When God Calls It Sin – Part 2 – #4 Frustration & Discontentment

About this Series: “When God Calls It Sin” was originally a 5-week study I had lead in 2019 for an adult Sunday School class at my old church.

The outlines and lessons were based on Jerry Bridges’ book “Respectable Sins,” which I highly recommended for anyone serious about confronting the sins in their own hearts that are often overlooked.

For the blog, I am adapting my own notes and slides from the class and posting them almost verbatim. Since each class was an hour long, however, I will be dividing segments of each lesson into separate posts for easier reading.

Jump To:

• Part 1 (Introduction)
• Part 2 (Ungodliness || Unthankfulness || Anxiety || Frustration || Discontentment)
• Part 3 (Pride || Selfishness || Judgmentalism)
• Part 4 (Anger || Impatience & Irritability || Envy, Jealousy, & Related Sins)
• Part 5 (Sins of the Tongue || Wordliness)

Part 2 Segments:

1. Ungodliness
2. Unthankfulness
3. Anxiety
4. > Frustration & Discontentment

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Frustration

The sin of frustration is very closely related to anxiety and worry. Bridges defines frustration as “being upset or angry at whatever or whoever is blocking your plans.“

On a personal level, this is one of the besetting sins in my own life. As a fairly “techie” guy, I am accustomed to my devices behaving in a certain way, the way they were intended to behave. Click a button, something happens. Instantly. If I have to wait any longer than that, I tend to get annoyed.

Maybe YouTube videos take too long to buffer, my cell phone doesn’t have signal, or internet is unbearably slow. I am much more liable to give up in frustration than to simply wait patiently.

Instead of believing that God is sovereign even over my devices and internet connection, and that He has a good reason for causing things to behave unexpectedly, I allow frustration to take hold of my attitude.

I believe that frustration is rooted in my ungodliness because I am behaving as though God is not involved in my life or my circumstances. I tend to not think about God at all in those moments, but focus my attention instead on whatever is causing my frustration, or blocking my plans.

… all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalms 139:16 NIV

Now, that means that not only has the length of our lives been ordained ahead of time, but all the events and circumstances of each day, as well. God does not plan our lives on-the-fly; He is never caught by surprise.

Whatever trial we may be going through, there is comfort and encouragement in knowing that!

We have already looked at the role of the holy spirit in regards to our sanctification; we should understand that we are able to pray and ask that He would call us out of our frustration and point us to Scripture. Perhaps there is something we need to learn or pay attention to in those moments that try our patience.

There is nothing that happens in our lives that doesn’t ultimately come from God’s hand, whether we know the reason or not.

Job had plenty of seemingly-justifiable reasons to be frustrated with the events in his life. He had lost all of his wealth, his children were all killed, his wife abandoned him, etc. He questioned God’s purposes, but ultimately trusted in the Lord’s providence:

I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too marvelous for me, which I did not know.

‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You make me know.’ I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You.

Therefore I reject myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:2-6 LSB

As Job repented of his frustration, we must be willing to do likewise. Just because anxiety and frustration may seem reasonable at the time, they should never be more acceptable to us than murder or adultery. All sin is grievous to our Lord!

Discontentment

Many of the topics we have discussed already certainly apply to the sin of discontentment as well. After all, if we were godly and thankful for our possessions and blessings, and were not anxious or frustrated, we would certainly be content as well, yes?

However, whereas anxiety is fear over the future and frustration is usually the result of some immediate event that disrupts our plans, discontentment most often arises from ongoing and unchanging circumstances that we can do nothing about.

As a caveat to the topic, I should make it clear that we should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth and with the injustice and evil in the world. Not all discontentment is inherently evil. But for our discussion, we are looking at sinful discontentment that negatively affects our relationship with God.

The Bible does instruct us to be content in all situations. The Apostle Paul, even while in prison, was content!

Not that I speak from want, for I learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in abundance; in any and all things I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Philippians 4:11-12 LSB

He knew what it was like to be wealthy and have many possessions. He also knew life as a poor, starving prisoner. And yet he says he had learned the “secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (ESV). And he tells us in the very next verse:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Paul was not talking about personal achievements, sporting contests, or passing an exam. He had learned to be content, in Christ, in any and all circumstances!

What about your circumstances? Are you stuck in an unfulfilling job? Are you unable to have children? Is your marriage rocky or maybe you have reached middle-age and are still single?

Whatever situation we find ourselves in that causes us to be discontent, we need to recognize that it is a sin. Again, God is orchestrating everything.

Do you recall the video in a prior post by Todd Friel? Whatever situation you are in that is causing you to be discontent is the exact situation the Lord has placed you in, for a reason. We must remember that!

If all things are in his hand, if the very hairs of our heads are numbered; if every event, great and small, is under the direction of his providence and purpose; and if he has a wise, holy, and gracious end in view … then we have nothing to do but with patience and humility to follow as he leads, and cheerfully to expect a happy issue.

John Newton

Closing Questions

• If we tolerate anxiety, frustration, and/or discontentment, what other sins might often crop up?
• Do you think God sometimes allows us to face difficult, unchanging circumstances for reasons we may never know?

Suppose someone you love were to say to you ‘I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you love me and will care for me.’

What an affront that would be to you! Yet that is what we are saying to God through our anxiety.

Jerry Bridges, “Respectable Sins”

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