Isaiah Chapters 30 – 34

Isaiah 30:12-17 ~ The Punishment for the Rebellious Children

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and you have not been willing. Keyword is quietness. It means to be still. It is the opposite of activity. When we get ourselves in a situation that is disturbing or difficult, we try to get busy trying to solve the problem. God says, "Stop being busy. Be quiet." Be still and trust Him.

But then there is this other word confidence. We will trust the Lord based upon our confidence in Him. That is just a fact of life. I can believe in Him. I can believe in what God's word says. I believe God for who He is. I believe that He is in charge of all things. I can tell you all the things that I believe, and then find myself in a difficult situation and just fall apart. I will trust Him to the degree I have confidence in Him for who He is.

And finally, the word expectations. My main problem in the human in dealing with this life are all of my expectations. I have expectations about how people are supposed to make me happy and how they are supposed to treat me. I expect people to do certain things to fulfill my life. Psychologists call it codependency.  If I am dependent on something or someone outside of my inner self, I am setting myself up.  Satan will exploit it.

Isaiah Chapter 31 ~ The Indictment Upon Judah Continued

In my flesh is no good thing. The sin principle himself dwells in my flesh and my flesh will always serve sin, always. So, what keeps us in the things of Christ? He does. That is why He, in His Spirit, comes and lives inside my spirit. Because my flesh wants to take me away; to take me out into the world; to lead me into sin. My flesh wants to destroy me through sin. So God’s Spirit is there in order to stop me from doing the things that I would want to do in my flesh. To keep me from being carried away by my flesh. And that is what makes me a Christian. The only One who can produce spiritual help is the Spirit of God.