“NO MAN IS an island” is a famous saying written by English poet John Donne. God never intended for anyone to do life alone. But more than ever, many people are facing life with all the good, bad, and ugly it can bring—alone. They are lone rangers who face their problems in what I call the “isolation chamber,” because they aren’t connected to anyone. Life can be challenging enough, but it becomes even more challenging when we try to do it alone.
Life revolves around relationships. Meaningful relationships are important for spiritual, professional, and personal success. But they are equally important for maintaining good physical health. Studies have shown that social connections can lessen anxiety and depression, help regulate emotions, lead to higher self-esteem, and improve our immune systems. When we neglect to connect, it negatively affects our entire being—spirit, soul, and body.
Believers are less susceptible to being destroyed by Satan’s attacks when they are active parts of a community.
The truth is, relationships are one of our most valuable assets. The devil knows this, and he is out to destroy relationships among believers so he can isolate them. He wants them to believe they are better off by themselves and don’t need help from the church or others. I’ve noticed that people who isolate themselves never accomplish what they could have if they had stayed connected.
Isolation and loneliness are real problems, both in our world and among churchgoers. The coronavirus pandemic only made things worse. In a sense, isolation and loneliness have become their own pandemic. The U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness and isolation the latest public health epidemic. He said loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually.*
On the surface, it seems as if we are more connected than ever. We have the internet, social media apps, and digital connections that let us see into people’s lives. We can connect with new people or reconnect with people from our past with the push of a button or swipe of a screen. Yet more and more people, including Christians, report feeling isolated, lonely, and disconnected.
I thank God for technology. It has its advantages. But He didn’t intend that our primary way of connecting with each other boil down to a text or a screen. God hardwired us to desire and form real connections with real people. The primary way He wants Christians to find and develop these connections is through the local church.
Relationships with other Christians help us succeed in serving God and doing what He’s called us to do. These relationships also give us strength, stability, and safety in times of need. There is great power in being connected to a local body of believers, serving God and others, with each person doing their part. It strengthens the local church and thereby makes it more effective in reaching the lost. Believers are less susceptible to being destroyed by Satan’s attacks when they are active parts of a community.
A Spartan king once boasted to a visiting monarch about the walls of Sparta. The visitor looked around and said, “I don’t see any walls!” His host turned and pointed to all his troops and said, “In Sparta, every man is a brick. These are the walls of Sparta!” The point was, as long as the bricks (the troops) held together, they were an impenetrable wall. As long as we who are founded on the Rock—Christ Jesus—come together and stay connected, nothing can prevail against us!
Author
Kenneth W. Hagin
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