Rthe Subtle Reason For Christian Frustration

The Subtle Reason for Christian Frustration
1
The
Subtle Reason for
Christian Frustration
Unveiling the Real Secret Behind the Struggles of
Many Believers
Olufemi Babalola
Published by
The Word Bakery

wordbakerypublishing@gmail.com
+2347030869385
2
3
First of all!
Occasionally, we encounter stones

inside our cooked rice or beans
despite all our efforts to avoid them.
So, if you find typographical or

grammatical errors in this book, I
apologise in advance!
4
INTRODUCTION
In February 2022, I had an epiphany. It

was as if scales fell off my eyes. It wasn't
as if I didn't know this truth before that
time but it struck me at a visceral level. I
realised the real reason Christians are
frustrated.
It occurred to me that we have been

attributing our frustrations to the wrong
reasons. I discovered that if we all could
master this one thing, most of our
challenges will be gone or at least they
won’t have the negative impacts they
have had over us for several years.
5
When I discovered this secret, I made up

my mind that I was going to master it,
then commit myself to helping as many
believers around me master it too. Since
then, most of my writings focused on this
theme. And this is why I wrote this book.
My goal is to unravel this deep secret to
you.
I write this with great trepidation as I am

afraid the enemy might trivialise it in your
heart. It is my earnest prayer that beyond
what I can do in this piece, may the Holy
Spirit Himself help you get it just as He
helped me.
One thing about the truth is we seem to

already know it but we often need
someone to say it for us before we realise
6
it. And realisation is often not enough if

we are not doing it. This is why real
knowledge is not in what we know in our
head but what we practice with our
hands. You don't know it if you are not
doing it!
For some, this book is going to bring the

truth already in their hearts to realisation.
For others, it is going to be an emphasis
that is going to provoke them to start
doing what they already know. I
earnestly pray once again that you will
be humble enough to receive this truth
and be intentional enough to practice it.
Come along with me!
7
PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED
The statistics are grim. People are

frustrated! And God’s people are not
exempted.
A broad estimate of those who have an

absence of a belief in a god (atheists),
according to Phil Zuckerman, ranges
from 500 to 750 million people worldwide
and the number keeps increasing daily.
This include people who have Christian
background or were once adent
followers of Christ.
8
This doesn't include others who reverted

into other forms of religion because they
got frustrated with their faith in Christ.
Currently, there is economic hardship

virtually everywhere around the world.
The inflation is biting. There is war in
Ukraine.
If you are in Nigeria, you know there is an

unprecedented rate of kidnap, banditry
and terrorism. Poverty, unemployment,
health related issues and other
unpalatable situations are on the rife.
And one cannot but wonder where God
is in all of these.
I wouldn't know if you noticed this surge

in mental health issues. Diseases like high
9
blood pressure, cardiac arrest and stroke

used to be the diseases of the aged but
it seem young people are having it
today.
News of suicide is common. People

complain of depression and lack of
focus. There is fear, anxiety and gross
hopelessness. It is a difficult time all over
the world.
Unfortunately, despite the tremendous

provisions of God for our health, security
and livelihood, Christians experience
these same crises just like the rest of the
world.
It is becoming increasingly overwhelming

and many Christians doubt their faith.
10
People are asking, if coming to Christ

doesn't give me any advantage, what
difference does it make?
Someone recently told me how she has

been trying to build her life in Christ but
she couldn’t prosper. Her words
exemplify what is quietly going on in the
minds and hearts of many Christians.
The church to most people today is not

more than a social community they are
obligated to identify with. God or the
church has no significant impact in their
lives and decisions.
11
THE GENESIS OF
FRUSTRATION
Before we continue, there is an

important issue we need to settle. You
may not have a full grasp of the focus of
this book except we get this right.
There is an integral distinction of the

Christian faith that we often don’t
emphasise and it is where this matter of
frustration begins. Once we don’t get this
right, there is nothing else that I say in this
book that will make any sense.
12
I am going to paint the picture of this

matter to you with the story of a sister
who was the leader of the singles sisters
in her church. Let’s call her Dolapo (not
her real name).
Each time a sister fixed her wedding

date, the single sisters' group in her
church would organise a send forth party
and Dolapo was always the one giving
life to each of these parties, being the
leader of the single sisters group.
But year ran into years and no brother

asked Dolapo out. Younger ladies who
met her in the group left her behind. You
know what that could mean for a lady?
It was becoming unbearable. People
were mounting pressure on her to get a
13
man and get married. She was feeling

cursed. She was frustrated.
She decided to have a retreat and settle

the matter with God once and for all.
She fasted and prayed for days but God
was nowhere to be found. The heavens
were like steel, shut against her. Tears
rolled down her cheeks as she groaned
in prayer.
Then suddenly, a voice seems to pierce

through the wall, almost audibly,
“Dolapo, why are you crying to me? I do
not know you. I only have plans for my
daughters.”
It was then Dolapo realised that there

was never a time she really committed
14
her life to Christ. She was that nice

church girl who got busy with church
activities. As a matter of fact, this was her
first real retreat to seek God’s face in
almost three decades of her life.
Dolapo is a prototype of so many

Stephens, Christianahs, Samsons, Sades,
Titilopes, Anitas, Blessings, Chisoms,
Bolajis, Harunas, Isaiahs and Chukwudis
who grew up in church but doesn’t know
the God of the church. When they fill
forms, Christianity is their religion but in
practice, they are something else.
Friend, the Christian community doesn't

grow by biological birth. It is the reason
Jesus insisted that Nicodemus must be
15
born again if he wants to get to the

kingdom of God (John 3:3).
God must not just be your Creator; He

must also become your Redeemer. A
time must come when you intentionally
decide to follow Jesus and trust Him with
your life. I ask you, was there a time like
when Jesus became your Lord?
Another critical challenge is that…
Many Christians are victims of what I call

contemporary midwives. These
contemporary midwives are the group of
pastors, preachers, evangelists, apostles,
prophets or teachers who make the
Christian race look like a bed of roses
16
when they make the call for people to

get saved.
"Come to Jesus and you will be blessed,"

they'll say. But the picture of the blessing
that is often painted is in terms of worldly
standards.
They make the road wider than God has

made it and soon many believers get
disappointed when they discover the
road is narrow! And most of the time the
dogs go back to their vomit.
And for those who decide to stay, they

soon become frustrated. They still go to
church, put on beautiful clothes and
serve God one way or the other but
deep within are unanswered questions.
17
They are trying to make sense of their

faith. The inner dearth that they feel and
the constant doubt about whether Jesus
makes any real difference as it is often
being preached never go away.
18
THE WRONG REASONS
Remember, I told you that I had an

epiphany in February. It was then I
discovered that there is only one reason
Christians are frustrated.
Unfortunately, Christians attribute their

frustrations to the wrong things. That's
why the frustrations linger because we
only treat the symptoms of the disease
while the cause is left unattended to.
Each time we go through this season of

frustrations, the devil berates and lies to
us.
19
Some of these lies include;
You are not properly born again.
The devil uses this on Christians. You

come to that point where you begin to
doubt your sonship or daughtership in
God.
You have experienced unanswered

prayers, failed several times and also
struggle with sin or bad habits and you
begin to wonder if your salvation was
genuine for how could you have been
saved and there is no difference in your
experience?
I even once thought that if I had a

spectacular or dramatic salvation
20
experience like Paul, I would have had a

better experience in the faith.
My assumption was that Paul had a

great Christian life because of the
dramatic way he got saved until I read
Romans 7 and I realised he also had
struggles.
Look at what he said,
"For what I am doing, I do not

understand. For what I will to do, that I do
not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
For the good that I will to do, I do not do;
but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
I find then a law, that evil is present with
me, the one who wills to do good. For I
delight in the law of God according to
21
the inward man. But I see another law in

my members, warring against the law of
my mind, and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Who will
deliver me from this body of death?"
Romans 7;15, 19, 21-24.
Despite the Damascus road experience,

Paul struggled with sin as if he was never
saved. His dramatic salvation experience
didn't give him an exceptional
experience.
You don't need a spectacular

experience to be truly saved. The Bible is
clear about how we receive the gift of
salvation. It says,
22
"If you confess with your mouth the Lord

Jesus and believe in your heart that God
has raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation"
Romans 10:9-10.
Your frustration isn't because you are not

properly saved. If you have confessed
the Lord Jesus Christ with your mouth and
you believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you are saved.
And that's all you need to do to be

saved. Nothing more. You don't need to
be more saved than you already are. So,
your frustrations have nothing to do with
the authenticity of your salvation.
23
Also, your frustrations are not because
You have challenges
You may also think your frustrations are

due to some other challenges you have
been going through. Perhaps you have a
health related challenge. Maybe you
need a job, a partner or the fruit of the
womb.
All these are definitely potent enough to

lead to frustration but I can assure you
that they are not the real reason for your
frustrations. They are only victims of the
real cause of frustration.
24
The world is currently going through one

of the most challenging times in terms of
the economy and many are frustrated
but as difficult as things may appear,
economic challenges shouldn’t be the
reason a child of God will experience
frustration.
The scripture is full of many believers who

survived economic challenges when the
rest of the world was being ravaged.
Isaac became a multi-millionaire in the
year of famine, Joseph rescued the
world from seven years of drought. Elijah
lived through the famine he declared on
Israel.
25
So, economic challenges shouldn’t be

the reason for your frustration if it wasn’t
strong enough to frustrate these people.
You are not serving God the right way
Also, your experience isn't because you

are not serving God the right way. That's
what the devil wants you to believe. This
is why we often try to do so much trying
to impress God. We often forget that all
our righteousness at best is like filthy rags.
Indeed, there may be a way God wants

you to serve Him but don't attribute your
frustrations to the fact you have not
discovered the right way.
You are overwhelmed
26
The demands of life can be

overwhelming. You may not have all the
negative challenges of life but the usual
day to day domestic demands and the
pressure from your work or business can
be overwhelming.
Sometimes the exhaustion from washing

the dishes, cleaning the house, taking
care of the children, cooking and all
forms of domestic responsibilities can be
the reason for your frustrations. Because
these day to day duties can be tiring.
What about the demands from your

business or your place of work or school.
When you have deadlines to beat and
targets to meet, when you have to sit on
27
your table in the office throughout the

day and deal with the tough stuff. It can
bring frustrations.
Martha became frustrated from all the

domestic responsibilities he had to deal
with all alone (Luke 10:40).
But what if I told you that all these are

not exactly the cause of your
frustrations? Will you believe me?
28
YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY

ONE
Before I tell you the real reason you are

frustrated, you need to realise that you
are not the only one feeling frustrated
because sometimes it feels so.
You can begin to feel the world has left

you behind when you go on Facebook
or Instagram and you see all your
classmates posting pictures of what they
are doing in life.
Listen to what the apostle Peter has to

say,
29
“Keep your guard up. You're not the only

ones plunged into these hard times. It's
the same with Christians all over the
world. So keep a firm grip on the faith.
The suffering won't last forever. It won't be
long before this generous God who has
great plans for us in Christ - eternal and
glorious plans they are! - will have you
put together and on your feet for good”
(1 Peter 5:9-10MSG).
Here is the statement I want you to take

note, “You're not the only ones plunged
into these hard times. It's the same with
Christians all over the world.”
So, don't make it look like the world is

crashing down on you. There are both
30
Biblical and contemporary heroes of

faith that we can look up to. For
example,
● Hannah was frustrated. It might be

easy to cope with being childless
when you are the only wife of your
husband but when you have a rival,
it becomes unbearable. This was
the situation Hannah found herself.
“Peninnah always upset Hannah

and made her feel bad because
the Lord had not made her able to
have children” (1 Samuel 1:6 ERV).
Nothing can be more frustrating for

a woman than another woman
31
making her childlessness the reason

to mock. Hannah went through hell!
● Elijah was frustrated. He even asked

God to end his life. This was just
after he had called fire down from
heaven and slaughtered all the
prophets of Baal and he thought he
was on top of the world. But then,
Jezebel sent him a message that
would rout him. The Bible says, he
ran for his life.
● Abraham and Sarah, the patriarch

and matriarch of faith also
experienced frustration. I believe it
was frustration that made Sarah
introduce Hagar to Abraham.
32
We can say the same thing about great

men like Moses who out of frustration
struck the rock, a sin which led to his
inability to enter the Promised Land. Even
Jesus experienced some frustration. He
came to a point where He told God He
didn't want to die anymore. He prayed
that the cup might pass over Him.
Never allow the devil make you feel you

are the only one going through these life
challenges. If you check your
neighbourhood, there is someone in a
more difficult situation.
As Peter said, "You're not the only ones

plunged into these hard times. It's the
same with Christians all over the world."
33
THE REAL REASON
So, what might be the reason many

Christians are frustrated?
I will answer this question by relaying to

you something that happened after the
resurrection of Jesus on the road of
Emmaus in Luke 24.
Cleopas and another brother were

traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus
when the risen Lord, Jesus Christ joined
them. But they didn't recognise Him. They
were supernaturally restricted from
identifying Him.
34
Emmaus was about seven miles from

Jerusalem and as they travelled, “they
talked together of all these things which
had happened” (Luke 24:14).
Meanwhile, it was obvious that they were

frustrated. This was revealed in the
question that Jesus asked them,
“What kind of conversation is this that

you have with one another as you walk
and are sad?” (verse 17).
They were sad, unhappy. They were

discouraged. They were probably going
to Emmaus to escape the confusion and
the crisis they were experiencing in
Jerusalem. It was becoming too much to
bear.
35
Another statement that shows they were

frustrated is found in verse 21. They told
Jesus, “but we were hoping that it was
Him who was going to redeem Israel.”
In other words, their hopes have been

dashed by the news of the death of
Jesus Christ.
Meanwhile, it was already the third day

and they had gotten the news that he
was risen. They should be excited that
Jesus is back to life.
However, despite the news of His

resurrection, their frustrations didn't go
away.
36
They told Jesus, “Yes. And certain women

of our company who arrived at the tomb
astonished us. When they did not find His
body. They came saying that they had
also seen a vision of angels, who said he
was alive and certain of those who were
with us, went to the tomb and found it just
as the women had said, but Him they did
not see” (Verses 22-24).
They had three levels of testimonies;
● The testimony of the women,

● The testimony of the angels,
● The testimony of those who went to
confirm
Yet, none of these satisfied them,

because they didn't see Him. In fact,
37
they described the testimonies of the

women as a shock. It didn't help them.
They became more confused. The tone
of the Scripture made it sound like the
vision of the angels was only an excuse.
“When they did not find his body, they

came saying that they had also seen a
vision of the angels, who said He was
alive.” (verse 23).
They prefer to have the dead body of

Jesus than a risen Lord that they did not
see. So they remained completely
confused and frustrated.
When Jesus saw their confusion, He took

time to explain things to them even
though they didn't know it was Him.
38
"And beginning at Moses and all the

Prophets, He expounded to them in all
the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself" (verse 27).
When Jesus was through with them, He

indicated he wanted to go but they
insisted He must stay with them and while
they were eating "then their eyes were
opened and they knew Him; and He
vanished from their sight" (verse 31).
Now, I want you to observe their reaction

after they knew it was Jesus. Verses 33
and 34 says,
"So they rose up that very hour and

returned to Jerusalem, and found the
39
eleven and those who were with them

gathered together, saying, “The Lord is
risen indeed…"
There was no more doubt. There was no

more confusion. There was no more
frustration. They didn't need a third party
to tell them about Jesus.
They have seen the Lord by themselves.

All the testimonies they have heard
about Him now made sense.
One more thing that surprised me was

how they got the energy to travel seven
miles back to Jerusalem the same night.
They were not even afraid it was late.
The same set of people that told Jesus to
spend the night with them because it
40
was late dared the same darkness and

went back to Jerusalem. They couldn't
keep the encounter to themselves.
That's what happens when you see Him.

It pumps life, energy and enthusiasm into
you.
Friend, the real cause of frustration is not

the situation you found yourself in but the
fact that you are in total darkness about
how to handle it.
We have heard how others got married,

got healed, got pregnant and got all
their breakthroughs but have you
noticed how all these don't even make
sense when you eventually come to face
the same situation.
41
We become so overwhelmed that what

people say to us can even complicate
things for us. We are looking for our own
answers.
However, we intrinsically know that the

answers we are looking for are found in
Him and until we see Him, we will keep
having that sense of frustration.
Nothing can replace the viscera desire in

the hearts of men to know, see and
experience God.
Cloepas and his friend heard the

testimonies of others, they heard what
the angels said and they saw the empty
42
tombs but they weren't free from

frustration.
You may even decide to go to

Jerusalem today and see all the
evidence of Christ's resurrection. But
unless you see Him (have a personal
encounter/revelation of Him), something
is still missing. The goal is to see Him, any
other thing less than Him, cannot and will
not satisfy.
43
FINAL WORD
Let's bring this home with a few scriptural

examples.
How was Hannah able to resolve the

frustration she was going through from
her rival because of her barrenness?
In 1 Samuel 1:9-10, the Bible says,
"So Hannah arose after they had finished

eating and drinking in Shiloh… And she
was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to
the Lord and wept in anguish."
44
Hannah didn't just start praying, "she

continued praying before the Lord…"
(verse 12). She didn't leave the prayer
place until God showed up through Eli,
the priest.
What was the result? The Bible tells us in

verse 18.
"So the woman went her way and ate,

and her face was no longer sad."
In short, frustration left!
The book is already getting longer than I

planned, I would have asked you, how
was Elijah able to survive his season of
frustration when Jezebel threatened
45
him? How was Jesus able to go through

Gethsemane? How did Rebecca handle
the crisis she had with her pregnancy?
What did Isaac do when famine
suddenly broke out in the land?
You know the answer already but I will

also ask you to go and study your Bible to
have a full grasp of how they went
through their frustrations.
Most of us behave like Hannah before

she eventually decided to stand up and
do the needful. What was she doing?
She was crying and enjoying the pity
party her husband was organising for her.
She was enjoying all the gifts she was
receiving until the day she couldn't take
it anymore.
46
You see, it is easier to spend 30 minutes

before the mirror to ensure you get your
makeup and gele right, then spend
another one hour inside the traffic and
another three hours in church listening to
a long sermon then show off your latest
outfit than to spare Jesus 15 minutes of
private meditation in the word and
prayer.
It is easier to move from WhatsApp to

Facebook to IG then to TikTok and back
to Twitter than to shut the door and get
alone with Jesus.
Our answers are waiting when we wake

to demand them from God. So, you see
it is what you are going through that's
47
really frustrating you, it is your

unwillingness to go to the place where
the solution is.
When I realised this, I took my eyes off all

my challenges and I decided it is about
time I go where the solutions and
answers are located!
"So Hannah arose…"
Will you arise? Will you? Will you go to the

place where your answers are waiting?
48
In case you don’t know me,
I am Olufemi Babalola!
I am passionate about sharing Biblical

insights and make them applicable to
our day to day challenges primarily
through writing. I have this vision of a
generation of vibrant believers who are
successful on every side of life.
Since I discovered the wisdom I shared in

this book, I have decided to focus my
writings on helping believers develop a
daily and dynamic relationship with God
as I also grow in my knowledge of God.
49
You can find my writings on Substack or

on my blog, FreshBreadOnline.com.ng.
My works are also on Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter and my Facebook
Page. You can also join my communities
on Facebook, Telegram or WhatsApp.
I am currently building The Word Bakery,

a platform dedicated to training
Christian writers and also helping
Christian organisations, church leaders,
pastors and busy Christian professionals
transform their thoughts and words into
published assets.
As opportunities unfold, I speak in

campuses, churches and conferences.
50
I am trained Environmental Biologist and

an academic staff of a Federal University
in Nigeria. I am married to Temilola, an
entrepreneur in beads and bridals. Our
marriage is blessed with twin boys.
In case you want to talk to me, send him

a mail or talk to him directly on
WhatsApp.
51
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The Subtle Reason for Christian Frustration

The Word Bakery

Occasionally, we encounter stones

So, if you find typographical or

In February 2022, I had an epiphany. It

It occurred to me that we have been

When I discovered this secret, I made up

I write this with great trepidation as I am

One thing about the truth is we seem to

it. And realisation is often not enough if

For some, this book is going to bring the

Come along with me!

PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED

The statistics are grim. People are

A broad estimate of those who have an

This doesn't include others who reverted

Currently, there is economic hardship

If you are in Nigeria, you know there is an

I wouldn't know if you noticed this surge

blood pressure, cardiac arrest and stroke

News of suicide is common. People

Unfortunately, despite the tremendous

It is becoming increasingly overwhelming

People are asking, if coming to Christ

Someone recently told me how she has

The church to most people today is not

Before we continue, there is an

There is an integral distinction of the

I am going to paint the picture of this

Each time a sister fixed her wedding

But year ran into years and no brother

man and get married. She was feeling

She decided to have a retreat and settle

Then suddenly, a voice seems to pierce

It was then Dolapo realised that there

her life to Christ. She was that nice

Dolapo is a prototype of so many

Friend, the Christian community doesn't

born again if he wants to get to the

God must not just be your Creator; He

Another critical challenge is that…

Many Christians are victims of what I call

when they make the call for people to

"Come to Jesus and you will be blessed,"

They make the road wider than God has

And for those who decide to stay, they

They are trying to make sense of their

THE WRONG REASONS

Remember, I told you that I had an

Unfortunately, Christians attribute their

Each time we go through this season of

Some of these lies include;

You are not properly born again.

The devil uses this on Christians. You

You have experienced unanswered

I even once thought that if I had a

experience like Paul, I would have had a

My assumption was that Paul had a

Look at what he said,

"For what I am doing, I do not

the inward man. But I see another law in

Despite the Damascus road experience,