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!
Second,
2. We will lose our fight.
Elijah has lost his fight. He folds up. He gives in to the bully. We do the same. If we think we are alone, then we quit going to battle. We quit warring for what God promised. Feeling alone takes the fight out us. We take off our gloves. We quit punching back. We want to pull the covers over our head and just give up!
3. We will miss God and miss people.
I didn't read this part of the account, but if you back up in 1 Kings 19 you discover that Elijah is looking for God in the earthquake, wind, and fire (I guess Elijah liked motown - earth, wind and fire - OK come on stay with me). His aloneness caused him to only look for a big move. This almost cost him the opportunity to hear the still, small voice of God. Too often, when we wallow in being alone, we will miss God because out of our pain we only look for the major moves of God! We miss the small simple moves that reveal His continued presence and commitment to the promise He has already made. Haven't you experienced this? If I feel alone, then I begin to only look for major things from God (miracles, provision, healings) and I forget to look around at the minute by minute, hour by hour moves of God's faithfulness and favor in my life.
When we believe we are alone, we not only miss God, we also miss the people that God has surrounded us with and the people he assigned to us. We become so focused on us and our plight that we simply quit looking for them. We will walk right past comrades and co-laborers. We quit developing relationships. We quit being intentional about relationships. We quit nurturing relationships. God reminds Elijah there are 7,000 others out there that Elijah has ignored. God points out Elisha and forces Elijah to become intentional about pursuing that relationship. Some of us just need to recognize comrades that are right beside us in the fight. We are not in the fight alone. Some of us need become intentional again about pursuing people! We need to pick up the phone or get in the car and go visit! We are alone because we stay all by ourselves.
4. We will confuse insulation and isolation.
I have no doubt that after Elijah's huge victory on Mt. Carmel and the spiritual exertion that was required when he squared off with the prophets of baal that Elijah probably needed insulation. However, he confused insulation with isolation. There are certainly times in all of our lives when God will speak to us and tell us to insulate ourselves from other people. We need a break. We need a quite moment. We need time to silence the other voices and remove distractions. I think the danger is that too many of us go one step further than God wants us to go and rather than insulating we isolate! Then we wake up and feel forgotten, abandoned, and alone. Instead of setting temporary boundaries we build permanent barriers and we won't let anyone in! We become vulnerable and easy pickings for the enemy. Remember I have tried to teach you that victories are not won in isolation, but rather in cooperation. In fact, in January, I taught you in the 6ft Baby Series that all other religions (including Judaism and especially some of the factions of Judaism) say that the further away from people you get, the more you love God. Isolation is glorified. But Jesus uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to show us that those who follow Him, in this thing we call Christianity, must recognize that the closer you get to people the more you love God. God is wed to humanity. So much so that He became one of us. The enemy knows that people not only teach us to love God, they help us hear God.
And finally, if we buy the idea that we are alone . . .
5. We will believe we don't matter.
Elijah believed that he was alone. So, he takes the next step and concludes that his life and ministry no longer matters. No one will miss me if I am gone. No one will notice. So, God reminds Elijah that not only is he is not alone, he is only one of 7,000, he has a king to anoint and that he still has a call and purpose. His role is still important. A king needs to be pointed out. He has a recruit waiting to be enlisted in the King's service.
I want to remind you that you are not alone because I want you to remember that you matter. Your gift matters. Your calling matters. Your life matters! You have people to point out and gifts to call out.
You may say that you feel alone. Can I remind you that Jesus said that He would never leave or forsake you. You are not all alone. I am reminded of Psalms 121. The short chapter reminds us that God is with us. I challenge you to go read Psalm 121 in its entirety. But listen to the first part and be encouraged by His constant presence. The Psalmist probably feels alone and writes, "I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps."
You aren't alone! God doesn't sleep on you. He is there. Awake. On guard. Present. Able. Ready to respond.
I also want to remind you have a purpose. The enemy wants to keep you from that purpose. You have others around you that need you. There are others who are looking for someone to follow. You have others who need to be recruited and trained. In fact, and I know this may be hard to believe, but you are somebody's Elijah. There is an Elisha out there named Rick, Ron or Angie or Alisha who needs what you have and what you know. It is time to fight out of alone!
It has been said that "If you change your words then, you can change your world." The truth is that if you will allow God to change the enemy's word, then your world will change.
We have said that God can change your never to ever, your if to already and your later to now. He can also change the enemy's word alone to together. He wants to connect you with others who will walk through life with you. He is putting you in the path of others that need you and some that you need. If you continue to believe that you are alone you will miss those assigned relationships. Fight your way out of the cave of alone, hear His voice and become His voice to those who will follow you!
Prayer!
