Isolation: The Devil's Trap for Men

As we look at this generation, it is simply AMAZING to see all the connectivity that is happening every single day! You can literally be connected to people all across the world each and every day, thanks to the great invention of social media.
Before I move forward, please understand I am NOT bashing social media. I thoroughly enjoy the benefits of social media more than most because it allows me to share my story with the world. It lets the world see what God is doing in my life every day.
However, some time back, I had to embrace a harsh reality in my own life. Please allow me to be completely transparent, as I believe this will bring hope and healing to many men reading this article. The reality for me was this simple, but disturbing fact: I did not know how to genuinely “be” in real relationships with people.
I mean, think about it. Some would see me and see (through social media) that I am somewhat well known in certain parts of the country. With that being said, I realized that a lot of people knew of me or knew about me but nobody really KNEW me.
This may sound somewhat generic to you, seeing as how most of our social media followers do not really KNOW us either. For me however, it was a little deeper than that. The people that are supposed to be closest to me knew me to an extent, but I couldn’t honestly say that they really KNEW me. The type of relationship I am referring to is the Jonathan and David relationship. This particular relationship is the type that exposes itself to each other.
The Bible explains that when these two made a covenant/commitment to each other, Jonathan began to take off all of his clothes and give them to David because he “loved him like he loved himself.” Jonathan exposed himself to David as he became vulnerable after the covenant. As a  man, do you have anyone that you are in covenant with and can expose yourself to?
Singleness is a time of preparation for when God does actually bring a helpmate into your life. So right now, during your singleness, do you allow anybody to really KNOW you? Are you waiting on God to bring that woman into your life so that she can be the one to KNOW you? Being vulnerable and exposed is a discipline and a practice.
If you do not have that in your life now, what makes you think you will have it when you are in a committed relationship? In fact, I would caution any woman getting in a relationship with a man to examine his relationships with leadership and with other men. Does anybody really KNOW him? Men, women should not be the only ones that really KNOW us.
My encouragement for men in this article is that you would come out of that cave and allow other people in your life to KNOW you. Not the social media you, but the real you with flaws and mistakes. Endure this process now before you enter a relationship with a woman.
Does anybody have the right or position to speak into your life, discipline you, or correct you? My prayer is that when your season comes, and God sends a woman to be in covenant with you, that you will be able to be intimate and vulnerable with them because you have already experienced real intimacy with leaders and brothers before that moment. Expose yourself today and allow somebody to really KNOW you.