In this MT for Christ 24/7 podcast episode, host M.t. Clark reflects on the loneliness that can accompany the holiday season, sparked by a social‑media meme that claims “if you’re feeling alone this December, you’re always alone.” He examines the meme’s possible tones—humorous, encouraging, or shaming—and uses it as a springboard to discuss the biblical perspective that man was not created to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Clark argues that feelings of loneliness are spiritual signals urging believers toward community, urging listeners to seek fellowship in church small groups, especially the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church. He shares his own testimony of depression being alleviated through faith, church involvement, and small‑group relationships. The episode includes a meditation on Psalm 42:5 (NKJV) from John G. Kruis’s Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling, emphasizing hope and praise as antidotes to depression. Clark also reads a devotional excerpt from J.E. Adams’s “Day by Day Along the Way” (Day 31), highlighting Christ’s suffering, obedience, and the believer’s call to trust God amid hardship. Throughout, he promotes MT for Christ resources—YouTube classes (Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, Freedom in Christ), the Celebrate Freedom discipleship course, and the weekly Bible study. The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer inviting listeners to surrender to Christ, seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and join the community of believers.
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Welcome to the MT for Christ 24/7 podcast. I am M.t. Clark, and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or watch us on YouTube. Good morning. Today's photo of cloud formations illuminated by the sun to resemble the Old Testament pillar of fire comes to us from yours truly as I captured this amazing sight back on June 12th while on the home stretch of an afternoon walk to my countryside home. Well, it's Wednesday, and with Christmas a week away, you could say that we are in the home stretch of the holiday season and that the— and the year that is 2024. And as much as I am looking forward to my year's end vacation that begins at quitting time on Friday, I am continually reminded that the most wonderful time of the year can be a time of grief and depression. Um, yesterday, uh, a single friend posted a meme on social media that stated, if you're feeling alone this December, please remember that you're always alone. It just happens to be December now. You never know the intentions behind messages on social media, so I don't know if this was shared as a joke, an encouragement, or a subtle dig at those who are sharing their feelings of loneliness. The last motivation would basically be insulting or shaming someone for being vulnerable. Oh, you're feeling lonely? Hello, you're always alone. Get over it. If the message is set with humor, the message would be, oh, you're feeling lonely? Hello, you're always alone, silly. It's just a different month. If It's sent as an encouragement. The message would be, oh, you're feeling lonely? Hello, you're always alone and you are okay during the rest of the year, and you're— and you're okay now. Don't let the holiday season get you down. Um, obviously the spirit in which this meme was sent out is up for interpretation, but regardless of the intent, the basic message tells us to be self-aware and to recognize the truth of our circumstances, which is good. We need to see the truth and then decide what to do with it. The mild implication, or am I just interpreting this, is that it's okay to be alone, right? The message points to the previous months and says, well, you were alone then and you weren't feeling lonely, or maybe not that lonely, and you were okay then, right? You were okay, right? Then it follows that you are okay now, or not. You are just as alone as you were before, so what's the big deal? Right, what's the big deal? Well, as much as we love to promote individual freedom in our society, the truth is that the feelings of loneliness that we experience in December or any month may be there to tell us something about our lives and the choices we have made that cause us to be alone. Those lonely feelings in whatever month may be trying to teach us something about our belief that it's quote unquote okay to be alone. Very early in the Bible narrative, yeah, very early in the Bible narrative, God looked at his creation of man, Adam, and the one who knows all things drew a different conclusion. And Genesis 2:18, God said, it is not good for man to be alone. So when we try to support and live under the belief that it's okay to be alone, we perhaps unknowingly are denying the word of God. And the struggles with depressions and feelings of loneliness are God's way of urges— urging us on to resolve those feelings. While God's word doesn't say that everyone should be married, it doesn't— it does say to love our neighbors as ourselves, that two are better than one, and that we should meet with other believers regularly to encourage one another. God's word directs us to love one another, and that is definitely something we can't do alone. So rather than stiffening our upper lips against the feelings and reality of our loneliness, we should encourage ourselves or those who are feeling lonely to seek the company of other believers at a church, perhaps, where they can meet their need for community and to have other people in their lives to take away reality and the feelings of loneliness. Oh, and for those who feel alone even though you have company, let's get some help, uh, because you are not alone, and you may be the one who is isolating themselves from the people around you by not sharing how you feel, and you could very well be, uh, brought to those feelings of depression and condemnation by the spiritual forces of darkness. By believing lies and having secret sin. To deny God's truth leads to sin and feelings of condemnation. God doesn't want you living that way, and so you need to be bold and courageous and seek the company, help, and encouragement of other believers who can point out that you are not alone and you are loved. Let's see, I used to, I used to feel alone a lot. Depression was a real problem in my life, but I put my faith in Jesus and his call to go to church and to learn about him and the body of believers took my loneliness away. I was surrounded by other believers at church and I drew close to them in small groups to love and encourage one another, just as the word directs us to. And when I did, I didn't feel lonely anymore because I wasn't. When we put our faith in Jesus, we are never alone. Because God will— God is with us, and he will never leave us or forsake us. And when we are obedient to follow God's word, he will send us to share his good news and love, to do and to dwell in the company of other believers for the rest of our days. So instead of trying to convince yourself that it's okay to be alone, agree with God that it is not good to be alone, and follow his lead to love and serve others. And to watch as you're feeling— and watch as your feelings of loneliness disappear in the community of the saints. Today's Bible verse comes to the, to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Kruis. This morning's meditation verse comes from the section on hope, and today's, uh, verse is Psalm 42:5 from the New King James Version. The word of God says, why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Today's verse falls under the 6th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on hope, and that 6th point is: Put your hope in God. Today's Bible verse directs us to take our feelings of depression and to hope in God and to praise him to deliver us. When you are feeling low, we need to go to the Most High. When you're feeling down, we need to go to the one who lifts us up, to God, to the heavenlies with Jesus. You know, Derek Prince once testified of a struggle with depression, and he affirmed the truth of God's word that directed him to put on a garment of praise to take away the spirit of heaviness from Isaiah 61:3, because he, like the psalmist, discovered the power of praising the Lord and finding our hope in God. So draw near to the Lord, let him lift you up. When we praise the Lord, we proclaim the truth about him, and we affirm our relationship with him and can stand in the joy of who we are in Christ. Lonely or trying times can shake us, but when we stand on the enduring truth and hope of the Lord, we can turn our frowns upside down and find God's help. And experience his joy. As always, we encourage everyone to go to mt4christ.com, where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from Day by Day Along the Way by J.E. Adams. It's a 365-day devotional, and we're on day 31, where Adams shares a portion of 1 Peter 2:21, which says, Christ himself suffered in your place, leaving behind a pattern for you to copy so that you might follow in his steps. And J.E. Adams writes, Jesus was the God-man. You cannot do all the things that he did— heal the sick, walk on water, die for the sins of others— but you can suffer as he did without returning insults or threats of revenge. Indeed, he prayed for the salvation of those who crucified him. The book of 1 Peter is all about suffering for the faith. Its essential message is: when suffering, continue to trust and obey. Indeed, if you are suffering for righteousness' sake, it might now and then do you good to sing a hymn with that title. In verse 23, we read that Jesus entrusted himself to the one who judges righteously. As in Jesus' trial and death, even though others might not do so, there is always one who knows and judges, and what he concludes is always correct. While others misjudge you, you can be sure that he will not. And in the long run, what does it matter if others misjudge? All believers have the assurance that on the Day of Judgment he will say, "Well done." Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus. But to trust and obey. That was from J.E. Adams. And yeah, we are to trust and obey. And even when times are hard, you know, the, you know, Jesus's example shows us that even when you do everything right, you know, like Jesus did, a sinless life, you know, people will hate you for it and you'll suffer. So it's not about our performance. It's about our relationship with the Lord and walking with him and trusting in God. And, you know, if your soul is downcast or you're feeling lonely, you draw close to the Lord and you draw close to his word. And you draw, you know, and feel lonely, draw close to the body of believers. And, um, you know, seek to know the Lord and to follow the Lord in everything you do and answer the call to go and love others, to love and serve other believers, other people. If you're feeling lonely, be with the Lord and be with other people. You know, follow his two greatest commands: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbors as yourself. These two commandments will lead you into an amazing life of freedom and holiness and goodness and mercy and love. And, you know, That's why we always ask the question, have you fully surrendered to God? Um, why? Because when you are obedient to follow the Lord, he gives you something to do. And for me, part of my purpose, um, he led me to lead the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church, which meets on Wednesday, which is tonight at 6:30 PM. And so anybody who hears this message and then can get to Clifton Park tonight, you're invited to come. For our group, our support group, uh, Christmas party, you know, meeting tonight. Um, we're doing a white elephant gift exchange, so you got to bring a gift of $20 value or less, um, you know, um, or, and maybe a food item to share. Uh, it's a small group, so don't bring them, you know, a ton of food. But, uh, if you want to come, you're welcome to come, and, uh, we'll see you there tonight, 6:30 PM, at Celebrate Freedom. Uh, we're in the K through 3rd grade classroom And you have to get there at 6:30 because the doors electronically lock. We'll be there to let you in, but afterwards you'd have to call me at 518-929-6206 to get in. So I gave you the number in case you're late. But yeah, no spam calls, please. Anyway, we move along to encourage you to, you know, if you can't make our meeting, We encourage you to get the good teaching that'll tell you about who you are in Christ, to tell you about the reality of the spiritual forces of darkness, and to set you free. We believe that you can find or increase your freedom in Christ by joining one of our podcast classes on YouTube. The order of our class, we'd say do it in the order I did them: Victory Over the Darkness, followed by The Bondage Breaker, followed by Freedom in Christ. And then you can do our Celebrate Freedom discipleship course, and then you can listen to the other playlists we have. Well, we try to give you encouragement, you know, basically how to live the Christian life 6 days a week, and on the 7th day we do a Bible study. So, um, some people say you're not resting. Well, I'm resting in the Lord, trust me. Um, I wouldn't be, you know, walking in victory and freedom like I am now, um, if it wasn't for the Lord. And that's why I point everyone to go follow Jesus, uh, and to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Anyway, uh, That's it for today, and we just encourage you, you know, to ask the question: Are you empty for Christ too? Are you surrendered to the Lord? Are you willing for the Holy Spirit to come into your life, fill you, and to guide you in the way you should go? If so, we say, great, keep on walking and talking with God. If not, we encourage you to pray, because we know prayer works, and God will hear you when you ask him to come into your life. Um, And that's why we pray every day, like right now. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for the joy set before us every day when we walk with you. Um, we don't know what the day holds, but we know the one who holds the day. We know you, Lord, and we know that your plans for us are good. Um, we may have to struggle and suffer at times, but when we draw, draw close to you, our mourning can turn into dancing. And our sadness can turn into joy. And so we're asking for you to help us with that today, Lord. We're helping you— we're asking you to go before us, set things up, to open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and to help us in the way we should go. Um, and Lord, we are also praying for anyone who's reading and listening to today's message, that you come alongside them and their prayer requests, their walk of faith, because, uh, Lord, we all need your help every day to help you know, to help us go, um, in the direction you want us to go. So we're asking for your help today, Lord. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
