Alone Series

Pt. 4 - Alone

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Introduction

We learned the saying as children on a playground and it sounds great . . . "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” The only problem is that the statement isn't true! In fact, haven't you discovered that there have been times that you would have rather been hit with sticks and stones than the words that were spoken to you? It is no surprise that a study shows that negative words release stress and anxiety-inducing hormones in study subjects. In their jointly written book, Words Can Change Your Brain, Dr. Andrew Newberg, a neuroscientist at Thomas Jefferson University, and Mark Robert Waldman, a communications expert state, “a single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.” So, science backs up the idea that words matter and they can be weaponized. The devil certainly capitalizes on this fact. That is why we have been trying to expose the words the devil uses against us. We have talked about the words never, if, and later. All of these words are deadly if we listen to him. There is one last word I want to expose so that when the enemy tries to use it we will be on guard. Let me take you to an example in Scripture that shows a great man fall prey to this debilitating word.

1 Kings 19:9,14-18

There Elijah went into a cave and stayed all night.Then the Lord spoke his word to him: “Elijah! Why are you here?”

He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I have always served you as well as I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” The Lord said to him, “Go back on the road that leads to the desert around Damascus. Enter that city, and pour olive oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram. Then pour oil on Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel. Next, pour oil on Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to make him a prophet in your place. Jehu will kill anyone who escapes from Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes from Jehu’s sword. I have seven thousand people left in Israel who have never bowed down before Baal and whose mouths have never kissed his idol.”

God confronts Elijah and asks him why he is hiding in a cave. If you know the back story, then you would probably expect Elijah to say because Jezebel has threatened to kill me and she has proven to be true to her word. So, God I am hiding to save my life. But notice what he says . . . his statement reveals that he has become imprisoned by one of the most deadly words in the devil's dictionary . . . Elijah repeats the devil's word back to God. He says, "I am alone!"

One of the most dangerous words the enemy uses against us is alone!

Elijah is hiding in a cave and he is singing "All by myself" (come on sing it with me - you know you want to!) It is a catchy song that will catch you. Elijah sings the song and in that moment he was doomed to isolation that ushers him into of quittin. It got so bad that wants to die simply because he believed this one word. He throws in the towel. Resigns. Gives up. It is all over because He believed he was alone.

If there was ever a time that the enemy would like to try to use this word against us it is now. In lockdown, quarantine, and social distancing we can find ourselves susceptible to the lie that we are alone, forgotten, overlooked, unwanted, unneeded and unwanted. Have you ever felt like dying? Ever heard the enemy whisper that no one would even miss you if you were gone? He continues to use this word against us!

If we allow the devil to use the word alone against us it will impact us the same way it did Elijah.

I am going to hit results of believing alone quickly. If we believe the enemy's lie that we are alone . . .

1. We will say things we don't really mean and wish for things we don't really want.

Elijah says he wants to die. He even wishes to die. I think that was a in the heat of the moment thought. If we become trapped in "alone" thinking we say things we don't really mean and we wish for things we don't really want. We say things like I don't need any of you. Or we wish for things like . . . I wished I could just get in the car and drive away and never look back. Not true. Momentary statements and thoughts based in feeling alone!