By F. D. Adkins
He lurks in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment. He watches. He listens. His narrow gaze fixes on her as she stares at the phone. A single tear trickles down her cheek.
Now. He tells himself. He whisks from the darkness just long enough to let a whisper penetrate her thoughts. “No one cares.” In a blink, he slithers back to the shadows knowing he made progress.
She lowers her head with those words repeating in her mind. No one cares. No one cares. Her body trembles as she sobs into her hands. He holds his head high as he watches her cry. Tomorrow he will cut a little deeper. Soon, he will have her believing that she truly is all alone.
***
Although the above story is a fictional account, this scenario depicts how the enemy works. The devil watches and waits for a moment of weakness to make his move, and he loves to make us feel alone.
Have you ever felt alone? I think it is safe to say that everyone has experienced a feeling of loneliness at some point in life. I remember the transition from working full time to being a stay-at-home mom. Being able to stay at home to raise my children has been a tremendous blessing that I thank God for daily, but I do remember the first few weeks was a major change for me. I had worked for years in customer service face to face talking to people all day. Suddenly, I was home twenty-four hours a day. My husband worked ten-hour days, so the majority of my day was spent with no interaction. It took some time to adapt to all of this new time “alone.”
Now, I am going to use an illustration that involves our dog but let me point out that our dog is a gift from God that I truly believe is an angel. As a matter of fact, her middle name is “Angel.” That being said, in no way am I comparing our dog to the enemy. I am merely pointing out our dog’s ability to utilize my daughter’s weakness to fill her stomach. You see, our dog has special treats that she is only supposed to get when my husband and I have our cup of coffee before bed. However, our precious dog is clever. She is aware that as long as my husband and I are present, no exceptions will occur. On the contrary, our dog is in tune to the fact that my daughter cannot stand to hear her cry. So, guess what? If the dog gets my daughter alone, the saddest doggy face appears along with nonstop whimpering until my daughter’s soft heart cannot stand it anymore, and the master of the “appeal to pity” fallacy has an extra treat for the day.
After catching the dog cornering my daughter with her canine pity act, I thought about how the enemy targets our individual weaknesses and how much easier it must be if he can get us alone. Why? Does a bully usually pick on a gang or the one that is off to themselves? When we are alone, the enemy’s derogatory whispers seem to be a little louder, float around a little longer, and impact a little deeper. Therefore, he uses his devious ways to make us believe that no one cares and that no one understands. He wants us to succumb to that feeling of loneliness. If the enemy has us feeling isolated and depressed, we cannot accomplish what God has planned for us. The enemy can also use our fear of being alone to tempt us. I believe giving into peer pressure is the result of the fear of being alone.
Of course, we know the enemy is the master of lies. So, we have to be prepared because when he senses a moment of weakness, our dark enemy will swoop in and whisper his untruths. But how can we always be on guard from such a devious evil that is constantly seeking to “kill,” “steal,” and “destroy”? (John 10:10). After searching the Bible this week, here are some points that I took note of.
The Bible reveals that God understands what we are experiencing.
- God created us. Therefore, He understands us.
- God came to earth in human form. “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell” (Colossians 1:19 KJV).
- Jesus went into the wilderness alone and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).
- Jesus had friends that let him down. Jesus knew the agony He was about to endure. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went to pray, and He asked his disciples to pray also. Note that Jesus was enduring so much anguish that He was sweating blood. When Jesus returned to the disciples, they were sleeping (Luke 22:39-46). Jesus is sweating blood, and his friends are sleeping.
- Jesus understands what it feels like to betrayed by a friend. Jesus was betrayed by his friend Judas for money (Matthew 26:15). We know Jesus thought of Judas as his friend because Matthew 26:50 says, “And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him (KJV).
The Bible gives instructions on how to resist the devil’s whispers and temptations.
- Matthew 4 says that each time Jesus was tempted by the devil, He responded by quoting scripture. “…it is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 4:7, 4:10 KJV).
- Scripture says that we should pray and give praise to God in all circumstances. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV. Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and imprisoned with their feet bound in stocks. But, at midnight, they were praying and singing songs to God (Acts 16:22-25).
- Put on the armor of God. In Ephesians, the first piece of armor Paul lists is the belt of Truth. To put on the belt of Truth each day, we need to study God’s Word every day. Since Paul puts that first on the list, starting the day reading God’s word would be a good idea.
Finally, the Bible tells us that we are not alone.
- God reminds us over and over throughout the Bible that we are not alone. So, I am going to share one that speaks to my heart.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 KJV).
When the enemy creeps up trying to disturb the peace with his whispers, remember the battle has already been won. The Father is always with His children. And if you have not accepted His love, He stands with open arms and a permanent marker ready to write another name in the Book of Life. With Jesus, loneliness does not exist.
