Ron Carpenter Jr. begins Part 5 of The Necessity of an Enemy by discussing what he terms ‘weapons of mass destruction’ that the enemy uses to sabotage God’s purpose for our life. Unlike more devastating forms of adversity that show up as Goliaths, Ron notes that these weapons “. . . tend to be unobtrusive. They are often stealthy, silent, and disguised. Their appearance is gradual, and instead of mounting a frontal attack, they tend to snipe at you from behind over time and wear you down.”
The first of these weapons, isolation, has the potential to be lethal because we’re left to deal with our internal struggles alone.
Consider what happened to the prophet Elijah after he had defeated the prophets of Baal. Jezebel put a price on his head and wanted Elijah dead in 24 hours. Elijah fled to a remote place and lost all perspective on his situation. Eventually God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). As a result of our ministry downsizing or position loss, we most likely become isolated from our calling congregation and former colleagues. In addition, our immediate family might not live in close proximity to us.
This is an opportunity to rely on God, not on ourselves, and draw even closer to Him as we spend time in the Word, listening for that gentle whisper. It also is an opportunity to reach out and minister to others who are suffering.
