The thirty-first chapter of Isaiah opens with a declaration of “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who trust in chariots because they are many , and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!” This warning is directed to each of us, to keep us from misplacing our hope.
Many, even within the church, live according to the flesh, living by sight, instead of according to the Spirit, living by faith. As a result, prayers are out of alignment with the will of the Lord, and as such, go unanswered. When men turn away from the Word of God, and instead rely on the word of man, then families suffer. The Lord’s desires are not known to us, and people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. They try to lead their families to serve a God they do not know, and they fool no one but themselves. In an effort to appease a culture that is hostile to the Lord, they accept the terms of surrender. They are permitted to hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.
If a sober look into the mirror of the Lord’s Word stings, then repent now while grace abounds. We cannot engage in spiritual warfare for our families if we don’t even live in the spiritual world. Turn from the diversions that have come between you and your first love. I’m not promising a fleeting good time, fickle happiness, or material prosperity. I am promising truth, righteousness, and eternal life. “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent” (John 17:3).