"A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;  He rages against all wise judgment. "        --Proverbs 18:1 

It's interesting to see how two people who traveled with Jesus could mess up really bad, and yet one of them is used to start the Church, while the other one hangs himself on a tree until his guts spill out  -ugh! What was the difference?

I'm talking about Peter and Judas. They both betrayed Jesus. Judas gave information that led to his capture. When he realized what he had done he was sorry. Peter denied Him three times; he even cursed Jesus just to convince people he wasn't one of his followers. What a wimp!  But Judas hung himself, while Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000 souls were saved and the Church was born. What made the difference to bring such different outcomes?

Judas isolated himself, where the enemy could convince him of self-destructive lies, while Peter stayed with others to pursue Christ.

You see, isolation leads to no good end. When we isolate or "stonewall" to keep others out of our lives, we also remain trapped inside, where the enemy of our souls can have a field day in our minds. Things don't get better; they get worse. It's in the darkness of isolation that the root of bitterness grows. Don't stonewall. Walk in the light. Be courageous; be there with others. Pursue Christ!