Good morning:
Being alone on an isolated mountain top with no civilization in sight can be a peaceful and relaxing experience. Conversely, being alone in a thickly wooded forest where you keep hearing rustling in the brush can be alarming and stressful. When possible danger is near, the last thing you want is to be alone. A dark, dense forest full of rustling is not so scary if a guide is leading the way and the rest of your party is watching the woods as well.
One of the dangers during your spiritual trek through this life is that the enemy knows to attack you when you are alone. The temptation to sin becomes so much greater when you are alone. You can lie and tell yourself that you are getting away with sin. You can incorrectly think that if no one else knows about your sin then it can’t hurt anyone. These lies contradict the fact that your sins always hurt you as well as those around you and that you never truly get away with sin. Jesus said “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20b) How terrifying it is to remember this after the fact, but how comforting it is to remember this during the temptation.
The lie the Devil tells you is that you are alone. You are never alone. The temptation to fall into this or that sin weakens when you remember that Christ stands with you. He gives you His strength to resist the temptation and act righteously. And even after you sin, Christ does not leave you alone. He restores you as He reminds you of His love for you, His death for you, and how in Christ, you are never alone.
Yours In Christ, Pastor Naumann
