Have you become a "Stiff Neck"?
On my morning commute to work last week I was listening to The Early Morning Praise Party with Dre Monie and Sherry Mackey on Hallelujah FM and I caught the tail end of the "Bible Challenge Question of the Day". I don't remember the question verbatim, but it basically asked "What did God call the people of Israel in the wilderness?" I remembered the story, but I couldn't recall the phrase, so naturally I went back to my bible to refresh my memory. Let me just say this, I found way more than I went in search of as I read.
I WAS CONVICTED! Y'all I realized that I have been frustrated and complaining more over this past year for one reason or another. Just over these last couple of weeks I noticed, my car had a lot of pollen on it and that I would need to wash it...got mad. Forgot to put gas in my car one evening and I had to stop and do it before work..got mad...looked at the price at the pump...got BIG MAD!! My son hit a growth spurt and I've had to replace his clothes and shoes recently. . .got mad again.
I ran into some unexpected difficulties with work. . complained about it. I just celebrated a birthday this month, my plans did not play out exactly how I saw it in my mind. . . complained about it AND got mad. I really could write a dissertation about my complaining over the past year. Honestly, I'm ashamed to admit it because I'm normally a glass half full type of woman.
Much to my surprise, my actions mirrored the Israelites the more I read. You see, these people were blessed to have a first hand account of how God literally moved on their behalf. Here's a little refresher for those who need it. The people of Israel were slaves under Pharaoh in Egypt for over 400 years. God sent Moses to save them and lead them to "The Promised Land" of Canaan that flowed with milk and honey. On the way, God orchestrated the events that led Pharaoh to allow them to leave. God instructed Moses on what to do and HE parted the Red Sea to give them a safe way out.
He allowed them to scout out the lands and they had witnesses to testify of everything good within Canaan. They saw how blessed, big, and strong the people of Canaan were. He fed them manna to sustain them and they complained because they wanted something different to eat. They complained that they had better food back in Egypt as slaves. They even went as far as saying that it would be better for them to turn and go back to Egypt instead of entering Canaan.
God was in the process of preparing them to enter THEIR PROMISED LAND when He had enough of their complaining against Him and their disobedience. God decided that because of their mouths, they would die right there in the wilderness and would never enter into the land He promised them.
I found that I was led to this particular story because God loves me enough to warn me of the self destruction I'm sure to meet if I keep along this path and my spirit is sensitive enough to LISTEN THE FIRST TIME. This is what I see the Spirit of the Lord showing me:
"What happened in the past, happened in your version of Egypt. It happened because it was a necessary preparation for the promises that will come to pass through you. You should know better than to complain because you have a first hand account of how I have moved on your behalf time and time again. You have no reason and no right to complain about anything. This time in the wilderness is also necessary. I have brought you out of slavery physically and now I must rid you of that slave mentality and prepare you spiritually. Don't focus on the wilderness, FOCUS ON ME! This process is necessary and if you don't repent and shift your attitude, STIFF NECK, you too will die in this wilderness and never set foot in the land of milk and honey."
They say "warning comes before destruction" and the only thing I hear in my mind is the words from one of my favorite TikTok's saying, "That'll do it. . .you don't have to worry about me. . .you do not have to worry about me!". IYKYK! All I'll say is this, "I WON'T COMPLAIN".
