Today, I will discuss how Proverbs 17:13 has restrained me from being an ingrate.

This is what it says:

“Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house”(Proverbs 17:13 KJV)

An ingrate is someone who is not grateful.

Ingratitude attracts evil. Whereas gratitude dispels evil and creates a good atmosphere.

Hence we should learn to show gratitude to anyone who does us even the minutest good.

Rather unfortunately many people with entitlement mentality feel you owe them. 

And instead of gratitude, they will complain, murmur, whine  and generally wear you out with their bad attitude.

Resolve that ingratitude will not have a place in your life, going forward.

And also, that you will not allow ingrates to drag you to their levels and then frustrate your destiny, as they did to Moses.

Back in Exodus, we read how God called Moses and sent him to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage . 

The Israelite went to Egypt during a famine, in order to be with their brother, Joseph the dreamer.

While Joseph was alive, they had a fair deal. Life was good.

Eventually, Joseph died and the new Pharaoh took advantage of them and conscripted them into slave-labor. 

The yoke of slavery was horrible. For years, they cried and prayed to God for deliverance.

Eventually, God sent Moses to deliver them.

You would think they will happily cooperate with God and Moses. 

But instead, they resisted both God and Moses, his chosen Deliverer.

Whenever they met an obstacle, they would display their ingratitude by referring to the good food they ate and the beautiful life they had.

They would completely forget the part that they were slaves and how much tears and prayers went into their deliverance. 

You must determine and pray fervently not to be that person.

How can you not appreciate and have patience with your helpers? 

Always remember that people who choose to be good to you do have their own challenges. 

Determine to ease burdens and not become a stressor.

Your gratitude will soothe and bring comfort.  

Whereas your grumpy attitude is frustrating and stressful and you will suffer the fallouts. 

Although God indeed is patient, there were times when He wanted to just wipe out the Israelites because of their grumpy, complaining and generally bad attitude .

But Moses stepped in and saved the day.

Then one day, even their bad attitude got to Moses. Which led him to disrespect and disobey God. And consequently, he was denied the joy of entering the Promised Land. 

And all those generations of ingrates, they all perished in the wilderness as well.

You can read this story from the book of Exodus in your Bible.

Do you now understand why it is important not to be an Ingrate?

Being an ingrate is similar to rewarding evil for good. And which grants accommodation to evil in your life.

Let us Pray:

Today,  I will lead you to pray with prayer-points.

*Thank God for His goodness in your life.

*Thank God for your birth parent(s), all they did to protect, provide, educate and nurture you. Although they were not perfect,  they did the best they knew with what they had.

*Thank God for your spouse, your children, friends, and family, for all they have been for you.

*Admit that there were times when you were grumpy, ungrateful, and felt entitled.

*Affirm that God is true to His Word in 1 John 1:9, and you have been forgiven all sins and cleansed from all unrighteousness. 

*Declare that all evil that took residence against you with their evil spirits influencers, no longer functions against you because you have been forgiven, cleansed, redeemed and restored by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 

Proclaim that you are free from murmuring, grumbling, hatred, resentment, bitterness, vindictiveness and all manner of evils, both in heart attitude and behavior.

Declare that you are appreciative, full of gratitude and have chosen to always see the good in others and that surely,  goodness and mercy follows you all the days of your life,  in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. 

Tomorrow,  make time to read Proverbs 18. Shalom, from Hephzibah Christly, Ph.D., #TheSpiritualWarrior, December 17th, 2024