Who We Allow To Influence Us

Psalm 1 (KJV)

 ¹Blessed 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.

 ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 ³And 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.

 ⁴The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

 ⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

 ⁶For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

I was reading this morning Psalm 1. I have decided to begin reading one Psalm a day to wake me up, to use as a personal devotional time in the Lord. I have also decided to try to blog about each and everyone of them, depending where the Lord leads me. Psalm 1 lead me to how we interact with others & who we allow to influence us. What I have learned & applied to myself is that, I have been allowing the wrong influences on the job & off the job. I have sought counsel from people that are not Christians. That is a problem because Psalm 1 clearly allows us to see that this is the complete opposite of what we are to do. Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 6:14a states the following: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." This applies in marriages but also friendships. We must, including myself, understand that the world is not our friend. Ungodly people are not our friends. They are people that are lost, that don't have positive influences, that are corrupt, and most importantly need our prayer. We need to positively influence them. We need to pray for them. We need to show them love & help them. We do not need to turn to them for advise.

Think of it like this: if you are trying to find a destination, would you seek directions from someone that does not know where that destination is or would you seek it from someone that knows where it is and how to give thorough instructions? Exactly. You would seek help and advise from someone that clearly knows the directions & is able to help you. 

We have to understand that unsaved people cannot help us, but we can help them. We can be a blessing to them. That's what we need to be. We need to be a help for them, allowing God to be the Help for them. We have to have a positive influence on them. We have to shine our lights on and off the job, in and outside the home.

Furthermore, & most importantly in all of this, is the fact that we need to know Who our ultimate Help is. The Lord is our Help. His Word is our directions. It guides us and leads us on how to act and what to do in situations. 2 Timothy 3:16 states the following: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." An example for me would be yesterday, when my brother was about to make me go off on him. I bought him a burger for him to be kind to him, but he couldn't give me an hour in the room to myself to study the Word of God. I quickly had to search a scripture to find help in my anger and wanting to go off on him. I found it in Ephesians 4:29-32. It informed me that I need not to have "corrupt communications" coming from me. In other words, I needn't say aweful, ungodly things. I was not to grieve the Holy Ghost. I needed to let go of anger, wrath, bitterness, clamour, evil speaking, and malice and be kind towards him. I was instructed to be "tenderhearted" and forgiving just like Christ has forgiven me. This Word helped me to see that having any negative reaction was ungodly. It was also unsound. Granted, I did mess up a bit when I pointed out his behavior, but it would have been worse had I allowed the anger that was starting to build up inside me go out of me and to him.  

Lessons I learned from this Psalm is: (1) don't seek advise or counsel from ungodly people (2) seek the Word of the Lord in ALL situations, meditating upon His Word (3) the righteous (born again Christians that are actually born again Christians, living how the Lord would have them to live, doing His will) shall be saved & the wicked will perish.

Until Next Time...Lord's Willing

Your Sister in Christ

Mary