THE DANGER OF ISOLATION
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
I was looking at a bunch of bananas. I ruminated about how good they tasted. Then it dawned on me. As long as the bananas were stuck together in a bunch they were fairly safe. But when a banana was removed from the bunch it was going to be peeled and then ate. Danger, danger, danger there is safety when we stick together in love and unity.
WHAT IF WE WOULD COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER?
CHARLES OSGOOD of CBS radio reported about two ladies that were living in a rest home. Both of the ladies had terrible strokes that left them incapacitated. The one lady’s stroke was in her left side of her brain and she had little to no use of her ride side. It was kind of strange that another lady in the same rest home had a stroke in the right side of her brain and she could no longer use her right side of her body.
As the families came and visited these two ladies it was discovered that they both had been accomplished piano players. They both had played the piano in the church they attended. They both had given lessons to many students that learned to play the piano. BUT ALL HOPE WAS GONE THAT AS INDIVIDUALS THEY WOULD EVER PLAY AGAIN. Their talents were destroyed.
One day the activities director moved their wheel chairs near the piano and she invited the lady to use her right hand to play something. It was beautiful, but the music was so limited. The other lady moved her wheelchair beside the lady playing with her right hand. She picked up her left hand and started playing. It was beautiful. The music rang out in the lobby of the rest home.
The ladies would sit for hours playing the one the right hand, the other the left hand. They became roommates and for several years they filled their lonely hours playing music together. Families would come and sit in the lobby and enjoy listening to the music that neither one could play alone, but joining together they could accomplish what they could not do. HARMONY, BEAUTIFUL HARMONY…
GOD’S CREATION WAS GOOD…
God made light. God saw the light, IT WAS GOOD… Gen. 1:4
God separated the land and water: IT WAS GOOD… Gen 1: 10
God made plants: He said: IT IS GOOD… Gen. 1:12
God made the sun and the moon. He said: IT IS GOOD… Gen. 1:17
God made birds and of all sorts. God says: IT IS GOOD… Gen. 1:21
God made animals and God says again. THIS IS GOOD… Gen. 1:25
GOD’S CREATION WAS GOOD…
GOD’S WORDS REALIZED MAN WAS TO BE SOCIAL, WE NEED EACH OTHER.
GOD MADE MAN, AND MAN NEED SOMETHING TO COMPLETE THE CREATION…
Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
*** COMPLEMENT: to make complete, something else makes it better,
Genesis 2:18 (MSG) GOD said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion."
WE LIKE TO PLAY THE LONE RANGER GAMES…. THERE IS SAFETY IN NUMBERS
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND TO HIMSELF… THE ENEMY LOVES TO ISOLATE US FROM OTHERS…
IN OUR ISOLATION WE TEND TO DISTORT FACTS…
THE CIVIL WAR: THE ANDACONDA PLAN… If the north could divide the south it would make defeat easier. Sherman blazes a path and burns everything. There was a blockade in Atlantic. There was a thrust to divide at the Mississippi River. General Winfield Scott knew the south could not be defeated as a whole. But by dividing the south the weakness would STRANGLE THE SOUTH.
THE ANACONA PLAN HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN THE PITS OF HELL…
DIVIDE AND CONQUER….
Our enemy has a STRATEGY
*** STRATEGY: a careful plan or method to achieve a goal, a skill or mindset.
A TRICK OF DECEIVING….
BEWARE OF THE ENEMY’S TRICK TO DECEIVE AND DESTROY.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
DIVISON IS AN EXCELLENT STRATEGY TO WEAKEN AND DESTROY EVERY FAMILY, EVERY INDIVIUAL AND EVERY CHURCH…
Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
***DIVIDED BRINGS ON A DANGEROUS EMOTION CALLED EMPTY… CONTAINING NOTHING, NO REAL PURPOSE OR PLAN.
MY FRIEND EMPTINESS BREEDS FEAR… FEAR CAN BREED APATHY --- I DON’T CARE! APATHY BREEDS ALIENATION!
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
EVEN GREAT MEN OF GOD CAN NOT DO GOD’S WORK ALONE, WE NEED OTHERS TO COME ALONG BESIDE US AND HELP… YOU DON’T DO GOOD…
REMEMBER MOSES HAS VICTORY ON TOP OF THE HILL? His arms get tired. There were two men: AARON AND HUR…
That get under the sweaty arm pits of a man and lift them until the VICTORY IS ASSURED…
MOSES’ FATHER IN LAW SUGGEST BUILD A TEAM --- YOU CAN’T DO THIS ALONE….
Exodus 18:16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. 17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
DO YOU GET MAD WHEN YOU HAVE TO WORK ALONE… IN THE LORD’S WORK YOU WILL OFTEN BE LEFT ALONE… DON’T GET MAD, BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR POST OF DUTY….
Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
CHOSE THE GOOD PART…. DON’T BE JEALOUS…
THERE IS POWER IN AGREEMENT… NEVER BURN THE BRIDGE ON WHICH YOU MUST CROSS!
Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Matthew 18:19 (KJV)
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
CONCLUSION: REMEMBER THE STORY “HOME ALONE?”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
The family all gathers together? The little boy FEELS SO ALONE in the crowd. So he has himself a little tantrum. So he retreats to the attic. He enjoys being alone for a little while. When the boys comes out of the attic he realizes the trouble he faces. His aloneness is now real. While his family is flying away, he is stuck ALONE. While he is ALONE there are enemies that will attack. If all the family had been there, the robbers would have picked another home to invade.
We are a team… we need each other. Hold the ropes to the basket … Paul needed these people.
That fish that sees the worm dangling in the water and starts flirting with it. The fishes attention leaves the school and focuses on the worm will soon be laying in a warm skillet? Stick together.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
