Networking

 Have you ever noticed God never intended for you to be alone? He made Eve to be a help meet for Adam, in the ark He brought 7 clean and 2 of the unclean animals. In the new Testament God sent 2 disciples out together, not one.

We have a family, and a church family. You know what one of  the biggest problems of today's Christian is? They/we for the most part do not use these resources. They internalize, they face them alone, and this is why we have so many losing the battles.

We are so afraid of voicing our issues, our battles for fear people might think we are not spiritual enough. We are not able to stand and take on the world, we are inadequate. That is what our fear is.

God knows, this is why He set the church up, this is why He set the family up, this is why He set marriage up, He knows you will need support, fellowship, and exhortation..

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

He is there, His Word is there, Your spouse, your pastor, your church family is there

Are you using these resources? Are you not attending the church God gave you for your strengthening? Are you internalizing or are you asking for prayer for specific problems, situations? There is power in the sharing of struggles, for it enables you to have support, whether it be prayer, advice, counsel, or just a chance to get it off your chest and off your mind.

The church service, the fellowship before and after are intended to help you. to prepare you for the week to come. There is power in prayer, fellowship and gathering.

It's so very important to understand you are not alone, you are not facing a unique crisis. If you look at prayer requests there are so many unspoken prayer requests, why? Share. The family of the church can exhort, pray, uplift you. There is power in the shared testimony, the shared crying over a problem, and frankly the removal of the weight from your chest can be a great uplifter. If you have an issue take it to your church family, you may not get an answer but you will get support.

In today's world we have what we call "social media" but that just makes you feel more isolated. For everyone, for the most part, only puts forth the most positive sides of their life, they do not want you to know they are actually a train wreck in progress. There is no one perfect and problem free, if they claim to be, know they are not. They want you to see only the good of them. The memes and quirky photos are usually far from the truth.

The cry for help you will very seldom see on social media, the pain and suffering of a broken heart, the disappointment of life, the emptiness in the heart, the wild thoughts and crazy fears will never be told. We do not want others to truly know the inner us. If they did they would never ever acknowledge us again.

Yet there is one who knows, there is one who always knows.

Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

If He knows the number of hairs on your head then He knows all about you.

His people need to get together and share that knowledge, for the church family is more than just a laugh and a meal, more than a hearty handshake and a nod, the church family are the ones who will be there at a funeral providing food and support, they will be the ones at the hospital. They will be the ones who will mourn, laugh, cry, and love more deeply than any other.

At least that is the way it was intended.

Heb 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 

Daily we need to exhort and lift up each other. You may think that in today's world of technology this would be easier than ever. Yet people are still the same. Caught up in their own stuff, unaware of what's going on next door, so busy doing nothing that they can not be bothered to lift a brother up or to call a sister in Christ and let her know her struggle is seen, her problems are momentary. her life is not over in this moment for there is far more to be done.

Do you have a list of people you exhort daily? A prayer group or even a prayer partner you talk to daily? Is there a support network for you? Are you a support for others?

The church is that support and should be used to bolster the people, fire them up, get them together and commiserate, pray, strengthen and embolden for the week to come.

You say my church doesn't do that, well why are you not getting it started? Why are you waiting on someone else to get it going? Today is the day for you to be a support, an exhorter, an encourager. In the process it will encourage you. I can not tell you how many times I have been advising people, counselling them and had my own problems answered, my own spirit lifted.

You claim "no one called me when I needed help, no one checked on me". Did you call or notify them? Or did you just wait and wait in your misery and do nothing to get that support? The phone does call out you know.

If you did not get the support because they did not know then how can they be held to blame? Share.

If there is no network then be the impetus that starts it.

If there is no network, be the cornerstone. If there is no network, then start one. 

There are so many hurting people that you might be the voice that assures them, that leads them out of the dark. That talks them down from the ledge.

For there is your joy, helping , talking, praying with the hurting. Networking, it is a good thing, but only if it is used.