Don’t Walk Alone

Why the enemy thrives in isolation

Beloved Friend,

It’s a new week, and I want to remind you of something the enemy would rather you forget: isolation is one of his strongest weapons. Predators in the wild rarely attack an animal in a herd. They wait for the one who wanders off. Even human predators think the same way. Robbers go after the one who walks alone, not the one surrounded.

Scripture also warns us about this. Peter said the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. A lion doesn’t attack a pack. He studies, he waits, he goes after the wanderer. That’s why Ecclesiastes 4 tells us two are better than one, because if one falls, the other lifts him up. Also, a threefold cord? It’s not easily broken. Even Jesus didn’t send His disciples out alone. He paired them two by two. There’s a wisdom in connection that Heaven itself recognizes.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Being alone is not the problem. There are moments when God calls us into separation, when He says, “Come aside, let’s be together.” That’s consecration, and its purpose is to draw us closer to Him, not farther. If what you call separation makes you feel distant from God and cuts you off from godly community, then you need to ask who really authored it.

Think about how the enemy works in real life too. An abusive partner often isolates their victim, cutting them off from friends and family who have offered sound counsel in the past. Why? Because once you’re alone, it’s easier to control, manipulate, and destroy. Whenever the enemy tries to isolate someone, it’s never harmless. It’s always because he wants to steal something: your joy, your fervor for God, your quality connections, your help. With God, separation draws you into life. With the enemy, isolation pulls you into harm.

I’ll be honest, this is something I’m still learning myself. When life gets really tough, I find myself pulling away from people so I can recharge with God. And while that isn’t wrong in itself, I’ve come to see that ignoring the quality community God may bring my way in that same season isn’t His will either. I’m learning that God strengthens us in His presence, yes, but He also sends people to sharpen and encourage us. Both are His ways of helping us endure.

I’ve struggled with this for a while. For a long time, I thought being a Lone Ranger was my consecration. I thought maybe God’s plan was for me to do life in a corner, quietly fighting my battles with Him. But I learned He didn’t design us to live perpetually disconnected. He uses people. He strengthens us through fellowship. He teaches us love, patience, and humility when we walk in community.

Let me also say this, God can even use certain situations that look like isolation to draw us near. You hear people say, “That challenge made me hold God tightly. I realized my help wasn’t in man but in Him alone.” But even then, notice how it drew them closer to God, not farther. If what you’re going through makes you withdraw not just from people but also from Him, then it’s a trap, and you should resist it.

So as you walk into this week, be intentional. Guard against the lie that you’re better off alone. Treasure the ones God has placed around you. Stay close to the Shepherd and the flock He’s given you, because in the company of the faithful, the lion loses his prey.

With thoughts of kindness,

ABBA’s Shofar