God’s Warning Label

Isaiah 30:1
“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:”

There are certain products on which you will see a warning label that says if it is consumed that it is hazardous to your health. Warnings like this tend to get your attention. Whether the warning is to keep certain products out of your eyes or to keep your children from consuming them, you will often take extra precautions to keep these things from harming you or the ones you love.

It would seem that the warnings of God would bring as much concern to the Christian as a hazardous warning label on a product. The verse above is God’s hazardous warning label for the Christian. He says, “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD…” Anytime God uses the word “woe,” it is His way of warning anyone of the dangers that happen when you don’t follow His instructions. There are three hazards that God points out that you need to be careful not to do.

First, be careful about getting the wrong counsel. The verse above says, “Woe to the rebellious children…that take counsel, but not of me…” It is so easy to find yourself getting counsel from those who seem to have good advice, but you must be very careful that their advice is godly advice. For instance, reading materials from religious leaders who use wrong versions of the Scriptures are hazardous to your spiritual health. Why would you take counsel from someone who doesn’t believe God’s inspired Word? If they believed according to the Scriptures, they would use the King James Bible. Christian, you better be careful that the counsel you follow in the books you read, the conferences you attend, or the preachers you listen to are counselors who follow the Word of God without exception.

Second, be careful about getting the wrong power. God continues in the verse above by saying, “…that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit…” Working under the wrong power is hazardous to your spiritual health. You can only work through the power of the flesh for so long before you spiritually break down. My friend, you will only succeed in doing the works of the LORD if you are controlled by His Holy Spirit. Many people have thought they could go without the power of the Holy Spirit only to find themselves empty and overcome by sin. Sin is the destination of any Christian who attempts the works of Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit. It is better to take the time to get God’s power than to forge through with your own power only to find yourself succumbing to the power of sin.

Third, be careful about having the wrong trust. Verse 2 talks about His people trusting in the “shadow of Egypt.” If you have the wrong power, you will have the wrong trust. Don’t be guilty of trusting anyone other than Christ for anything. You can put your trust in man, but you will find yourself disappointed and bitter when they don’t come through for you in your time of need. Only God can give you the guarantee to always help you in your time of need.

Are you heeding God’s hazardous warning label? Do you find yourself partaking of that which is hazardous to your spiritual health? Let me encourage you to be careful in these three areas as each of them produces a life that is empty and void of Christ.

Author: Allen Domelle