Seeking Right Counsel

Isaiah 30:1-3 "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion"

When I read the above scripture I was convicted. I cannot count the times that something terrible has happened and I first sought the counsel of my parents, my sisters or some other respected individual. Seeking counsel from godly men and women is not necessarily bad but many times we do not go to God first. We do not allow God to speak to us directly first but rather seek the counsel of others. Why is it that we count on these respected individuals to have a word from God for us but we do not count on God's ability to speak to us directly? Have we become so hardened and rebellious in our own way and desires that we can no longer hear the voice of God? Have we allowed the voices of this world to become so loud in our lives that we are not longer sensitive to the nudging and direction of the Spirit? Are we counting on the counsel and strength of ourselves or those around us that we no longer NEED God? Have we become so self-sufficient that God is no longer our fortress and strong tower? According to Isaiah 30, when we make the decision to rely on the strength and counsel of this world then it will become our shame and our confusion. Is it any wonder that this world is such a confusing mess? We have come to rely on ourselves, our governments and our money and leave God out of our decision making. Isaiah goes on to say in verse 4-5, "For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors came to Hanes. They were all ashamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a shame and a reproach." The earthly things that we take our strength and counsel from will fade away and all that we are left with is shame and reproach. It is time for us to let go of our rebellious nature, seek and take the counsel of the Lord. Shut out the voices of this world and seek the Lord and His strength. Cry out to God, he will hear and answer you.

Isaiah 30:18-19 "And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep not more; he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee."