Delight
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Psalm 1:1
Most of us have swallowed the lies of this world even more than we realize. We’ve let the world tell us, “You can’t do this and you can’t do that,” “It’s the season for you to get sick,” “You have to have this,” or “You’re a certain age, so you have to have that.” That’s walking in the counsel of the ungodly and expecting negative things, just like an ungodly person does.
We need to look at people in the Bible like Moses. He lived to be 120 years old and his natural force wasn’t abated and his eyesight wasn’t dim (Deuteronomy 34:7). If Moses could do that and what we have is better than what he had, then what he had ought to be the minimum that we expect (Hebrews 8:6). Many people are only expecting to make it to 60 or 70 years of age. They’re told that they have one foot in the grave and should start slowing down. No, we need to stay active and do things. We’re the ones who curse ourselves and stop the blessing. God won’t ever stop it, and Satan can’t. We’re the ones who determine whether or not the blessing is working in our lives!
By and large, our universities today are producing ungodliness. I’ve heard David Barton reference a statistic that something like 90 percent of Christian youth renounce their faith after one year in a secular college. That’s because secular colleges are out to destroy faith in God. Even those institutions that started out more as divinity schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, are now anti-God.
Our First-Year Program at Charis Bible College is designed to get believers grounded in foundational truths. It’s ideal for the student whose calling from God requires them to go to a secular college. This way, before they go train to become a lawyer, a doctor, or whatever they may be called to become, they’re mentally and spiritually prepared for what they will face in school. They can come for one year and get their faith built up so that they aren’t just thrown to the wolves without a sure foundation. It’s bad out there!
All the Time
Our society was once a Christian society founded on biblical principles. However, it’s not functioning that way today. People are systematically coming against everything that God is for. It’s ungodly.
Sad to say, there are Christians walking in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). They’re endorsing homosexual marriage, supporting abortion, and buying into all kinds of other ungodly things. Those who do that stop the blessing because they are walking in the counsel of the ungodly. They’re standing in the ways of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful.
As believers in Christ, this should describe us:
But his delight is in the law of the Lord [the Word of God]; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Psalm 1:2, brackets mine
This is speaking of meditating in God’s Word more than just every once in a while. It’s meditating in God’s Word more than just once a week when you go to church for a service or just ten minutes a day when you do a little devotional. Certainly, listening to the Word at church and using a daily devotional is a beginning, but this verse is talking about meditating in God’s Word day and night. It’s referring to God’s Word being in your ears, in your eyes, on your mind, and in your mouth all the time.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8
In other words, if you delight in God’s Word and meditate on it day and night, then you’ll be blessed. You will see the blessing of God begin to manifest in your life.
Up and Down
There are many people all around the world who are Christians in name only. The Bible says that true believers—the just—shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38). Most Christians just visit faith, but they don’t live there. It’s not the address where they reside. They just visit faith and maybe spend a weekend there every once in a while. They go to church on Sunday and perhaps even Wednesday too, but they don’t live in faith. You need to live there!
In order to actually live in faith, you must meditate constantly in the Word. It’s a day and night process but when you do it, you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). That’s another blessing!
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 1:3
When you meditate on the Word day and night, whatsoever you do will prosper. What part of “whatsoever” do you not understand? Whatsoever you do will prosper. You might say, “I’m going to claim that one!” Well, are you going to quit walking in the counsel of the ungodly, standing in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seat of the scornful? Are you going to meditate in God’s Word day and night? Those things are all linked together.
Although it’s not based on your holiness, it does take a total commitment for you to see God’s blessing manifest in your life. As long as you can settle for less than God’s best, you will. You must be committed to receiving His best. This verse paints a picture of a tree that is planted next to water. Even in a drought, that tree will still flourish because its roots draw nourishment from the river. There won’t be recession for you. There won’t be ups and downs. God will speak to you!
Like a Pinball
The Holy Spirit will show you things to come. That’s another blessing!
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:13
You don’t have to be like a pinball that just bounces off things, going round and round again. You can hear from God (John 10:3-5)! God spoke to Jamie in January 2008 and led us to take out of the stock market the little bit of inheritance that we had received from her father. We did, and then the stock market crashed a short time later. The crash didn’t affect us because we’re like trees planted by rivers of water, and we hear the voice of God (Psalm 1:3 and John 10:27).
We invested that money back into the stock market after it crashed and had gone down 50 percent. We made 61 percent profit during that time. If you’re asking, “What’s your broker’s name,” then you missed it. It’s the Holy Spirit! We do have a broker and as a matter of fact, he told us that everybody he was working for prospered during that time, but he reported that we prospered more than anybody! He commented, “I don’t know why it worked for you.” I know. It’s because I’m blessed. Everything we set our hands unto is blessed (Deuteronomy 28:8)! Praise God.
Wiped Out
Jeremiah 17 agrees with and confirms Psalm 1:
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
The Bible is full of blessings—God’s spoken favor over you. All you have to do is activate the blessings through faith.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psalm 32:1-2
We say we’re forgiven, but many of us don’t even understand what that means. To have our sins atoned for and wiped out is a huge blessing! Many people don’t understand the magnitude of this blessing because religion has hidden this truth, saying, “Yeah, when you got born again, your sins up to that point were forgiven. But every time you sin after that, you have to get that sin confessed and under the blood.” This makes forgiveness conditional upon having every sin confessed.
For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Romans 14:23
“I’m Not Worthy”
Sin isn’t only the wrong things we do. There’s more to it than that.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James 4:17
Sin is also not doing the good things that we should be doing but fail to do. If we use that definition of sin, which is the Bible’s definition, then not loving a mate properly is sin. Not studying the Word enough is sin. Not being gracious to people and not thinking of others—just getting caught up in our own worlds and forgetting about others—this is also sin. If we use a Bible definition of sin, then we sin all the time. Because of this, our own consciences condemn us, saying, “You’re not worthy. You’re separated from God.” But that’s not what the Word teaches.
For a full exposition of this important truth, refer to my teachings entitled Redemption and Spirit, Soul & Body. I’m only going to be able to scratch the surface here.