John Bevere was in a hotel, frustrated with his ministry meetings and unhappy about being away from his family. Then came a correction that exposed what his complaints were communicating about God.
“The Lord said, ‘Son, when you complain, you are basically saying to Me, “If I was God, I would do this differently.” It is an absolute insult to My character,’” John recalled. “And I went, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
The frustration had revealed something deeper: distrust of God’s leadership.
During an episode of “Conversations with John & Lisa Bevere,” the couple confronted a habit that can become so familiar we stop recognizing its spiritual consequences. Complaining, they warned, can keep us trapped in discouragement and interfere with the calling God has placed on our lives.
“It will cause you to feel like you’re just circling around and around getting nowhere. It will cause you not to be fruitful in life,” John said.
Lisa identified four accusations beneath that pattern.
“Complaining says God isn’t good, God isn’t faithful, God isn’t enough, and God doesn’t know what He is doing in that circumstance,” she said.
John’s experience in the hotel forced him to reconsider the purpose of uncomfortable seasons. God can permit circumstances that expose our attitudes and develop obedience.
“He is much more concerned about our character than our comfort,” John said.
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Philippians 2:14-15 commands us to do everything without complaining and disputing, describing children of God whose lives shine in a crooked generation. John emphasized that the instruction carries the weight of a command.
Israel’s wilderness experience reveals what happens when that command is ignored.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul warns against craving evil, idolatry, sexual immorality, testing Christ and complaining. John remembered being startled to find murmuring alongside sins whose destructive consequences seemed far more obvious.
Yet Israel repeatedly witnessed God’s power and provision while continuing to question His intentions.
“God was a provider, but they had gotten such a mindset of being a victim that they could not see the provision of God,” Lisa said.
Joshua and Caleb endured the same wilderness. Their response set them apart.
The Beveres recognized that battle in their own lives.
Lisa recalled feeling overwhelmed while caring for their four children during John’s ministry travels. Frustration could quickly become a running complaint about her circumstances. Depending on God changed how she approached the same responsibilities.
“You’ve given me these children. I can do this. You are more than enough. I’m going to lean on You,” Lisa recalled declaring.
She described turning to worship music, prayer and Scripture while working to maintain an atmosphere of peace. As her response changed, she experienced God’s enabling grace.
John remembered another season when their personal lives seemed to be unraveling. The struggle lasted about 18 months, and even rehearsing God’s promises had become difficult.
Then he began declaring a truth he still knew: “God, You’re faithful.”
“It was like a spark went off,” John said.
He connected that experience to Psalm 37’s instruction to feed on God’s faithfulness. Remembering what God had already done began breaking through the discouragement.
“When I started saying You’re faithful, it was like my eyes opened up and I started seeing things He had done that I thought, ‘Why would I even want to complain?’” John said. “All of a sudden it’s just like your vision opens up. Your perception opens up.”
Lisa pointed to a similar progression in Psalm 77. The psalmist describes an overwhelmed spirit, then deliberately remembers the Lord’s works and meditates on His deeds.
The circumstances had commanded his attention. Remembering God’s faithfulness redirected it.
The Beveres urged us to recognize complaining, remember God’s past provision and replace murmuring with prayer and thanksgiving. Lisa also pointed to Philippians 4:8 and its instruction to dwell on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely and commendable.
Honesty about suffering remains essential. Bringing our pain directly to God is part of prayer.
“God wants us to bring our problems to Him. He wants us to. That’s not complaining,” Lisa said.
They also emphasized giving thanks in hardship without thanking God for disease or suffering.
“We’re not thanking God for the trial. We’re not thanking God for this disease that is, you know, fighting against my body,” John said. “We’re in it, we’re thanking God for the fact that He is a faithful God. He keeps His promises.”
John’s own struggle with offense showed how a painful season could eventually equip him to help others.
Before writing “The Bait of Satan,” he endured a two-year battle that left him feeling stuck and convinced people were against him. He acknowledged that complaining was part of his response.
“I complained a lot in the middle of it,” John said. “But God kept dealing with me about it, dealing with me. And all of a sudden showed me the way to go. And now I think I can help people in this area.”
The experience that once threatened to consume his attention became an area of ministry.
Lisa pressed that possibility further, wondering whether “the very area that you’re complaining in is the area that God actually wants to anoint you in.”
Our struggles demand a response. Remembering God’s faithfulness, submitting to His correction and standing on His Word can prepare us to strengthen others in the very place we once felt defeated.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
