“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1:1-6 NIV)
Joe sat in his pick-up, his forehead leaning against the steering wheel. He shuddered as he remembered the advice of his friends at school. What a disaster his life would be if he were to follow it. Joe began to whisper a prayer of thanks to God for his grandfather and the counsel he imparted. “I sure am glad that I went to see grandpa,” he said aloud.
As Joe sat there in deep thought, he suddenly realized how his world was programmed to take advice. TV newscasts, newspaper reports, the guy at work, neighbors, friends and relatives all want to counsel us. The problem, Joe decided, is that these counselors may not have one’s best interests at heart. “I think I better get me some different friends. I need to be careful who I let influence me,” he wisely decided.
The advice we act upon will make a difference in the quality of our lives. It is a difference of happiness and unhappiness . . . blessedness or misery.
Dear Father, thank you for knowing us and watching over us. Deliver us from wicked counselors. Plant us like trees beside the river. Bring prosperity and success to what we do. I make these requests in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today by the Lord’s protection,