Avoiding Frustration

There comes a time in a Christian’s life where they feel frustrated with their Christian life. The frustration comes as a result of being obedient to God’s Word and doing as He says but only to have no fruit or results to show for it. They then begin to envy the unrighteous and start feeling bitter about their life and despise the principles that govern it. But why is that? Why is it that we sometimes feel burdened by the cross we carry when Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden light?

The truth is, we do it to ourselves (yep, the devil’s not to blame for this one). Every time we want to do things with our own strength and ability, we make heavy and difficult the easy yoke that we’ve been given. In Luke 14:27 Jesus says if we are to be His disciples, we ought to carry our cross and follow Him, and many of us did just that when we began our Christian walk. But somewhere along the road, unwittingly, we stopped following. I know many will argue that they haven’t stopped following because they haven’t denounced their faith, they’re still Christian, doing all the Christian things that Christians do. But that’s just the ‘carrying-your-cross’ part, the ‘following’ part is about letting faith be your guide instead of your sight as 2 Corinthians 5:7 puts it. It’s about putting your trust in God for every area of your life instead of being confident in your own strength. In fact, the Bible calls a curse on anyone who puts their trust in man and depends on flesh for his strength; but it speaks a blessing over the one who trusts in the Lord and whose confidence is in Him (see Jeremiah 17:5-8).

When we fall into the trap of being confident in ourselves with the things of God, instead of doing them through faith, we end up frustrated because our deeds produce no fruit. We pray but receive no answers, we attend church services but feel as empty when we leave as when we came in; we give but never see God return it to us pressed down, shaken together and running over as Scripture promised us. This is because faith is paramount to our relationship and journey with God. We came to Him through faith and we will need faith to stay in and with Him. Hebrews 11:6 puts it blatantly that without faith one cannot please God and if God is not pleased by everything I do, even if it’s in His name, He cannot release His blessing of favour over it, causing it to produce the results promised in His Word.

This was the frustration Cain experienced and it ran so deep that it birthed not only bitterness but also hatred for his brother Abel. Abel gave an offering by faith and saw the good results of his giving (see Hebrews 11:4) but Cain didn’t experience the same favour and became angry and frustrated because he too had given an offering (see Genesis 4:3-5). It is not that God showed favouritism towards Abel, He says it Himself in Genesis 4:6 that if Cain does what is right (pleasing to God) he too will be accepted.  It’s not just a matter of doing before God, but a matter of how I do.

Jesus came to give us life in abundance, and wherever there is abundance, there is joy. Our journey of faith is one that should be characterised by joy, peace and a continual hunger for God and doing His Word. We need to be careful not to steal our own joy from the journey by carrying the cross but not following, by putting confidence in ourselves and not in God, by doing things because we should and not because we believe.

“For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,” Philippians 3:3 (NLT)