The biggest temptation for me to avoid while blogging is to give way to venting steam. A few of the blogs on my reading list tend to become outlets for anger rather than constructive places for others to read. My return to blogging is meant to be positive rather than negative. Anyone can complain but only a few can contribute to a solution. This is one area of life where venting becomes a real possibility if the heart isn't guarded.

If I were to vent, and of course I will resist temptation, my most common topic would be negativity. My guess is that venting on this would only be negative. However, my guess is that others wonder why folks can be so negative. The history of too many churches is determined by those negative ones who find fault on a constant basis. For 25 years far too much of my time is consumed by those who criticize without contributing to the mission. To be honest, a great deal of time of minister meetings revolve around those same ministers trying to cheer one another up. The other time is used comparing scars from past church wars.

The list of negative issues would be endless. What is sad is most if not all of the conflict would be cured by a dose of obedience. It becomes difficult to obey when in the midst of conflict. All we can see is our view on the issues. Our blindness far too often leads to bitterness. It's what happened to Saul with his jealousy of David. Moses had to endure way too many nitpickers on the way out of Egypt. Even our Lord endures His share of critics all the time He gives grace away to others. The common thread is how our selfish heart blinds us to greater issues of God. This is the cause of my grief over complainers. They never seem to consider others and their need of God's grace.

How did those in the Bible keep going in the face of the negative? One thing they did was to never forget God's call on their life. This is never easy but it is essential for spiritual health. The negative want to hijack us into their world rather than God's. We have to be sure our focus stays on Him. That leads to another step which is to make time to spend alone with God. Believe me that it is a real temptation to hear the critic more than God. We absolutely need those quiet times with our Heavenly Father to offset the negative words we hear. He is the One who called us at first. He is the One who nurtures us into growth. He is the One who promises to meet us when this life ends. No critic can ever take that from us.

Bro. Trey