Facing Our Loneliness, Part 2A

Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, November 16. No matter how many people you know feel like you're all alone.

Find out how to keep from feeling isolated as the Bible facing our loneliness.

Loneliness is a very paid yet. A lot of people who live in the painful emotion don't even understand really what it is that they're feeling and it's the kind of feeling that everybody has at some point in the life of the other and the it's not something that you want to live with this many people have the other. This is where I am in the this is where life is.

I don't know that I can ever do any better when you can.

That's what I want to talk about is how we can overcome this whole attitude of a loan by now if you don't deal with the loneliness. What happens is there some other attitudes to develop person begins to feel like their unwanted unworthy unfit. Nobody cares and so these are dangerous kinds of attitudes because what they lead to and if you think about it, feeling unwanted and unattached and outside an unattractive and undesired and unworthy.

All of these attitudes. These are not attitudes that belong to you and me who are believers, we are followers of Jesus Christ. He's our heavenly father. Jesus is our good Shepherd and so we should be having those kind of fields that will come once in a while, but we ought to be and be able to overcome them for the simple reason that's not who we are. Those attitudes don't fit us and so the issue is how do we overcome them where the first one is this you have to recognize that your long. Many people are lonely, don't recognize it. They think it's something else. And often times people will blame someone else or some other circumstance in life before they will admit to the fact I am a very lonely person because to admit loneliness is assigned to many people of weakness.

It's a sign of common adequate is the sense something is missing in my life I don't I'm not the kind of person who's worth having friends, nobody really desires me and so what a person usually do. They take all of those feelings of being alienated and ostracized and separated undesired, unwanted, and so they think will if I feel that way than if I were to say that somebody would think will you know maybe that's who he is made, that's who she is and so oftentimes we don't face it until your face, loneliness, and are willing to admit the fact. Yes, I will only then you will never overcome it and that the longer it lingers in your life.

The more intense things become.

Because this denial does not read you of loneliness denial only allows you to drive deeper and deeper and deeper in your life if you think possibly you're on light and you don't deal with it. After a while you get pretty sure you're on light because you see if you feel, for example, people don't like you didn't want to be around you is something about you that's obnoxious to them is what happens when you meet another person. You will send that message that, for example, and I'm not being accusative is fun. I want you just think about that is not what you think of him and see who does this, but for example, if you walk up to somebody in a person has a very poor self-image of themselves unwanted. Unlike the just not for thou to be in life you can tell when you greet them, they won't greet you with a sense of confidence, boulders, assurance, smile joy, but there's going to be this little bit of hesitation and reservation their part because the problem is there may fear that somebody else that you may not like them all. They've heard that somebody didn't and so it's amazing how Satan can just deceive us and camouflage the true genuine feeling is that we feeling lonely you sale but I feel this way because it is negative. The reason is we get to the reason but the issue is. Have to admit I watch this.

It's not a sin to be lonely if you stay in that stage of thinking about yourself and you remain there, and you begin to react and respond the way people will eventually get yourself in the trouble trying to find friends are trying to make friends that that whatever price then you can, it can become sin. But it's not a sin but it's an issue we have to deal with. So the first thing you have to do is the recognize the second point is this and that is reconciliation with God that what is that mean I want to give your couple scriptures and you might want to turn. First of all to second Corinthians chapter 5 for a moment.

Remember in the garden that God's wonderful, beautiful garden was disrupted by sin.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, what did they do, they disconnected from their very maker and what happened was that the intimacy they had with God the father was no longer there and so this feeling of being separated. That's why they hid themselves in regard why because all of a sudden they didn't feel what they felt before they felt disconnected, separated, isolated, alienated from him.

And so when he comes looking for in their hiding well the truth is every single one of us came in this world and at some point in our life we recognize that we were alienated we were separated and that is that's why you and I got saved because the answer to our separation from God is to be reconnected to him and so why did Jesus come. Jesus came to reconnect those who were disconnected so because you and I sinned against God, we became alienated from the mess with the Scripture says, and the look, if you will. In second grade. In chapter 5 that I wanted to go to Colossians.

Listen what he says in verse 18. He says now all these things are from God, who reconciled us brothers back into right relationship to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, which means that those of us who believers have the responsibility as ambassadors, representatives, followers of Jesus to do what to help other people get connected to God through Christ.

They get them on their separated condition in their sinful condition back into an intimate relationship with him.

And so here's what he says. He says, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Why did Jesus come. He came to reconciled sinful lost, alienated, separated, disconnected mankind to himself, where man began when he created man. He created him up for fellowship and fellowship means connected and means no longer separate but connected and oneness of peace of mind, joy and harmony and all the rest. Sin is what gets us disconnected. So if I'm going to deal with my loneliness. I have to start with the foundation once the foundation watch this carefully.

Most of the world will never believe this, you will never have true genuine peace and the absence of loneliness until first of all, Jesus Christ get you connected to the father because God did not make man capable of living without loneliness apart from himself because he made us for himself and we are here in his behalf, and we are here for him and we are here because of him and we here because of his love and his desire to live his life in interest. For example, when he saved us many reconciled us to himself what you have in mind that he would live his life in us and through us. That's why he talks about abiding in him. He saved is that he might live his life in us and through us to do what to use us to connect other people to himself and so that's what the ministry of reconciliation is all about helping other people get connected to him so that being true, if I'm going to live a life free of loneliness. One of the things it has to be true is I have to be connected to him because that's who we are.

That's the way he made us when a person is reconciled by the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to God the father and the father and the person becomes one in their relationship. What happens this sense of loneliness that is that is the step number two. First of all, you have to recognize it's there. But then you have to get right with God some but is his will. Hello I do that when a person recognizes their sinfulness recognizes that Jesus Christ is the only way to be forgiven, cleansed of our sin that all of our transgressions are wiped out all of our past sins are forgiven, past, present and future, and now we have a personal relationship to him as that happened. It happens through accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. He is the great connector. He is the one who overcomes this disconnection. He's the one who listen who eliminates this alienated feeling that we have.

He brings us into oneness with him because think about it for example here's a person is very rebellious toward God, living in sin nothings right, no peace, no joy, no happiness no anything.

They've had one woman a one man after another with a been through the drugs they vented alcohol they been to the promised prestige and prosperity and is still miserable and finally get saved. Basic why didn't somebody tell me this before now because they were running from God.

If there is no reconciliation to your create tour to your heavenly father to the God who made you and loves you unconditionally.

You will never escape it is a vital part somebody says why don't have to be lonely and I can be without loneliness about being a Christian be my guest.

You try, you just rename it but it's still there.

If there's no reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ, the great connector who is God that you reject him.

You'll never be connected. You know if you and I could see and read and listen to people just about 15 minutes before they die. Wouldn't we be surprised at the different testimony they have right before death and all the pride in their arrogance and the absolutely total self-sufficiency that they've experienced all these years, and then they come to death. Think about this when you die you face the Lord Jesus Christ. Would you not agree that it is a fool if they've heard the truth who would live their whole life disconnected from him and come to die and realized in those last moments I'm going to have to face the one that I disconnected myself from alienated myself from and refused to deal with all these years.

Reconciliation is a second step in the center and that is to recall the promises of God.

Now I can give you a lot of verses in and let's think about it for a moment and I think in my own life. If I could go to one point that probably helped me overcome loneliness above everything else is this one, to recall the promises of God and how many people have quoted this verse, not even Christians. Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for one reason. What is it thou art with me connected when you going through trials and heartaches are difficult and troubling you think. Or maybe somebody that you live in all these years hates you despises you, tries to destroy you, thou art with me.

The fact of that relationship and in Isaiah 41 the verse. We oftentimes quote he says I'm your God. I am with you. I'm with you while you think. For example, Jesus made such a point in the 15th chapter of John when he said you abide in me, I will abide in you, you abide in me and I abide in you, you bring forth much fruit. Why because we connected to think about this for a moment when you have when you have a grapevine what you have. You have a fine and you have the branch how much fruit can a disconnected branch make not one great not one. What makes it possible for us to produce food because we are attached to the von Jesus and on the vine, you the branch and so when the branches grafted into the vine becomes a part of the bond deceptive runs in the von runs the branch in the stem produces great so what would Jesus say he was saying that our intimate relationship with him is so very, very important, and when you and I can recall the fact that doesn't make a difference who likes you. Who doesn't like you, what you feel ostracize, alienated, and so forth that you become a child of God.

Here's what he says. Amen. You you can't get away from. Amen. You urine me and so we have this relationship now. The tragedy is that most people get saved and nobody ever explains that the it is in the gods up yonder and the Holy Spirit is down here in Jesus is somewhere in the where years.

See the father's right hand. We know that, but the fact that he's living on the inside of us, so that when you received him as your personal savior you were hooked forever. He says I will never leave you nor forsake you. Never so naturally when you and I are feeling lonely one the most powerful things we can do is to recall his promises and his promises amended, for example, he says in Romans chapter 8 and you know these verses, who shall separate us who will alienate us.

He will separate us from the love of God that he names all these things, even death and he says no one no one can separate us from so that if I'm feeling lonely that the most powerful thing I can do immediately is to be reminded. God is with me crisis living on the inside of me.

The Holy Spirit is within me and I cannot be separated from God. I may feel lonely, but I am not alone and that is a key I think about times when I have felt that Anders had to recall these pastors Lord is what you said and it ended. You said it, I believe it. That's what I'm going I'm going on the fact that no matter what I'm feeling you are with me, that watch this carefully and I been through enough of it, and no this work. It does work sometimes it works all the time and I can remember a few times at night when I just get out of the bed, get on mother bed and cry out to God, because I knew that I so desperately need him and never have I ever done that all been any kind of situation.

When I cried out to God, you said you would never leave me nor forsake me, I'm claiming your promise. I'm believing what you said I feel lonely I feel hurt I feel alienated. I may feel this but God, you said you living on inside of me and I will not thank you for it. I'm here to tell you that get you out of the deepest doldrums. There are because what use your affirming something you're affirming what God said you sing to him.

I'm trusting you. I believe what you said about me. You said you never leave me nor forsake me.

No matter what I'm claiming that amen and how many times have I been in that situation get up, get in the bed lot and go fast asleep.

Why because the promise of God is true.

Listen isn't true for some people it's true for everybody and anybody who is a child of God. If you not a Charlie judge can't claim that because he didn't because, listen you not a child of God you alienated is tight right now I do pray with you braille you want to listen without Jesus Christ, and if you've not been connected to God the father through the cross. That's the key whereby your sins are forgiven you are not connected there a lot of people who living in deception who think because they can pray to God that he will ask them to describe their God. They can't they pray to God and they disbelieve that he hears him because they're in the well. He'll hear the cry of cleansing and forgiveness.

He'll hear the cry of mercy, will you hear the cry for salvation but just because a person cries out to God doesn't mean that God says yo yes yes yes it is a powerful thing in times of loneliness to cry out and to recall what he said thank you for listening to part two facing our loneliness. If you like to know more about Charles Stanley intentionally. My intense tantalizing podcast is a presentation of intense ministry advantage of