GRUMBLING AND

COMPLAINING CAN LITERALLY

CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE.

THEY STARTED THINKING ABOUT

THE FOOD THEY USED TO EAT,

THE ONIONS AND THE LEEKS AND

THE GARLIC.

THEY BEGAN TO TAKE THEIR MIND

BACK TO WHAT THEY USED TO EAT

IN CAPTIVITY SO MUCH THAT

THAT FOOD BECAME MORE

IMPORTANT THAN THEIR FREEDOM.

THAT FOOD BECAME MORE

IMPORTANT THAN THEIR FREEDOM.

INSTEAD OF GOING TO THAT

MANNA EVERY DAY AND SAYING,

“GOD, I’M GOING TO EAT THIS

UNTIL YOU CHANGE IT, BUT I AM

GRATEFUL THAT I AM FREE.

I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE

TAKING ME SOMEWHERE.”

SEE, SOMETIMES WE ALL WANT

SOMETHING BIGGER.

WE WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT

LEVEL, BUT WE DON’T WANT TO

DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GET TO

THAT NEXT LEVEL.

“YEAH, I WANT A JOB

PROMOTION.

I WANT THIS JOB PROMOTION.

NOW, I DON’T WANT TO WORK ANY

EXTRA HOURS.

MAN, IF I COULD HAVE A

HUSBAND, MY LIFE WOULD BE

COMPLETE.

I AM WAITING FOR MY MAN.

I CERTAINLY DON’T WANT TO

COOK FOR HIM, THOUGH.

WE WANT THINGS, BUT WE DON’T

WANT WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE

THOSE THINGS, AND THIS WAS

THEIR DILEMMA.

THEY WANTED OUT OF CAPTIVITY,

GOD SAYS, “I’M TAKING YOU

SOMEWHERE,” BUT THEY DIDN’T

WANT TO FACE THE TRIALS UNTIL

THEY GOT THERE.

LISTEN, IF YOU DON’T LIKE

WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE,

CHANGE IS COMING.

CHANGE IS COMING.

CHANGE IS COMING.

CHANGE IS COMING.

BUT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND

IT BY COMPLAINING AND

GRUMBLING.

YOU’RE GOING TO FIND IT BY

STAYING THE COURSE, BY BEING

GRATEFUL.

SEE, COMPLAINING FINDS THE

WORST IN THE SITUATION, NOT

THE BEST.

IF YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR MIND TO

COMPLAIN, YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR

MIND TO FIND THE BEST.

LISTEN TO WHAT IT SAYS IN

PHILIPPIANS 2:14.

THIS IS KIND OF THE ANTIDOTE

FOR SEEING THE NEGATIVE AND

FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO WITH

IT.

BECAUSE SEE, IT’S GOING TO

GET IN THERE, BUT WHAT ARE

YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

DON’T GIVE IT LIFE, DON’T

SPREAD IT, DON’T RUIN

RELATIONSHIPS, DON’T STOP

YOUR DESTINY.

FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT

BEFORE YOU LET IT OUT, AND

THIS IS WHAT GOD IS SAYING.

FIRST OF ALL, HE’S COMMANDING

US, “DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT

GRUMBLING, FINDING FAULT, AND

COMPLAINING.”

ALL RIGHT, SO THERE’S ONE

THING I CAN RECOGNIZE, I’M

NOT SUPPOSED TO LET IT OUT.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH

IT, GOD?

I MEAN, I’M ONLY HUMAN,

RIGHT?

HE SAYS A LITTLE LATER IN

PHILIPPIANS 4:5, HE SAYS,

“PRAY.”

HEY, IF YOU’VE GOT A

COMPLAINT, IF YOU SEE

SOMETHING WRONG, PRAY AND ASK

GOD ABOUT IT.

PRAY AND ASK GOD ABOUT IT.

THAT’S WHAT YOU DO WITH IT,

AND THEN IT SAYS, “WITH

THANKSGIVING IN YOUR HEART.”

CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THEY WOULD

HAVE SAID, “LORD, THIS MANNA

IS GETTING A LITTLE OLD.

DO YOU THINK YOU COULD SEND

SOME QUAIL, GOD?

THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR THIS

MANNA, THOUGH, AND IF YOU

DON’T SEND SOME QUAIL, I KNOW

YOU’RE GETTING ME WHERE I’M

GOING.

BUT GOD, I’M ASKING, I’M

ASKING YOU FOR SOME QUAIL.”

YOU SEE, IF THEY WOULD HAVE

SANDWICHED THEIR REQUEST

BETWEEN THANKSGIVING, I THINK

WE’D BE READING A DIFFERENT

STORY ABOUT THEM.

GOD WOULD BE TEACHING US A

DIFFERENT LESSON ABOUT THEM.

DON’T WEAKEN YOUR FAITH BY

YOUR COMPLAINING.

STRENGTHEN IT BY YOUR PRAYER,

BY YOUR PETITIONS TO GOD,

MAKING YOUR REQUEST KNOWN

WITH THANKSGIVING IN YOUR

HEART.

YOU SEE, WHAT THEY DID IS

THEY LEFT WHAT THEY HAD TO

CHASE AFTER WHAT THEY DIDN’T

HAVE.

THAT’S WHAT COMPLAINING DOES.

IT DOESN’T SAY, “HEY, I’M

GRATEFUL FOR WHAT I HAVE

UNTIL I GET MORE.”

IT SAYS, “YOU KNOW WHAT?

I DON’T CARE WHAT I HAVE, I

WANT MORE.”

REALLY, THAT’S WHAT

COMPLAINING DOES, AND THE

SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT WHEN THEY

THOUGHT THEY WERE COMPLAINING

TO MOSES AND AARON, THEY WERE

REALLY COMPLAINING ABOUT GOD.

LISTEN, I’M GUILTY OF

COMPLAINING.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

I’M GOING TO WATCH MY

COMPLAINING BECAUSE I KNOW

IT’S RIGHT UP THERE WITH

WORRY.

IT ISN’T CHANGING A THING.

IT’S NOT DOING A THING FOR

ME, FOR MY LIFE.

IT’S ONLY SHRINKING IT,

LIMITING IT, AND NOT GETTING

ME TO WHERE I NEED TO BE.

LET’S DON’T BE FAULT FINDERS

AND COMPLAINERS.

LET’S BE THOSE WHO PRAY AND

PETITION GOD WITH

THANKSGIVING IN OUR HEART,

AMEN?

AMEN.