My wife’s friend Rachel wouldn’t stop complaining about her job …the company, the economy, her lack of sales…I finally stopped her and said, ‘It’s simple. You have a choice. You can accept your company’s new policies, come to work with a positive attitude and be your best every day, or you can find a new job. But whatever you do, stop complaining because it’s not doing any good. Change your job or change your attitude.’…The conversation was over, and so was our friendship, I thought.

Rachel wouldn’t speak to me for a few months. Then I saw her at a party and she told me she decided to take my advice. She stayed in her job, stopped complaining, and started selling more. Three months after changing her attitude her sales were up 30 percent. A year later her sales were up 70 percent.

The other day, three years after our initial conversation, I caught up with Rachel again and asked her how she was doing. She told me during the last two years her sales continued to grow. She’s been promoted twice and is now in her dream job. It’s the job she always wanted and she’s more excited and passionate than ever.

Is complaining sabotaging you and/or your team? I was in a similar situation ten years ago. But I learned when you stop whining and take positive action, you start winning.

The Bible places whiners and complainers in the same class as “sinners [who] have spoken against [God]…grumblers and complainers…living only to satisfy their desires…to get what they want” (Jude 1:15-16 NLT). Instead, you should be full of faith—thanking God for His blessings and trusting Him for the future.

Sometimes complaining about everything is kind of like cursing. It’s a learned habit. It may be that you were raised in a household of complainers and you have been that way all your life. I was raised in South Georgia and I was raised around people that cursed a lot. I can remember when I first knew the Lord was calling me to be a minister. The first thought that I had was, “this must be a mistake”. Surely the Lord knows that if I start preaching and get excited I will probably start cursing. Little did I know that God can change all that.

You can change also. The words out of our mouth originate with thoughts and the scripture tells us that we can take authority over our thoughts and imaginations:

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5)

As you develop a closer and closer relationship with God you will be surprised how those bad habits will just fade away. You will start being more thankful and the words out of your mouth will start to change. You will start to speak blessings rather than curses. It works a whole lot better!

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23)