Feeling alone

“and it's that disconnectedness that so often becomes something that causes us to become very self-depreciating and causes us to feel the isolation. David, I mentioned him earlier in the Psalms said it this way in Psalm 102 verse 6, I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places. I lie awake. I am like a lonely sparrow on a housetop. I'm like that one”

“it's because of what Christ has done that we can have a relationship with God and that we can know that we are never, never, never alone. So I don't know what you're facing today, but I want you to know there's one, one who is with you and one who loves you. You may today be feeling forgotten, ignored, misunderstood, overwhelmed, but I'm here to tell you today, feel lonely, but you're never alone.”

“your loving kindness has welcomed me. Though I'm unworthy of majesty, you wrap the lonely in royalty. and I will lay my crowns down at your feet.”

“and they become a friendly face and a gift that can be given. And we do this in a lot of different ways. It doesn't just have to be that, but I'm saying that to say, if you know somebody who's lonely, look for a care point and meet a physical need. Number three, not only do we need to take time to connect with the church and care for physical needs, but we have to concentrate on personal growth. Loneliness leads you feeling barren.”

“Satan looks for people that are isolated, and he comes. That's why so many people allow loneliness to become depressive, loneliness to become an excuse for indulgence in their life. All of these things can happen to us. So what did Paul do? What do we need to do when we're lonely? Number one, you need to connect with God's church. I'm not talking about the building. I'm not talking about programs. I'm not talking about activities. Who is the church?”

“and you guys may do it here. I'm not absolutely sure how this translates campus to campus. But we have a group of deacons who every Wednesday night take some of the meals that we prepare on the Augusta campus and take them to shut-ins in our community every week all over the county and I just love the fact that they go and knock on the door and they become a friendly face and a gift that can be given and we do this in a lot of different ways it doesn't just have to be that but I'm saying that to say if you know somebody who's lonely look for a care point and meet a”

“all of these things can happen to us so what did paul do what do we need to do when we're lonely number one you need to connect with god's church i'm not talking about the building i'm not talking about programs I'm not talking about activities who is the church we are the church so when I say connect with God's church I'm talking about people we need to connect with God's people”

“They didn't have electronic Bibles like the one I'm holding here that you can just touch a text and go from one to the other. No, they had these scrolls and they were precious. But Paul said, I need to read. I need to be listening. I need to be focusing my mind and my attention because when you're lonely and struggling, it's easy for you to give your life to nothing more than death scrolling in social media instead of spiritually engaging with the word of God.”

“everywhere I'm seeing everywhere around me over and over this message. We are living in a lonely world. People are lonely. People are desperate. And loneliness is one of the defining struggles of our generation. Reports have shown that as many as one in five Americans experiences loneliness on a daily basis. The US Surgeon General two years ago reported that half of US adults are experiencing measurable loneliness and chronic social isolation.”

“All deserted me. May it not be charged against them. I'm going to stop there. We'll go back and pick up other portions here. But this is one of those passages for me to just pick it out and read it. It's a little bit of what I might call the soft space of Scripture. It's easy if you're reading through this book to just read the content of this. Since you don't know of any of these people, don't know most of these places, it's just sort of information that you sort of trickle through and read through.”

“wrong with you, with all that's wrong with others, with all the suspicions, and your mind just runs away. One of the greatest imaginations that comes when you're lonely is the whisper of Satan's voice saying, "If you feel alone, you are alone." But I'm here to tell you today, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and God as your heavenly father, you are never alone.”

“are the things that we've done to others. There is a sense of isolation and loneliness that can be very overwhelming in life. Just some modern expressions. One writer said, the eternal quest of the human being is to shatter his loneliness. Anne Hathaway, actress, said this, loneliness is my least favorite thing about life. The thing that I'm most worried about”

“when life is bringing disappointment, When future is unsure, we struggle with those issues that can lead to loneliness. But now let's go to the last question, and the one that I'm most eager to get us to, and that is, what should I do when I feel lonely? What should I do when I feel lonely? It's not a sin to feel lonely. Loneliness comes and happens to us, but what should I do? And here's something great. While the Bible is an incredible book of precepts, literal instructions, standards,”

“We are the church. So when I say connect with God's church, I'm talking about people. We need to connect with God's people. We need to step into that place where instead of being away and where entropy can begin to happen, taking a hot coal off of a fire and putting it over here so that it begins to simmer, we need to be in the fire even if it's hard and it's hot because only in that can we be changed.”

“into the place and space beneath. And that was the prison. Isolated, dark, damp, filled with vermin. Just think about the insects, the rats. I'm just telling you, it was an awful place. And Paul is writing this letter. And Paul is in that place. And Paul is more aware than at any other time in his life”

“God never abandons His people. And though you may not feel that anyone else sees you, that anyone else knows, that anyone else cares, I'm here to remind you today that your father never takes his eye off of you and your well-being. A number of you have smaller children and you know that one of the greatest frustrations in life, and I can say this as a granddad,”

“loneliness. It's the second thing that causes loneliness. And it's not only life circumstances, but changing seasons. I'm talking about the actual seasons of life. How many seasons of the year do we have? Four great opportunities to get lonely. Did you know that? Right now, we're turning the page from summer back into school structure and schedules and all of that. And some of you are already feeling that lonely sense of I've got to let go of all this freedom and this lack of structure. And there's a sense of I wish we could have done more. I wish I”

“we're talking about. What is loneliness? What is loneliness? Well, let me quickly say that loneliness is more than being alone. Loneliness is not simply solitude. Solitude is something that we all need in our lives. In fact, we try to encourage every person who's a part of the life in the church known as Warren to start their day every day with a time alone with God. We all need time to be alone, to read, to reflect, to pray. And so, solitude in and of itself is not loneliness.”

“alone. It's not just being alone or being by yourself. You can be alone in the state of your body, but loneliness is a state of mind and of heart. Actually being alone is a good thing. We all need to have some time alone. We all need to have places and moments of solitude. Solitude is a spiritual discipline that every Christian needs to cultivate. Jesus was frequently alone when he would go out and pray early in the morning or late at night. And we”

“is just being alone without anybody to care for are someone who will care for me. And then Robin Williams, who made the world laugh, said this, I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone. That's what loneliness does. It takes us to a place where there's brokenness and the reality of brokenness in our lives. And the isolating impact of that can lead to experiences of loneliness in life. And then loneliness is”

“You can be in solitude, you can be alone, and not be lonely. So, loneliness is not solitude. Something else that I want you to know is that loneliness is not a sin. It is a real, it is a raw human emotion. But just because you're lonely does not mean that you are in sin, but let me quickly say that loneliness and the vulnerability that it brings invites”

“I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone. That's what loneliness does. It takes us to a place where there's brokenness and the reality of brokenness in our lives. And the isolating impact of that can lead to experiences of loneliness in life and then loneliness is a painful reminder it's a painful reminder that we were made to be”

“that he is isolated and that he is alone. And I think in this case, expressing feelings of loneliness. I find that major life changes, circumstances that come to us in life can as much as anything highlight that sense of being alone and being lonely in life. Loneliness is often fed by circumstances that we can't control and things that we have to face in life. You can feel lonely sitting in a classroom on the first day of school”

“But just because they don't have the visibility of their parent's face doesn't mean that they don't have the security of their parents' presence and protection as they drive them. Life is moving. You're not sure what's happening. You feel alone, but I'm here to tell you there is a Father in heaven who never quits caring for you. Listen to these scriptures, Isaiah 41.10. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.”

“is that every day, somewhere in the day, you need to have a time alone with God. A quiet time. And being in solitude is not the same thing as being lonely. You can be alone and not be lonely. And all of us need to learn what it means to take time, to develop time, to reflect, to read, to listen, to spend time with God. And so solitude is an important part of a spiritual discipline,”