Psalm 31:14-15 TPT I’m desperate, Lord! I throw myself upon You, for You alone are my God! My life, my every moment, my destiny—it’s all in Your hands. So I know You can deliver me from those who persecute me relentlessly.
I think that I'm speaking to people today who, at some point, find yourselves surrounded by overwhelming spiritual impossibilities.
• Your lives seem overwhelmed by circumstances.
• You're looking at some of the biggest giants you've ever faced & some of the most momentous spiritual opposition that perhaps you have ever faced.
I want to look at “The Blessing of Frustration”.
David's life is one of the most familiar in all the Word of God. There are some 40 chapters devoted out of the Word of God to the building, the calling, & the future of the life of Abraham. But these are even scant compared to all the passages of Scripture to which we have reference & give reference to the life of David.
David's life was a life given to kingdom-mindedness. David was not a selfish, self-exaggerating man. David was not full of himself. David saw the work & the scope of God much larger than himself.
One of the most powerful passages of Scripture that give us the depth of the heart of David is found in his repentant prayer of Psalm 51. David felt that he deserved to feel the full measure of God's judgment, only so that God would be honored in judgment & that God would not be charged with favoritism.
• It takes a man of depth.
• It takes a man of tremendous spiritual character to feel & sense & to care about the kingdom that way.
One of the things about God’s Word that give it its essence & a sense of authenticity is that God doesn't paint over the moles & scars & the faults & flaws of those that He calls & uses.
There is a blessing that comes out of our frustration when we give ourselves to something bigger than us.
I. Why God Why…
This is a statement each & every one of us can relate to…it has probably been said more than we would want to admit.
Nobody likes to be in the seasons of life that seem like…
• I can’t figure out why this is happening to me.
• I have done nothing to deserve this.
• Why would God allow this.
Job 3:25-26 NLT What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.
Job went thru this season of his life wondering why God would allow this to happen to him. He felt like he had made good decisions…treated people right…raised his family right, etc…
Job 30:26-28 NLT So I looked for good but evil came instead. I waited for the light, but darkness fell. My heart is troubled & restless. Days of suffering torment me. I walk in gloom, without sunlight. I stand in the public square & cry for help.
“Why God Why?” As Job is standing & walking thru the dark days that seemed to surround him, he is letting his heart be known.
God is not angry or hurt when we share what we feel in our hearts as we go thru things we don’t completely understand.
But we must always be aware of how many feelings or emotions is affecting my view & relationship with God.
Job 33:12-14 NLT But you are wrong, & I will show you why. For God is greater than any human being. So why are you bringing a charge against Him? Why say He does not respond to people’s complaints? For God speaks again & again, though people do not recognize it.
Many times we get blind & deaf to God because of self-survival.
II. God’s Faithfulness…
One of my favorite characteristics of my God is His faithfulness.
Psalm 117:2 NLT For His unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord!
I have been thru many storms & trials since my journey began with Jesus.
Frustrations that tried to destroy me standing in faith!
But here I stand tonight, which is a great representation of God’s faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations & lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him & obey His commands.
In the midst of struggle & hardship our God will always be there whether we understand how He is working or not.
See, the frustration that many find themselves tangled up in is because they have given ear to the lies of the enemy. He knows our God is faithful, but he wants to blind us to truth.
He is faithful…that has been forever settled in heaven & demonstrated throughout all time on this earth.
Lamentations 3:23 TPT New, fresh mercies greet me with every sunrise. So wonderfully great is Your faithfulness!
So we have to constantly ask ourselves, do I really understand & fully trust God’s faithfulness no matter what my surrounding circumstances look like.
Remember that having the ability to truly trust God & His faithfulness comes from spending time alone in His presence with prayer & hearing what He is saying to you thru His word in those moments.
Frustration will be used to either push us away from God or it will be used to push us to Him.
True relationship or true worship of Him who is amazingly good comes thru recognizing His desire to be the help that we will always need.
John 4:23-24 TPT From now on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with a right heart. For God is a Spirit, & He longs to have sincere worshipers who adore Him in the realm of the Spirit & in truth.
God’s faithfulness shows how He longs for relationship with us & to bring great joy in seeing victory lived out in us thru the provisions made by what He has done.
III. Believer Living Out Victory…
Because of what Jesus’ mission was, & then it being faithfully completed, every true believer must believe in what God has done & provided.
From the cross Jesus made that final decree…
John 19:30b NLT …“It is finished!” Then He bowed His head & gave up His spirit.
That was a declaration to be heard throughout every generation that comes on this earth.
He was saying I have accomplished everything necessary for every believer to step back into the place of dominion that was God’s plan from the beginning.
Psalm 8:6 NLT You gave them charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority—
God made us to have dominion over everything that He has made.
We are the only creation made in His image.
But it breaks His heart when He sees those He has revealed Himself to thru His love & mercies not live in the victory that has been provided.
This doesn’t mean that it is a life free of trouble or trial. The bible is full of God engaging in battles against the enemies of His kingdom. But He is always enforcing victory that is already His.
Isaiah 43:2 TPT When you pass through the deep, stormy sea, you can count on Me to be there with you. When you pass through raging rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through persecution like fiery flames, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you…
God did not say that to just encourage us…this was marching orders to walk in. He is saying, “I got your back”.
Luke 10:19 TPT Now you understand that I have imparted to you My authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you & overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will harm you as you walk in this authority.
Our Savior & Deliverer has great confidence in the victory He has secured for us. Now He is expecting the least we can do is get understanding & then exercise the authority that He has provided.
Jude 1:3 TPT Dearly loved friend, I was fully intending to write to you about our amazing salvation we all participate in but felt the need instead to challenge you to vigorously defend & contend for the beliefs that we cherish. For God, through the apostles, has once for all entrusted these truths to His holy believers.
God is saying to us that the truth has been entrusted to us, & that truth is more than enough to defeat every scheme & strategy the enemy can conjure up.
We are not trying to get the victory…the victory has already been provided thru the finished work of the cross & resurrection.
Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT A final word: Be strong in the Lord & in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-&-blood enemies, but against evil rulers & authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, & against evil spirits in heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
• Frustration will cloud the true victory of your salvation if you don’t see the truth clearly.
• Holy Spirit has been given to us to shine light on the reality of God’s faithfulness to bring me thru all frustrating seasons.
• What will you do with frustration today? If it has stolen your victory temporarily, repent & acknowledge God’s faithfulness & rise up to walk in victory.
