a lonely girlLoneliness can be described as an emotional state of mind in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and isolation that result from inadequate relationship with God and people.

Whether loneliness has entered into your life as result of guilt, rejection, failure, self condemnation, isolation, or death of your loved one, etc, there are ways to overcome it. Or maybe your problems arise because somebody you truly loved betrayed you, rejected you and broke your heart, there is a solution. But you must be ready to cast away this evil garment (called loneliness) from your life. I described loneliness as ‘evil’ because that is what it is. It is a deadly evil that has not only come to steal away your joy but to also take your precious life and send you to hell. Remember that loneliness is one of the highest causes of suicide in the world today. That is why you need to make up your mind to get rid of it.

Is God Concerned About Loneliness?

Yes, God knows from the beginning that man will be lonely if there is no social interaction. After He had created Adam, this was what he said:

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

God does not want you to be alone and he does not want you to feel rejected and dejected. He has solution for you if only you will take it.

7 Practical Ways to Overcome Loneliness

Reconcile With God: The first step you need to take in order to overcome loneliness is to come to God and reconcile with him. If you are already born again, it is time for you to re-dedicate your life to God and ask for his help. Perhaps you don’t have any relationship with Jesus Christ, the first thing you need to do is to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Then begin to ask him to take you out of your lonely state. The scripture says “...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrew 13:5). Jesus knows your problems more than you do and that is why you need to take it to him. He doesn’t want you to bear it alone (Matthew 11:28)

Accept God’s Forgiveness: Many people commit suicide because they cannot forgive themselves of the wrong they have done to others. Even after accepting the salvation of Jesus Christ many still feel the guilt of their past and fail to let go. If that describes your situation, it is time for you to get the grasp of the word of God and let go of your past. Once you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and asked for his forgiveness, He has already forgiven you (Ephesians 1:7) and you are now a new creature (2Corinthians 5:17).

Join a Vibrant Church: Another way to overcome loneliness is to join a vibrant church. If God has saved you but you still feel rejected and dejected, you will probably need to examine the church where you worship. I’m not condemning any church here but if you are in a church where prayer is deemphasized and the interaction among members is at lowest ebb, then try and look for a more vibrant church, start attending and get involved. The bible says “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17 KJV). God will not be angry that you change church.

Participate in Ministry: The work of God can be very challenging if you are combining it with your own regular work but it can be antidote to loneliness. If you find yourself lonely, get involved in any of the ministry in the church. Since the work of the ministry requires you to pray always, you will discover that as you join God himself will take care of your problems and his Holy Spirit will comfort and restored you to your former self. If you sign up to be trained as a minister, I’m sure the training you will receive will enable you to see what your problem is all about and how to overcome them.

Effective Prayer and Regular Bible Study: The power of prayer in the life of any human being cannot be overemphasized. Prayer can raise the dead, it can heal the sick, it can close up the heaven from raining, it can close the mouth of lion, and I know it can take away loneliness. If you truly want an end to loneliness in your life, begin an effective bible study today and devote at least 30 minutes prayer time unto God in a private place where no one will disturb you. Pray that way at least twice a day. The scripture says “...The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16 ISV)”. Talk to God about your challenges and very soon you will be surprise what He will do.

Develop Relationship with the Holy Spirit and Learn how to Worship God: I don’t have much to tell you here than to let you know that God is looking for those who will take good time to worship him in truth and in spirit (John 4:23) so that He can meet their needs. If you can develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit, I’m sure your loneliness will disappear quickly. Get a good Study Bible, a good daily devotional, and create good time to praise and worship God as you study your bible.

Devote Time to Help Others: Your relationship with God, prayer and bible study are more important than this, but if you devote your time to helping others solve their problem, it is very good as well. This way you are shifting attention away from yourself to that of others. If you are a child of God, you can devote some of your leisure time to helping other people in the church. You can help the elderly who are weak and vulnerable. You can help the children or just anybody to solve their problems. Finally, remember that fervent prayer is very crucial to solving your problems.

It is my prayer that as you yield to God and develop a personal relationship with Him, he will give you more insight on how to overcome loneliness in Jesus name (amen).

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