The Danger and Beauty of Isolation

Isolation can show up like a slammed door, especially when you’ve just said yes to God. I’m Janelle, and I’m sharing what I’m learning in a waiting season where the loneliness doesn’t make sense on paper, but it makes sense in the spirit. We get honest about how the Christian walk includes suffering, spiritual warfare, and moments where you wonder why everything feels so quiet.

We break down two types of isolation: the isolation we create and the isolation the Lord allows. Self-isolation often starts as “I don’t want to be a burden,” but it can turn into secrecy, shame, and the lie that you have to carry your cross alone. That’s where the enemy loves to work, because without Christian community, it gets harder to separate God’s voice from fear, old patterns, and false comfort. I also talk about why community isn’t just for the good days and why pulling away can slowly wreck your faith.

Then we flip the perspective to God-led isolation, the wilderness season where the Lord strips distractions so it’s just you and Him. We look at Job’s testing and Jesus being led into the wilderness, and we ask the heart-level questions: Can you worship without the stage? Can you obey without the spotlight? Do you want the promise more than the presence? If you’re in a pruning season, this will help you lean in, grow in discernment, and remember your identity as God’s child before any ministry role.

If this episode speaks to you, feel free to reach out or connect with me on social media.

Love you all and praying for you 🤍

Transcript

Welcome And Podcast Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Not Easy But Simple Podcast. My name is Janelle. And if it's your first time here, I am so honored to have you. Thank you for joining us. Um, this podcast is all about talking about the Christian walk and the hardships that we face as believers because we were never promised an easy life. The Lord always promised us to suffer with him and to co-labor with him until he returns. So I want to break down those hardships. I want to talk about the reality of this walk and what it means to journey with Christ. And it may not be easy, this life that we live, but the answers are always simple. So I just want to dive right in and let's get started.

Two Types Of Isolation

SPEAKER_00 0:43

So today's topic we are going to be kind of touching on isolation, but I want to talk about two different types of isolation. I want to talk about the isolation that we bring on ourselves and then the isolation that the Lord brings to us. Um, I am in a season, if you watch the last podcast, I'm in a season of waiting myself. And although I'm also waiting, I am also in a season of isolation. And this season of isolation came right after I said yes to the Lord for doing something really big. And it almost didn't make sense in my brain. I was kind of second guessing. I was like, Lord, if you called me to do this thing and I'm trusting you and I've got confirmation that this is what you want, how is it that I am now completely alone? Why do I feel completely alone? It just doesn't make sense. What are you trying to do in my life? And through this podcast, we're gonna talk a little bit about his response.

The Danger Of Self Isolation

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Um, but before we touch on that part, I do want to talk about the isolation we bring on ourselves, and that is basically when we isolate ourselves because of things that we are doing. Um, the the things that we are facing, we kind of move away from our community that the Lord has placed us in, and we get to just sit in a room by ourselves and wallow. And I think the dangers of that are not talked about enough because I myself always used to do that and thank the Lord that He's kind of brought me out of that because He's brought me revelation as to why I was doing it. But when we take our ourselves away from our community and we put ourselves in a room because we are going through something, and we don't want to burden the ones that the Lord has brought into our lives, right? We don't want to place a weight on them that they weren't meant to carry, um, or they we don't want to be um someone's problem that they're now our therapists, they identify as our problem solver. We don't want that. Um, and I think we've taken the lie of the enemy at face value, and I think that we have taken this idea of community, and it's supposed to just be rainbows and sunshines. And when we are in our Christ-filled communities, everything in life is easy, but when the minute things get hard, I can't tell anyone. They can't know because I'm a follower of Christ, I'm supposed to be perfect, and I am here to tell you today that if that is you, that is a bold-faced lie from the enemy, and we are canceling that in Jesus' name. Because as believers, the Lord tells us every single day we are to take up our cross and walk with him. A cross is not an easy thing to bear, that is a heaviness. We are promised suffering in the word, and it's not to the point that we are failing because there is victory in Christ, but there is going to be test after test after test, there's going to be battle after battle after battle because we are facing a war that is not in flesh and blood, but it is in the spirit, and we war in the spirit. So when we have these little things come up and they start piling up, and all of these, and we don't tell people, it becomes an issue, and we start to seclude ourselves and let these lies build up inside of us. We let this hardship build up inside of us, and no one knows, and then we walk away from the faith because we're hurt. We we take the pain that we're feeling, and then we say, No one knows what I'm going through, no one cares enough to wonder what I'm going through, and then we walk away because Christians hurt us. And that's not everyone, but it is some of us. I know it was me for a little bit. And how can we put the blame on a community that didn't even know what we were going through because we were secluding ourselves? They can't know I'm going through this. I have to paint a pretty picture for them to look at me. And can I tell you that we are a broken creation that's in need of a savior? And we are in need of a savior every day. The one one of the most beautiful things that I love about Paul is that, of course, he was broken as Saul, right? But but as he he is going through his ministry and he is walking through his faith, the closer he gets to Christ, the more broken he realizes that he is, and the more need we need for him. When we are living in our sinful state, it's almost as if we don't need Jesus. I don't know what it is. Like you're like, oh, life is fine. I'm having panic attacks left and right, but it's okay, that's just life. But when we give our lives to the Lord and we get to get closer and closer to him, it's so crazy. It you hate your flesh, you hate the things that separate you from the Lord, so you just feel dirtier and dirtier, but the Lord is cleaning you and cleaning you. And that's a lot of information. But when we're self-isolating, we are harming ourselves because we are not allowing people to speak into our lives, we are not allowing that community to come and speak into our lives. So when we take ourselves out of the equation of community, we are basically saying, I can do this on my own, I can do it on my own, just me and God. And the danger of that is is that yes, you could do it, you and God. But when you are in that dark place, one, you have already started to listen to the lies of the enemy. So the lies that you are listening to become truth to you. So, how can you differentiate the lie from the voice of God when you're in that broken state? It's really hard. Trust me, I've been there. It's really hard to differentiate the lies of the enemy versus what the Lord is saying. And you can get out of it, the Lord can bring you through it, but how much easier would it be if you had God-fearing people that are running the race beside you, being able to speak life and truth into you, that they are able to, in a clear mind, in the Holy Spirit-driven, they are able to speak life into you. I think of the New Testament when we see Paul writing these letters to these churches. If Paul hadn't written these letters, we wouldn't know how to run a church. If we didn't allow Paul to speak into the words of scripture to write down the corrections, right? How would we know how to run a church? How would we know how to seek the Lord? How would we know how to do any of these things if we don't have truth to look back on, if we don't have someone speaking into our lives? These churches at those times were running wild and they were going about their own things, and Paul was able to call it out. So being able to have those Christ-centered friendships and relationships, they're so edifying to us because we're able to do this walk together, walk hand in hand, and say, hey, this isn't right. How about we turn this way? How about we do this? How about we do that? And I think that we live in a world where it's so just be you, trust your heart, know who you are, blah, blah, blah. And it's like, I can't work my way into that mindset because it's just anti-biblical. And if we have the wrong people around us, if we don't have anyone around us, we can slip so easily into that mindset. Oh, but I was so much happier before. I was doing this before, I was doing that before. It was so fulfilling. But it's like the enemy reminds you of your past in these dark times in this isolation. He reminds you of your past and he paints a prettier picture than what it was. He paints a prettier picture in the sense that I was making so many memories, I had so many friends, I was having the time of my life, I was da-da-da-da-da. But you don't remember the panic attacks, you don't remember crying yourself to sleep, you don't remember the depressive episodes, you don't remember the highs and the lows. Because the enemy wants to pull you back. The Lord is saying, I am a constant. I need, I need you to be able to get on my wavelength. So that's just kind of a touch on our isolation and why it's important that we don't do that and we are able to really bring people in.

When God Leads You Alone

SPEAKER_00 8:42

But I also want to talk about the opposite side of when the Lord calls us to isolation and He He and He basically strips everything away. So that's kind of the season that I'm in right now, is he's kind of stripping away everything. I said yes to his call of him of moving into something faithfully, right? I didn't see the end inside, I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I knew what the Lord spoke, so I I walked. And as I walked, it's almost as if everything fell away from me. I I feel like there's there's just an isolation that is happening, and I I questioned really hard. I was like, Lord, I don't understand if I am doing the thing that you have asked me to do, why are you taking everything from me? What is going on? And he reminded me of a couple things. Obviously, the story of Job. Job is recognized as this person that loves the Lord, follows the Lord with all his heart, and then he and then God allows Satan to take everything from him and to test his faith, right? He also showed me that as soon as Jesus gets baptized in all of the gospels, as soon as he gets baptized, he is driven into the forest, into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and allowed to be tempted by the devil, and he is able to overcome those temptations and start his ministry. That was a really big part of this issue that I'm facing of once you say yes to what the Lord wants, there will be a temptation period. There will be a period where everything is stripped away and it's just you and the Lord. And this isn't the case for every single season, every single time you say yes, but for right now, in my season, it is. There is a period of time where the Lord wants it to just be you and him, to take away everything else where you are really just stripped down to really lean on the Lord and and that everything else is additional. I said it in my in my last podcast, but our relationship with the Lord, that's our that's our main thing. Everything else that he gives us is additional. So when we are in this season of isolation, it's almost as if the Lord is saying, I want you to know that you can survive if it was just me and you. Everything else in life can can add to it, but nothing can supplement it. Nothing can take the place of the Lord and I's relationship in my life. The ministry that he calls us to, because we are all called to ministry. It doesn't mean that it has to be a profession, but ministry work is just doing the work of the Lord. So when we are called into the ministry that he has given us, we need to know that that is not our identity, that is not who we are as Christians. It is something that the Lord has assigned us to, but who we are as Christians are his bride and his sons and daughters. We are children of the Father first and foremost. We are the bride of Christ first and foremost, and then we are a pastor, preacher, evangelist, all those other things because we get to walk in alongside the Lord with that.

Identity Before Ministry

SPEAKER_00 11:52

But in that season of isolation, he has to prove hey, you're a worship leader with no altar, you're a worship leader with no stage, no crowd, no lyrics on a screen. How do you worship? Oh, how would you worship me if you had nothing else, if there was no eyes on you? Is my presence good enough for your worship? Because if we start worshiping on a stage and not in this in our rooms in the secret place, that's a performance. If we don't allow the Lord to speak to us in private, how do we expect Him to use us to speak in public? If we do not know how to discern the voice of the Lord in private, how are we able to discern the voice of the Lord in public? And that is a dangerous game that we are playing with. When we are walking on the stages, when we are writing the books, when we are writing the podcasts, when we are creating this content, when we have yet to know the voice of the Lord, that is a scary place. So the season of isolation is the Lord training us almost, equipping us so that we are able to know the voice of the Lord and realize our dependency on him. One thing that the isolation has taught me is I need the presence of the Lord, like I need air to breathe. If I don't have the presence of the Lord, I cannot move. In the book of, I believe it's Exodus, when when Moses is saying, Lord, I if your presence doesn't follow us, we will not go. Can we have the fear of the Lord in this day and age? If our God, if his presence is not with us, we will not start that business, we will not start that podcast, we will not create that Instagram page, we will not X, Y, and Z. We need to stop doing things in our own strength and rely on the Lord and His command. When he says, Go, it is time. Just because the Lord has called you to do something doesn't mean it's right now. Maybe you need to go through your pruning season. Maybe you need to go through the season of isolation. You're skipping the first step of your yes and you're jumping to the promise when the Lord is saying you're not ready. You jumped to being the CEO of a business before learning how to run a business. You jumped to the end of the line, and that's why it's not working. Because the Holy Spirit is not flowing through it because you're not ready, you can't discern it. The season of isolation needs to be prominent in your life. When the Lord is calling you and stripping you away from everything else, you need to hone in on why he's doing it. Don't say, Lord, why are you taking everything away from me? What's going on? And you start to pity yourself. You need to sit with the Lord and just learn his voice. Say, Lord, I know that everything is looking like it's falling apart, but Lord, I believe it is falling into place. Lord, I know that you are taking everything away right now, but Jesus, would you show me the pruning of why? Would you show me the reason you're pruning me, Lord? Would you show me why? And I pray that as you prune, that I would lean into you and nothing but you, that I would not run to socials, I would not run to other people, I would not run to addictions, I will not run to depression, I will not run, I will not run, I will stay in your presence until you feed my soul, until you until I know your voice and you set me free from the isolation.

The Cost Of Your Yes

SPEAKER_00 15:41

Would we just stop and sit? We are in such a fast-paced society, a fast-paced world. We need to constantly be distracted. And the Lord is saying, Would you get rid of all distractions? I'm trying to show you that you need to get rid of everything else, and you need to just sit at my feet so that I can show you what you were created for. I can show you what I meant, what I said, whatever the promise was. I can show you my nature and my glory. Why do we care more about the promise than the presence? Why do we care more about the stages instead of the altars? Why can't we sit and pour our oil on Jesus' feet because it's too costly? This walk will cost you something. You get to decide if it's worth it. I can sit here and tell you, Tom Blue, in the face, that it's worth it, but it's unless you realize it's worth it, it won't happen. The Lord is asking for your yes, and he is asking for your oil. Is he worthy of your yes? Is he worthy of the cost that it comes with? Because it's a heavy one. Isolation is not an easy season, but the seasons after it are gonna be a lot harder if you don't say yes to the isolation.

Prayer And Closing Invitation

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Man, I think that's all I have for today. Man, he is just so good and so faithful. And I just pray that if you're in this isolation season, Holy Spirit, would you just reveal your plans, Lord? Would you reveal the pruning process, God? Would you reveal your heart in the midst of this wilderness, Lord? As you strip away, Lord, would you strip away the veils of our eyes, God? That we would be able to see you clearly and rightly, Lord, that in this season of isolation it would bring us closer to you, God. That we would not feel a distance between us, Lord, but that there would be a closeness that you appear before us, Heavenly Father, that your presence would fall on us and the glory of the Lord meets us, Lord. I pray, Jesus, that whoever is watching that's on the other side of this screen, Lord, that you would just bless them and protect them, God. I cover them in the blood of Jesus, Lord, and I pray, Holy Spirit, that anything that is trying to attack them in this season, Heavenly Father, that you would pray over them and give them the faith, God, that their faith would arise, Lord. I pray, Jesus, that that we would not fall short of your glory, Lord, but that you would raise us up, God, that you would raise us up on wings like eagles, God. I thank you, Holy Spirit, for who you are. Thank you, Father, for sending your son to die on a cross for us, that we are able to speak directly to you, God. We love you and we worship you in your mighty name. We pray. Amen. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. Um, I love you all. If you ever have any prayer requests, any questions, any topic ideas, feel free to message me, leave comments, anything. I'm always available. It's quite literally what I'm here for. I just want to sit and build a community with you all and and be able to see the Lord magnify himself through you guys. So thanks for joining along. I hope that if you clicked on this video in your season of isolation, that you get to learn through it and that the Lord glorifies himself after and through it. Um, I will see you guys next week for our next podcast. And Jesus loves you, and so do I. Bye.