The book of Lamentations opens with, “How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” America is quickly becoming a lonely nation. We are living in an age when friendliness seems suspicious; many people don’t know their neighbors; and technology creates a false sense of community. Loneliness can be occasional, chronic, or acute. It can be genetic or environmental. No matter the type or cause, God provides a solution to loneliness in Acts 2 — The Holy Spirit.

[Nehemiah 5] Nearly a quarter of Jesus’ teachings were on money, finance, and stewardship; yet as Christians we tend to shy away from the subject. Nehemiah 5 reflects the times we are living in — many losing jobs, pay cuts, mortgaging property just to get money to eat, and people so upside down that they can’t do anything to get out of it. Hard times often bring about fear and anxiety, but the Bible tells us not to worry or be anxious. God will provide. He will not forsake you. Like Nehemiah, we should examine our own lives and how we are spending our money.

God the Father wants to heal us from our fears, worries, and anxieties. There are 365 fear not's in scripture. In Isaiah 41:10 God tells us not to be anxious or fearful because He is with us; He is our God; He will strengthen us; He will help us; and He will uphold us — the five pillars of fearlessness. In Philippians 4, God provides an antidote to fear. We must seek and rejoice in Him. We are to stand strong in a new revelation of Him. We are to surrender and release our heart and life to Him.

Throughout the New Testament Jesus healed multitudes of sick people. He had both the power and compassion to heal — it was one of His key reasons for being here. He also commissioned his disciples to heal the sick. It isn’t enough for us today to know that Jesus and the apostles healed, but as followers of Christ we must make His mission our mission — visiting the sick, looking after them, and praying for them.

[Song of Solomon 5:1–9, 8:5] Anyone above the age of three has experienced a broken relationship. Even as mature adults we are not immune to them. When we are hurt by others we push them away, and in return they push us away. What began as a minor conflict quickly becomes a broken relationship — neither person willing to soften their heart and humble them self. When we are hurt we rightly turn to the church for healing, but often find ourselves beaten and bruised. We turn to our friends, but they are consumed by their own problems.

In some degree or another we have all experienced loss and grief. There are times in our pain that we cry out and God answers us (2 Chronicles 18:31). There are other times when we get hit by random arrows (2 Chronicles 18:33) — divorce, loss of a loved one, backslidden children, etc. — that cause us to question God. How could this happen? Where were you God?

In the Old Testament, Jonathan and Tamar are both given opportunities to forgive. Jonathan has a verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive father; yet he is able to walk in forgiveness. Tamar is sexually abused by her step-brother Amnon, but carries her shame as a “desolate woman.” Christ’s shed blood on the cross not only forgives us of our sin (propitiation), but also cleanses us of the shame of sin (expiation). When given the opportunity to forgive and be forgiven, how will you respond?

[Exodus 14: 1–4; 1 Samuel 9:3–7] We have all kinds of fears — public speaking, spiders, death, etc. One of our greatest fears is a fear of faith. It seems too dangerous, too demanding, and too draining. Trusting God often means we find ourselves in a difficult situation — in a place we don’t want to be, without resources, and at a time not of our choosing. Faith requires being placed in circumstances where all we can do is depend on God. If we are not willing to step out, we can miss what God has for us.

Philippians 2:12-18 – Our culture is permeated with a self-help, pop-psychology mentality — using past hurts and experiences as excuses for present behaviors. As Christians we are called to “work out [our] own salvation.” This doesn’t mean we save ourselves; rather salvation is a gift from God that must be engaged. There is more to our faith than professing with our mouth that we are Christian. We must live a life that is pleasing to God and demonstrates the transformation that has taken place in us.